Blog+Final+Questions

Blog Final Questions
Throughout the course you have been following (and hopefully participating in) a blog related to instructional design.
 * 1) Post your final thoughts about the blog that you are following to your discussion thread.
 * 2) Think about what questions you would have for a guest speaker, such as Cammy Bean.
 * 3) Post your top one or two questions to this wiki.
 * 4) Read your classmates' questions on the wiki.
 * 5) Reorganize the questions into the top six "best" questions, in your opinion.


 * Top 5 Questions:**


 * 1. What are the top 3 tools or resources without which you could not survive as an ID professional? Not a tool such as a computer or notebook, but rather a reference or design tool that makes you more efficient, effective, or satisfied with your work?**

My blogging/twitter network without whom I would know next to nothing about Instructional Design! Word – I’ve got to write it all down – freeform style or more structured in a table format. Increasingly, I’ve been relying on PowerPoint to create wireframes and get a feel for course flow. Paper. Yes. Paper is a design tool in its many forms: notebooks and sticky pads and loose leaf paper to the rescue!
 * From Cammy:**

 [from jonathan@midwest] You mention twitter, a tool I use as well. Are you willing to share any users I could follow in the ID world, to benefit from their thoughts and advice? I promise not to spam! :-)

Jonathan, Lisa Chamberlin and Dr. Kay Lehmann are starting a Twitter-based weekly chat about distance education/eLearning in higher education. They would love to have you join them! Find out more at: http://distedchat.blogspot.com/p/disted-chat-explained.html You will have to have a Twitter account to participate. Nicholle


 * 2. What is the most important lesson experience has taught you? What do you wish you had known about ID when you were just starting?**


 * From Cammy:**
 * Well, when I was just starting, I didn’t even know there was an ID! Like many in the profession, I got into this by accident. I followed the directive handed down to me very dutifully – instruct, demo, practice, assess. It was only after I’d been practicing for a number of years did I realize there was a real field behind it. This sounds so very naïve, I know. But we didn’t have blogs and the internet was really just getting legs (in fact, I had to hike five miles uphill both ways just to create a project!) If I were new and just starting today, I would want to be intravenously tapped into the greater ID community through blogs and Twitter and other social networking sites. I would want some basic theory on how adults learn, so I could design better programs from the get go. **


 * You all have an advantage in many ways as you're getting a solid foundation in an ID program. That said, I would keep your minds and eyes wide open and practice great flexibility and creativity! I have heard many stories of IDs who emerge from programs with rigid mindset about processes that must be followed and boxes that must be ticked off. I feel like I must constantly keep myself vigilant and focused on the learner! It's very easy to fall in the trap of an order taker. **

[from Rebecca@Brookfield] Like you, I was not aware that ID even existed. I became very frustrated with the lack of student success after the established routine of lecturing, drill and practice, and testing. My desire to find another way to reach my students has landed me here in ID. I don't believe that you are naive at all, I think that it is a natural progression of someone who wants to make a difference.

[from jonathan@midwest] I don't think this is naive at all. In my organization, I know a lot of nurses who were asked to become staff developers, and then later learned how.

Not only a natural progression of someone that wants to make a difference, but a committed learner! Thanks so much for sharing with us! Marilyn_Bloomington, MN

I am also a committed learner, and due to my own experiences (somestimes good and sometimes bad) as a learner, I hope to make a difference in course design to assist learners to become successful. Julie@Lakeside, OH


 * 3. How important is it to be proficient with a good number of the technology and/or tools (Captiva, Moodle, etc.) used in Instructional Design?**

For me, personally, it’s important to know what the tools can do. But I can’t use most of them – and I don’t (nor do I want to!). I’m fairly unique in this respect, because I have always worked on the vendor side of things in the eLearning business. Many instructional designers working within corporate L&D departments must know the tools and write and do graphics and do ID and and and…On the other hand, the tools have gotten easier and easier to use. I've been doing screen casts, could build an Articulate course if I needed to, tinker in Moodle because I have to as part of my job. But I'm not a programmer and I'm not an expert builder. My strengths lie primarily in schmoozing (working with client teams to identify training objectives, gather content and understand my mission!), writing, design (not graphics), collaborating with other members of my project team, and building relationships with my clients (because we hope they'll do more business with us -- and because I just like people and think that's the really fun part of my job).
 * From Cammy:**

I’ve been recently doing some analysis of job listings vs. ID academic programs for a conference session I’m doing in a few weeks. The job listings weight tools very heavily; the programs hardly mention them. I think that's an interesting disconnect.

