Section 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at it

1.      For this assignment I chose to explore the http://www.jobtarget.com/c/search_results.cfm?max=25&vnet=0&site_id=136&keywords=instructional+technology&search=Search website. I put Instructional Technology into the search option. The following jobs are the ones that I found of interest:

A.    

·         Company Name - Michigan State University

·         Job Title - Virtual University Design and Technology

·         Nature of Position –

These positions will work with faculty, university clients and the vuDAT team (designers, programmers and students) to consult, develop and produce complete web-based courseware for online and blended offerings at MSU.  Additionally, these positions will assist with evaluation, testing, implementation, documentation and training of emerging technologies and best practices in teaching and learning with technology.

·         Skills Required –

A bachelor's degree in education, instructional design, digital media art, information systems, or educational technology; one to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in Web design, instructional design, interaction design, information architecture design, project management, and education; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

·         Do I have these skills – No

B.

·         Company Name - University of Wisconsin – Extension

·         Job Title - Director of Instructional Design & Development

·         Nature of Position –

o    Manage the instructional designers and support staff on the instructional design team

• Mentor senior instructional designers, instructional designers, instructional design associates, and developers
• Set goals and provide regular feedback about performance to individuals on the team.
• Work with the leaders of other CEOEL business units (e.g. Media, IT, Programs) to ensure smooth process and adequate resources.
• Manage the operational budget for the team.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with constituents. Make routine trips to campuses to develop and solidify faculty relationships.
• Maintain a commitment to practitioner scholarship by sharing new knowledge inside and outside the organization.

