EduTech gEEks…We’re a new brEEd

It has been a while….this, I know.

Work and school are keeping my schedule pretty saturated. Tons of instructional design work being completed in the process, therefore it is all worth it, right?

So, I must rant and rave for this posting.

Oh, I was so annoyed this week!

There is a reason why instructional design professionals recommend the designing of assessments before developing instructional materials (e.g. student and instructor guides, powerpoints, multimedia objects, etc.). Such practice keeps your instructional content in alignment with the course/lesson objectives.

This has been the case with my professional and academic experience.

Within this current project, our development schedule is as follows: content first, then revision of the practice activities and written assessment tests. Some of these items have been created before the writers arrived, but we are still there for a reason. It is hard to work in an environment where people are not trusting your experience as an ID. So, I am finding myself constantly going back into the primary instructional document and adding content based on new info from the assessments….Whew! A time consumer to say the least.

I know, I know. As IDs we have to adapt to constant change.

With every client there will be criteria outside the realm of our traditional ID or educational practices. This, I understand. Actually, I am all good with it. Conventions will not always have an appropriate place for every part of a project.

For all my IDs, trainers, educators, I recommend the design of instruction in this order:

1. Conduct an analysis
2. Establish your objectives based upon the analysis
3. Design assessments based on the objectives
4. Develop instructional materials based on the assessments

….simple, quite simple.

Need we send a mass e-mail to all those trying to be trainers?

Writing technologies, writing for technology, writing about and with technology…all of these have become such a huge part of my work. What happened to eLearning? Am I in transition?

Transitioning…you know that moment in your career where your professional interests are changing and the type of designer you once thought you’d be is so far from the type of designer you are becoming?

There…that place right there…I find myself.

For educational technology, I always seen myself more into eLearning and multimedia. Although I am still “here” officially, my interest in professional writing and document design is taking off. Just look at the last several posts on my blog…

Anywho, perhaps this is something all people go through. To be or not to be an eLearning professional? To choose writing technologies and doc design over hardcore eLearning? Blasphemous!!!

Truthfully, I am uncertain.

I guess writing is a huge part of eLearning and so is document design. So I am not straying too far. Maybe it is my expanding knowledge of eduTech…naturally, the boundaries on my instructional design perspective are beginning to stretch into other areas. Perhaps :-/

~EduTech gEEk…I am a new brEEd of gEEkdom.

Not much activity from me this week, huh?

The latest opportunity is a ~ 4 month contract content development position with Information Mapping, Inc. The Information Mapping method of organizing and presenting content is definitely one of the better forms of standardized writing. As far as my experience goes…

Most of my responsibilities will be technical writing and document design oriented. Of course….these two areas of designing instruction seem to follow me everywhere.

The funniest aspect of this job is the transformation of training documents from Word Perfect to MS Word!

Yes…I said “Word Perfect.”

I thought the industry was moving more toward Adobe FrameMaker for template-based document design needs. So to be working with Word Perfect is a true shocker. Nonetheless interesting. I guess these are the types of jobs that help grow you into a true instructional design/technical writing professional.

I think I even said in a previous post about how all my FrameMaker training wouldn’t even be considered for the next job. Boy, did I hit the nail on the head.

My SME—working with my Subject Matter Expert has also been pretty interesting. It has only been a week, but I already realize the benefits to developing a supportive relationship with good communication.

The project has had a rough start due to many external factors that pre-date the arrival of my team and I. But, you know that’s the nature of the game. Either way I am sooooo on board and ready to work.

My Primary Goal: to develop the best instructional documents with my SME that the new batch of students will find useful during their entire program.

All my years as a student should definitely have prepared me for this position.

Writing & The Design of Instruction…They go hand-in-hand?

At least within these early stages of my career, yes! The better I have become at technical and professional writing, the better I have become at instructional design.

When studying those particular forms of writing, a lot of learned typography, formatting, and layout techniques brightened up my dreary world of plain, gray-scale unstructured text. This has truly transitioned my skill and understanding of Document Design.

Now my instructional documents and eLearning modules (even my blah blah surveys) have a new spice to them!

It excites me…puts a lil’ spark in my instructional document design tasks.

In a previous post titled, “Career Choices for an EduTech Star,” I posted a YouTube video that briefly described some of the job titles under which we EduTech Geeks fall. Look at the entire ISD process of analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation…our skill is truly extensive when you really evaluate what we do.

These past two months my work as a Freelance ID has really picked up, thus creating a desire to share some of the secrets or best ways to land these freelance jobs.

Mostly, I have been doing writing and design & development jobs. Small technical writing and document design seem to be the needed tasks amongst many companies; creating templates for corporate documents is another frequently posted job. Note: Knowing a little HTML/CSS wouldn’t hurt either.

To quickly summarize, the most common freelance jobs for this ID have been:

• technical writing docs/reports,
• desktop publishing (DTP)
• document design and layout of instructional docs,
• compiling packets of instructional information,
• editing instructional content,
• eLearning module design & development,
• presentation design (for instructional content),
• development of assessments & evaluations, &
• MY FAVE = audio/video scriptwriting for eLearning content.

The audio/video scripting, or just plain scripting for audio content, allows me to combine the film/theatre background with instructional design. Its a good skill to have and, usually, the content is already there, you’re just responsible for turning it into a script. I enjoy doing this because it simultaneously adds to both the design and writing resumes.