From Cheri@Sullivan, Thank you for responding to this question. Like you, I am not a programmer. As a matter of fact, this is my first experience with wikispaces, blogs, etc. I am in the corporate world and my strengths are very similar to yours because we hire ID's, etc. to complete our training modules.


 * 4. What do you see as the most effective upcoming tool or strategy?**


 * From Cammy:**

In corporate training – it’s increasingly about “informal’ learning – that is, thinking about all the many ways that people learn while on the job and support that from a holistic perspective. Traditionally, many corporate ID types are focused on the course. I see us starting to provide more expertise to organizations beyond the course. I also expect to start seeing more specialization in IDs. You might see an ID with a focus on game design, or social media or classroom. Overseeing all of that might be an ID with a focus on overall instructional strategy. Professor Karl Kapp suggested this term to me in an audio interview I recently did with him: []

From Cheri@Sullivan, I am in a corporate training department and our students are definitely asking for more online, simulation-type learning. We recently developed a board game to educate new employees about the history of our company.


 * 5. How do you scrutinize a technology to determine its best use? And how do you explain best uses to subject matter experts that want to use the latest and greatest, regardless of how it works?**


 * From Cammy:**

I don’t know that I’ve come across subject matter experts who are trying to push the greatest and latest. I suspect that might be more of an issue in academic ID environments where the SME is the professor delivering the course. In the corporate ID world, the SME isn’t typically the one pushing the technology. That might instead come from the L&D/training group. As to how I scrutinize technology…well, I have a programming department who does some of that heavy lifting. So if we want to recommend a new tool to a client, I’d have someone research it and come back with a response. If it’s a tool like Twitter or min mapping tools, etc. – I try and get out there and play with things as much as I can so I understand what the current tech field looks like. That said, there’s no way anyone can really keep up with all of the new tools on the market. If there’s a need, then I might start exploring in more depth.


 * Thank you!**


 * Thank you for asking me to participate and provide my two cents. I hope I've provided some insight into my practice. Please feel free to be in touch if you would like me to clarify any of the above comments or just have a question! cammybean@gmail.com **


 * Good luck to you all! **


 * ~Cammy**

What is the one tool or resource without which you could not survive as an ID professional? I don't mean a computer or notebook, but rather a reference or design tool that makes you more efficient, effective, or satisfied with your work? jonathan@midwest April in WI Joyce@Burlington Paula @ Eau Claire Laurie @Tampa Marilyn_Bloomington, MN

total votes: 6

What is the most important lesson experience has taught you? What do you wish you had known about ID when you were just starting? jonathan@midwest April in WI Julie @ Minneapolis Julie Kling @ Lakeside, OH Cheri @ Sullivan Susan@Edina, MN Rebecca@Brookfield Chris@holmen Laurie @Tampa

total votes: 9

How important is it to be proficient with a good number of the technology and/or tools (Captiva, Moodle, etc.) used in Instructional Design? Cheri@Sullivan April in WI Joyce@Burlington Susan@Edina, MN Rebekah@Edina, MN Rachel @Madison ap@menom

total votes: 7

We've been identifying competencies required for Instructional Designers. What would you say are the top five competencies for someone to be successful? Cheri@Sullivan ap@menom Laurie @Tampa

total votes: 3

What top three resources are your most used - for your work in Instructional Design? Marilyn_Bloomington, MN Joyce@Burlington Cheri @ Sullivan Rachel @Madison Laurie @Tampa ap@menom

total votes: 6

What are the key similarities in application of Instructional Design techniques across industries (specifically education and health care)? What are examples of industry specific techniques? Marilyn_Bloomington, MN

total votes: 1

What advise would you give to a new Instructional Designer to help them break into this new career path? Barbara @ Chippewa Falls Julie Kling @ Lakeside, OH Susan@Edina, MN Paula @ Eau Claire

total votes: 4

What was the biggest stumbling block to success you have experienced in your career? How could we avoid making the same mistake? Barbara @ Chippewa Falls Joyce@Burlington Paula @ Eau Claire