·         Skills Required –

o   Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in instructional or education design/technology or related field with 5 or more years related instructional design experience or relevant terminal degree with three years related instructional design experience. o   3 or more years of formal people management (5 or more individuals direct reporting) experience in an instructional design, e-learning, or related setting. o   Demonstrated skills and experience providing excellent service to internal and external clients/customers. o   Excellent written and verbal communication skills. o   Knowledge of learning theories, instructional design theories, instruction systems. Understanding and demonstrated application of sound pedagogy and andragogy instructional design practices. o   Willingness and ability to travel to UW System campuses to meet with faculty (statewide travel). ·         Do I have these skills  - No               C. ·         Company Name - Johns Hopkins University-Engineering for Professionals ·         Job Title - Instructional Designer-Online Course Development o    Nature of Position – o    Collaborate on the development of instructional materials for online courses that are consistent with sound instructional design principles. Collaborate and consult with faculty on the effective use of instructional design strategies, web-based resources, multimedia technologies, and instructional software and systems for online course development. Collaborate with the faculty members to ensure instructional integrity of the course development projects through a method of systematic design and clear course standards and objectives. Serve as a member of a course development team, which may include subject-matter experts, faculty, project managers, multimedia specialist, course developers, etc. Maintain a collaborative relationship and open communication with the ITDE team. Plan, develop and facilitate training/workshops on best practices for online instruction and use of educational technology. Research, evaluate and integrate new and emerging educational technologies for improving student learning within online courses. Skills Required – B.A. /B.S. degree in education, instructional design, educational technology or other related discipline. Minimum of 3 years professional experience in an academic environment, designing and developing distance or online instruction. Knowledge of instructional design theories and methodologies. Knowledge of pedagogical principles for designing distance and online instruction for adult learners. Knowledge of current and emerging instructional technologies and best practices for integrating with online instruction. Knowledge of streaming audio and video, compression methods, file types and formats. Ability to apply sound instructional design principles in designing and developing online instruction. Proven ability to continually adapt and learn new procedures, systems and software applications. Ability to communicate and collaborate in any type of environment Strong writing and verbal communication skills. Strong critical thinking and analytical skills. Ability to work independently; demonstrates strong project management skills and attends to detail in assigned work. Proficient in using web-based course management tools (WebCT, Moodle, Blackboard and Sakai) and online conferencing software (Adobe Connect, Wimba, Blackboard Collaborate). Proficient in using Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe projects, HTML editing software, and project management software. Ability to exercise independent judgment to carry out duties and responsibilities. ·         Do I have these skills – No      It was interesting to explore this site with all of the various job offers and their requirements. Not much of a demand for my experience and knowledge in the Pre K field! But I did find this assignment interesting. 2.      I chose to explore http://www.careeronestop.org website and I took their Skills Profiler assessment. Below is what the assessment determined from the information that I entered. I cannot say that I learned anything new about myself using this particular assessment, but it was a good experience and I can see where these types of assessments would be beneficial to someone that is considering a field of study to enter into or a career change. At this time in my life I am pleased with my current job and am not looking to change my career path. However, if I was I would consider revisiting these websites for helpful information.        I tried several times and several different ways to include the Profile sheet (it indicated that there were no matches for me at this time) but every time I tried to add it to my blog it kept wiping out my entire blog. Therefore, I was not able to include it as indicated above! 3.      Below is a chart of the websites I visited and the information they provided: PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: Website / Name http://www.aera.net American Educational Research Association http://www.astd.org/ American Society for Training & Development Mission The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a national research society, strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. Empower professionals to develop knowledge and skills successfully. Cost of Membership ·         Regular membership is $150.00 yearly ·         Graduate student membership is $40.00 yearly ASTD's Dues are $199 for a 12 month membership (postage fees apply outside of the U.S.) Members outside the U.S. qualify for ASTD International E-Membership ($169 annually). Student and Senior rates are available for those who qualify. Prices are in U.S. Dollars. Publications They publish books and journals ·         Electronic content ·         Books ·         Infolines ·         Learning Systems ·         T+ D ·         Subscriptions Conferences and meetings They have annual meetings, the latest one that was held is listed below: Friday, April 8 – Tuesday, April 12New Orleans, Louisiana “Inciting the Social Imagination: Education Research for the Public Good” There are virtual conferences that you can register for. There is a fee depending on which conference you register for. Opportunities for professional development I did not see any specific opportunities listed. However, I would think that being an active member in this organization would be an opportunity all by itself. I did not see anything listed as professional development opportunities. However, they sell books and publications that are designed to aid in career development. PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS:             Website / Name http://www.aera.net/publications/?id=315 American Educational Research Journal http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/HCGI the book list this website as being: http://www.leaonline.com/loi/ci Cognition and Instruction Focus/Goals of the journal The book states that the articles report on original empirical and theoretical studies & analysis in education. According to the book the focus is on cognitive investigations of instruction and learning. Submission guidelines There are guidelines listed for written submissions of manuscripts as well as electronic submissions. The guidelines are very specific and detailed and can be found easily on this website. You need to create an account to submit an article online. You can click on the link that says submit online and then click on the link format & forms to obtain additional information. There is also a link titled Authors resources! Is this a peer reviewed journal? According to the book these are peer reviewed journal articles. According to the book these are peer reviewed journal articles. Is the journal online? They are available online and in print for their members. Otherwise they are available online to nonmembers. Yes this is an online journal.      I was not aware of these organizations and journals prior to my researching them. I found them very informative. No matter what field of study you are in any information you can gather through these types of websites will be beneficial to the job you are doing. 4.       Due to my lack of knowledge in this field I would need to refer to table 27.6 on page 280 in the book and use the competencies listed. I also would refer to table 27.7 in order to determine the domains needed. Those are listed below: Competencies: a)      Focus on results and help clients focus on results b)     Look at situations systematically, taking into consideration the larger context including competing pressures, resource constraints, and anticipated change c)      Add value in how you do the work and through the work itself d)     Use partnerships or collaborate with clients and other experts as required e)      Be systematic in all aspects of the process including: a.      The assessment of the need or opportunity b.      The analysis of work and workplace to identify the cause or factors that limit performance c.       The design of the solutions or specification of the requirements of the solution d.      The development of all or some of the solution and its elements e.      The implementation of the solution f.        The evaluation of the process and the results Domains: a)      Design b)     Development c)      Utilization d)     Management e)      Evaluation Again, I would include these because I do not have any knowledge of this field that would help me to create these components on my own. These tables are a great source of information for someone who does not have a direction to begin with. I would research this task and my research would begin with my text book and use their thoughts and ideas to begin with. I wanted to say that I had a great deal of difficulty submitting this week’s blog! Everything that I have done all along did not work this time. Things in my blog appeared in Bold and they shouldn’t have and I could not get it to undo. Some of my graphs did not color in all the way. I am not sure what the problem was. I have done things the same way every week and never encountered the problems I did this time!!! I apologize for the way the blog appears this week!!!!