This semester, Spring 2015, I'm taking AIL 602, Electronic Instructional Design with Dr. Benson and AIL 605 Interactive Multimedia Processes with Dr. Rice. Both classes are going well. I'll have to say that 602 is harder. Our textbook is Instructional Design: The ADDIE Approach, by Robert Branch. It's a good enough book. I wish there were more examples though. We had our second face-to-face class yesterday. Dr. Benson helped a great deal by clarifying the fact that there are many ways to "do ADDIE" and we should not get too bogged down with duplicating our efforts exactly as directed by Branch. I'm glad because the course I'm building just isn't fitting into his perfect-world design. This class has definitely been a challenge, but I think it will begin to be easier now.
AIL 605 has not been difficult at all since designing multimedia is what I do for a living! Don't get me wrong, it's still been challenging and kept me quite busy. But I think most of the "stress" of it comes from my own perfectionism. Since it's "what I do", I believe the work I submit should be exemplary. At some point, though, I have to just stop perfecting and move on. As the assignments increase in difficulty, I'm sure I'll be even more challenged.
Week after next is Spring Break (March 16-20). I hope to spend much of the time working on course work and getting ahead of things. The following week I leave for a conference, Learning Solutions by the eLearning Guild, in Orlando, Florida. It appears to be very similar to DevLearn which I have attended three times. This conference, however, seems to be a bit more focused on instructional design and education and not as deeply focused on the tools. It's been a challenge to narrow the selection of sessions.
When the conference ends on Friday, my husband and I will move to a Disney resort and spend a few days visiting with Mickey and Minnie and then one day sorcering with Harry Potter at Universal Studios! I can't express how excited I am about this trip! BUT I'm also stressing hoping I can juggle play time and course work time! We have a lot of online discussions to participate in while I'm at the conference. My goal is to have it all done by Friday so I can relax and have fun in the happiest place on earth!
It's still too early in my Ph.D. journey to know what my destination looks like. But I do know that with each class, each assignment, each discussion, each article read, I am further convinced that I'm on the right road. My current job at UA may change. It may "become" something more. Or new doors may open and I change positions entirely. Whatever happens, I'm getting prepared! I want to be ready; confident in myself and my education. I want to be ready to take on bigger and better things!
AIL 605 has not been difficult at all since designing multimedia is what I do for a living! Don't get me wrong, it's still been challenging and kept me quite busy. But I think most of the "stress" of it comes from my own perfectionism. Since it's "what I do", I believe the work I submit should be exemplary. At some point, though, I have to just stop perfecting and move on. As the assignments increase in difficulty, I'm sure I'll be even more challenged.
Week after next is Spring Break (March 16-20). I hope to spend much of the time working on course work and getting ahead of things. The following week I leave for a conference, Learning Solutions by the eLearning Guild, in Orlando, Florida. It appears to be very similar to DevLearn which I have attended three times. This conference, however, seems to be a bit more focused on instructional design and education and not as deeply focused on the tools. It's been a challenge to narrow the selection of sessions.
When the conference ends on Friday, my husband and I will move to a Disney resort and spend a few days visiting with Mickey and Minnie and then one day sorcering with Harry Potter at Universal Studios! I can't express how excited I am about this trip! BUT I'm also stressing hoping I can juggle play time and course work time! We have a lot of online discussions to participate in while I'm at the conference. My goal is to have it all done by Friday so I can relax and have fun in the happiest place on earth!
It's still too early in my Ph.D. journey to know what my destination looks like. But I do know that with each class, each assignment, each discussion, each article read, I am further convinced that I'm on the right road. My current job at UA may change. It may "become" something more. Or new doors may open and I change positions entirely. Whatever happens, I'm getting prepared! I want to be ready; confident in myself and my education. I want to be ready to take on bigger and better things!
RSS Feed