total votes: 3

How does someone become a more creative instructional designer? April in Eau Claire, WI

total votes: 1

Can you give us examples of how to integrate culture into course design?  Paula @ Eau Claire

total votes: 1

In following ID blogs for this course, I observed two streams of thought within the ID community: one advocating that what is new must be the best and should be used, and the other, stick with what is comfortable and familiar. How does one find balance or develop the ability to function from any point on the technology usage scale? Might one even need to function without technology or minimal technology to ensure the success of learners who are not comfortable with technology? Julie Kling @ Lakeside, OH Julie @ Minneapolis

total votes: 2

Copyright: what current copyright laws does the ID professional need to be aware of? If I create original materials, do they belong to the client or sponsoring institution? Julie Kling @ Lakeside, OH Julie @ Minneapolis

total votes: 2

Do you experience disagreements with SMEs or administration as to what instructional design needs to be effective? If so, how do you resolve those issues? ap@menom April in WI Rachel @Madison

total votes: 3

What do you see as the most effective upcoming tool or strategy? Laurie @Tampa April in WI Julie @ Minneapolis Julie Kling @ Lakeside, OH Cheri @ Sullivan Susan@Edina Rebecca@Brookfield Marilyn_Bloomington, MN

total votes: 8

1. With the rapid rate of technology change and the subsequent change in our behaviors, do you see certain ID theories changing (i.e. adapting) or new ones appearing based on the effort of technology on our lives and learning. Julie @ Minneapolis Chris@holmen

total votes: 2

2. How do you scrutinize a technology to determine its best use? And how do you explain best uses to subject matter experts that want to use the latest and greatest, regardless of how it works? Julie @ Minneapolis Joyce@Burlington Susan@Edina, MN Rebekah@Edina Rachel @Madison ap@menom

total votes: 6

1. What level of technological skill is necessary to enter the field of instructional design? Where does one learn the programs that employers seem to want (e.g. captivate) if you don’t have access to the software? It also seems like there is a vast array of different software and they are changing all the time, how do you decide which software to learn?  Susan@Edina, MN  Rebekah@Edina

total votes: 2

2. I've noticed a conflict concerning how/if you present objectives to students. Is it best to be up front about your learning objectives or should you be more subtle about your objectives? It seems like our instructor has been very clear about what she is trying to accomplish but my blog advanced the idea that you should allow students to "discover" objectives. Which is the best approach and does it depend on the type of training you are designing?  Susan@Edina,MN Rebekah@Edina Paula @ Eau Claire

total votes: 3

1. How can we make sure to have a good balance between personal and technology in the courses we create? Chris@Holmen Rachel @Madison Cheri @ Sullivan

total votes: 3

2. If we are the ID, the trainer, the graphic designer, the video editor, and many other people all in one, how can we make sure that our e-learning modules look and feel professional? Chris@Holmen Rebekah@Edina Paula @ Eau Claire ap@menom

total votes: 4

I have been thinking about the tactile ways in which people learn and how that will be affected as technology creeps more into people's everyday lives. A question I would pose is "As individual learning steers more towards the use of technology, do you see people utilizing traditional hands-on learning methods in new ways or will the use of technology completely replace many of the methods used in the past?" Rachel @Madison total votes: 1

The popularity of learning theories and approaches come in and out of vogue with 180 degree swings in the education world. To boot, we in k-12 educational settings get mired in the quicksand of negative comments such as "I've always done it this way." and/or "The parents expect it this way." and/or "I learned it this way, so these kids will too." __What is the best advise you have for teachers - veterans and rookies alike - to move our students (and apparently our teachers, too) into the 21st Century of instructional design?__ - Joyce@Burlington Laurie @Tampa

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for teachers (public and private schools) to simply use the textbook companies' teacher manual without much planning at all. Because materials, adopted by the school district board of education, are required for teachers to use and textbook companies put all the lessons and the activities in the teacher's manual, teachers do not have the responsibility of designing instruction. Simply put, instructional design and assessment are done for teachers. To further complicate this dilemma, with the advent of a federal mandate for (reauthorized federal law for special education called IDEA) Response to Intervention, teachers are faced with designing instruction to reach those individuals who are not "responding" to the universal instruction. __What course of action do you think is needed to put instructional design back in the hands of the professional educator?__ - Joyce@Burlington