Christy+Tucker+Answers+Ques

Given the ever-changing landscape of technologies and tools related to education, what advice can you give to new teachers on how to stay abreast of the emerging trends? (subscription to magazines, following blogs, professional associations, etc?) Don't feel obligated to do everything on this list. Pick one thing to start with and then add others to your routine as you feel comfortable. If the first thing you try doesn't seem to work for you, try something else until you find what does work.
 * 1) Join the [|Classroom 2.0] online community. There are some terrific educators in this community who can help people at any technical level.
 * 2) Follow blogs of interest to you. Check out the [|Alltop Education] and [|E-learning] blog lists or the [|Edublog] awards for ideas.
 * 3) Subscribe to Stephen Downes' [|OL Daily]. He reads lots of blogs and highlights what he finds interesting, so you get a filtered selection of posts and don't have to read it all yourself.
 * 4) Comment on the blogs you find. Ask questions and engage in conversation.
 * 5) Try Twitter. I admit this isn't my personal favorite tool, but many educators really enjoy it. Check out [|#edchat] or [|#lrnchat] for education and learning-focused conversations.
 * 6) If you are interested in online learning, check out the [|eLearning Guild]. They do tend to focus on corporate learning, but I've learned quite a bit from their free [|Learning Solutions] online magazine.
 * 7) Look for the free online subscriptions from sites like [|eSchool News], [|ASCD], [|Edutopia], [|Inside Higher Ed], etc. (Let's be honest--teachers don't have any extra money to spend on resources if something free is available!)
 * 8) LinkedIn tends to be stronger for corporate and nonprofit relationships than education, especially K-12, but groups like the eLearning Guild provide subject-specific discussions and networking opportunities.

Some of us are new to the field of Instructional Design. While we have examined several competencies required for the field, what are the top skills and abilities need to realistically succeed in ID? Does it vary by industry?


 * Check out [|10 Qualities of the Ideal Instructional Designer] or [|35 More Qualities Of The Ideal Instructional Designer], including the comments, for a range of opinions on what's important.
 * [|A Review of What Instructional Designers Do: Questions Answered and Questions Not Asked] is some interesting research on what instructional designers actually do.
 * [|The Various Roles of Instructional Design] is a good overview of what skills are needed for different roles within instructional and learning design.

Is the classroom going to be relegated to the history books? Will it be just one of the learning spaces that used to be popular becuse it was all we knew (like rotary phones)? I don't think that the classroom will go away, although I think we will continue to see online learning and blended learning grow. I expect that most face-to-face learning will include some online components, as homework, reflection, prework, etc. As much as I support online learning, I still see the value of physical classrooms for some topics and audiences. I've written about this topic before in [|Fear of Virtual High Schools.]

What is the most important resource you utilize in instructional design (text, website, or person)?

Overall in my instructional design career, I've been fortunate to have some great coworkers and managers. Having people to brainstorm with and talk through problems has always been my primary resource. Sometimes you just are too close to your own work to be able to see what's really there; you need someone else to be a second set of eyes. That person doesn't have to be in the same physical location. In my last job, I only met my manager and the rest of the team once in three years. Being in four different states didn't mean we couldn't be resources for each other.

What challenges do you face in instructional design and how do you overcome them? In one of the interviews for my first instructional design job, I asked one of my soon-to-be coworkers about the hardest part of the job. He replied that the biggest challenge was being able to "let go" of courses when the deadlines hit. I still struggle with this myself. I have never designed a "perfect" course; I never will. Something can always be better. When the deadline arrives, the course has to be good enough to release it to students, even if I can't do everything I'd like to do.

When I started working as an instructional designer, part of my problem was that I really didn't know how long it would take me to finish developing a course. Early in my career, I fairly consistently overestimated how much I could get done before a deadline. Fortunately, at this stage of my career, I have a better idea how long tasks will take and I can be more realistic in estimating my time. I wish I could give you some magic formula for figuring that out, but it's just a matter of practice and knowing how fast you personally work.

Now, I can prioritize the tasks that will have the most impact on learning and postpone the tasks that are just "nice to have," and I generally know how to schedule those tasks. I keep a list of "someday projects" so that when I have a lull in my workload I can go back to complete some "nice to have" items. I also prefer to work in an environment focused on continuous improvement. I'm much happier working for an organization that acknowledges that courses will never be perfect and can always be improved.

How did you start in instructional design and what did you do before ID? If you were starting over in ID what would you do differently? What advice would you give to those just starting out in ID?

My career started as a music and band teacher in Illinois. I then worked in corporate training before moving to instructional design. More details on my career history are [|posted on my blog].

If I was starting out again in ID now, I think I would have taken a course in Flash much earlier in my career. I finally did some training in Flash last fall, even though I've been an instructional designer for over 5 years. Obviously, I've managed so far without Flash in my toolkit, but I want to have more opportunities, and I need at least basic Flash skills to do that.

For those just starting out, I think you're already doing something right by getting some formal training in this certificate program. You're making contacts so you'll have peers and resources even after you finish the program and start working. I didn't go that route myself, obviously, and it has worked out for me to forge my own path. But I think it can be easier to have the kind of support you have with your professors and peers.

My advice to you is to take advantage of all the terrific free resources and communities available online. Become a part of these communities. Even as a beginner in the field, you have contributions to make. Don't underestimate the value of asking good questions. I've made great contacts online by asking questions of people who know a lot more than me. You don't have to be an expert to be a valued member of these communities. There a plethora of information available about ID. It is constantly changing. How does one identify what is reliable information? Best practice is a term used frequently for education ... how does one identify real best practice vs the latest trends and cycles?