Good places to add a profile:

• www.ifreelance.com
• www.linkedin.com

Also, consider the creative staffing agencies in your area. I live in Chicago, the city flooded with many creative types, here are a few I know of:

• www.paladinstaff.com
• www.creaitivedir.com
• www.creativegroup.com
• AD AGENCIES!!! Ad agencies are always a good professional contact. Many DTP, document design and web-based design jobs come through their network.

“Your net worth is your network.”…can’t remember who said it, but it rings true. So get out there and get those freelance jobs!!!

The money is great! The networking is awesome! The professional independence is unparalleled!

Quick Post: Interested in learning about the digital divide or how to combat digital literacy in your community (or workplace)?…Check out the DDN.

I do a lil’ blogging on this site as well, but really I use it to stay up on many of the digital literacy news and initiatives going on worldwide. It is such a great network of technology professionals, many in education, who recognize a problem and seek solutions. One day, within next year or so, I hope to have a better clue as to what digital divide issue I will be dedicating my career and non-profit initiatives toward.

In the meantime… http://www.digitaldivide.net

“New York University!”

Ahhhhhh….like music to my ears. I absolutely love this institution. No, it is not Big Ten crazed like my O State (Go Bucks!), but it fulfilled my life in other ways. The very place where I began my graduate journey…

NYU always seems to find a uniquely impressive way to merge academics with the arts, not just have them co-exist on the same campus. I am talking about true collaborative effort taking place within so many of their non-traditonal academic programs. Especially the Educational Communications Technology (ECT) graduate program within the Steinhardt School of Education. The doctoral program is ideal for any educational technologist looking to bring their understanding of learning technologies to a whole new level. ECT Studies @ NYU is arguably one of the most well designed graduate programs (at both the MA and PhD level) available in our field. The curricula screams innovative leadership and training.

The most impressive part of their initiative, from my perspective of course, is the focus on video and interactive web-based learning environments as valid technologies to be used for learning. Many higher ed institutions whose curricula have a strong foundation in education, usually, lack the creative design and development training we need as educational technology designers. Believe me, I know this! I am constantly on the web searching for doctoral programs with a solid foundation in the learning process and a clear vision into the future demands of our profession; it is truly rare to find them, especially amongst the more prestigious universities…for all my Academician Snobs out there

Some of my favorite aspects of the NYU ECT Doctoral Program are:

• Major focus on the design and development of educational video & web (incl. audio/sound editing)
• Focus on cognitive learning and teaching strategies
• Student teaching opportunities throughout New York City school system, businesses, non-profits, etc.
• Multiple educational research opportunities, incl. digital research
• Top educators and educational technologist as professors and mentors
• Focus on learning technologies for areas outside of the typical K-12 sector: non-profit, training, adult education, etc.
• Home to CREATE, the Consortium for Research and Evaluation of Advanced Technologies in Education

…and much, much more!

Instructional Designers (or anyone working in a technology-based field) should not wait in exhausting highway traffic…airport lines…or hold up a boardroom in order to collaborate with team members. Personally, I would prefer to work from home…It’s not like we tech people actually “talk” to one another.

For this 8 week CBT (Computer-Based Training) Project, I was working with 2 out-of-state IDs. Design & Development went pretty smoothly thanks to our use of several Online Meeting/Collaboration Tools. Simple trial and error…figuring out which was most capable of handling all of our file transfer and presentation needs…e-mail just doesn’t “do it” for certain project tasks.

In the spirit of sharing & caring, I created a Feature Analysis Chart of 4 programs (AOL, iVisit, GoToMeeting & Adobe Connect) we tried out…

Some Additional Pros & Cons…

• AOL CHAT (a Download): Simple if you already have a Screenname, but who wants co-workers or supervisors seeing our obnoxious away messages…I don’t.

• iVisit (a Download): Too boring and limited; Requires an annoying code for log-in; Set up is more like something from the late 90s…yawn.

• GoToMeeting (Wed-based): Great online tool; Unlimited amount of meetings; Voice conferencing available

• Adobe Connect Professional (Web-based): Strictly web-based; Host has ability to maneuver through personal computer while audience/other connected members watch; Voice conferencing also available; Need for a definite high speed connection when presenting info…you and your dial-up modem holding up everyone’s time = sooooo embarrassing.

…I prefer Adobe Connect, of course.

Hola, World!

This is my ‘Edutech Geek Blog’ on all things educational/instructional technology. Digital Design, Digital Divide, Computer-Based Media, eLearning, Web 2.0, Learning Wikis, and all other related technologies will be discussed. I figure my career field is still a growing baby, about to hit the toddler stage, and with all the hooplah over the use of technology for learning, I’d like to educate the public on why learning technologies are the answer to many of our issues in American education (on all levels).

A little about me: An instructional designer, studying New Media Design @ DePaul University The broader goal is to merge a theatre & education background with new media design for a career in Educational Media and Television Production. My Edutech LinkLog can be found at: http://del.icio.us/dfench …

Indeed I am very excited to be blogging, seeing as I have tried to stay away from placing my unique perspective of our crazy world on the Internet. In my mind I’ll get a six-figure job with the government, they’ll research me, find some old anti-’whatever’ posts, then BOOM! I’m fired, in this economy. No thanks. So, I’m sticking to an area that I am absolutely fond of: Educational Technology, Educational Communications Technology, Instructional Technology…all things technology-based used for learning and informational purposes.