The Question: What Is My Passion?

At work, currently, we are going through a very large integration. Two large healthcare systems becoming one. Today is a big day as it is one where I will interview for my future role with this larger organization. In my current role, I have two areas which I oversee, Leadership Development and Learning Technology (which includes both the systems we use and the design of the learning). In the new organization, my current role does not exist, but there will be two leaders to cover these two different areas. So, being considered for both of these positions, the question has been posed, “What is your order of preference?” How do I choose?

To answer the question, I must start by asking, “What is my passion?” Because I truly believe that if I follow that road in my career, it will lead me to the right answer. I have asked this question many times in my career, in my schooling, in my personal life. What drives me? What will give me the excitement to get out of bed and do the work? The answer for me isn’t about the content area, whether I am the lead of Leadership and Learning Solutions. The answer for me is about helping others to be the best they can be and being at a level of influence where I feel the work I am doing matters in the larger scheme of things. These things drive me.

First, if I feel I am making an impact on others, I am driven, excited! I can do that as a leader in any area. I have always said one of the things I love about being a learning expert is that you can drop me in any industry, I will do the research and trust the experts and then help others to learn and be their best. The topic area doesn’t matter, it is about how you take what they need to learn and help them to make change in their lives. To make impact on people. Now, I also happen to be a strong subject matter expert in both of these areas (leadership and learning solutions), so this is somewhat mute in my current decision. And, based on this passion, I think either of these roles will allow me the impact on people I wish to have.

The second thing that drives me is this need for influence. If you are familiar with the Clifton Strengths assessment, one of my top five strengths is Significance. I need to know that the work I am doing matters and will have influence on the bigger picture. That drives me. As a larger organization, even with the same title I have today (which will not be known even when I “accept” a position) I would have a broader span of influence. But in an organization where hierarchy still remains the norm, when there are more levels above, you can feel discouraged. This one I truly believe can be met in either of the roles, all depending on the final structure and whether autonomy is given to build my team, strategy and work. This is yet to be seen.

So, how do I answer the question, with all the unknowns and both roles meeting my passions? I trust that I am in a good place, because there are options and choices where I could land. This is a good problem to have: one where there are options, I am being considered, I can follow my passions. My answer to the question is for my leader who is making these decisions to put me where she needs me, and I will make it happen!

The Power of Story in Learning

I had the honor of attending Michelle Obama’s book tour kick off here in Chicago on Tuesday night. Before she took the stage, they showed a powerful video of different people and what they are Becoming (the name of her new book) with an emphasis on each person’s differences. She then talked a good deal throughout her talk about how each of us has a story, unique to us. She talked about how, on the campaign trail, she got to hear different people’s stories and what a privilege that was; how we all have more in common than we think, but also how we can learn from each other’s differences. I love this!

I have had the honor of teaching adults in leadership classes over the years. I like to start our time together introducing myself and often I give my little speech about why I love adult learning so much. It usually goes something like this.

I love my job, because it means I have the chance to bring a group of people together, like you, perfect strangers, who each have their own story, to learn from one another. I encourage you to be open with one another and share your story. The person across from you is different from you and that is a good thing, an incredible thing!!!! That means they bring a different perspective and different experiences that you can learn from! If they are willing to share their story, listen! With no judgment, listen to hear about how you have things in common and then listen for how you can learn from their differences…

Michelle Obama said, “It is difficult to hate someone up close.” She talked about her experience of going to places like Ohio, where she didn’t “fit” and sitting on a couch talking to someone and them saying she isn’t what they thought she was. They had judged her based on what they saw or other people’s version of her story. But when she was sitting there with them, sharing her story they saw her for who she really is. How powerful.

In adult learning, we bring people “up close”. We bring them together to learn. No matter the topic, the most powerful tool we have when we do this, is the story that each learner brings to the table. We need to find ways to allow our learners to share their stories. We need to find ways to take advantage of this power! It is by bringing people together, bringing them close, that we build an “arch” to allow them to see one another for who they really are and not the color of their skin, the clothes they wear, the person they love, the country in which they were born… And once they see each other, then they can learn from one another.

Our story is our power! Their stories are the power of learning!

Everything Up Until Now

Everything on this page until now was required by my school program. From this point on, I want to write about what I am learning about how adults learn. I am currently writing my dissertation for my EdD in Adult Learning. I am trying to finish my prospectus right now, and have finally decided the angle I would like to take for studying the adult learner.

I went through a lot of possible options. I even wrote one prospectus prior to this one, but never got to the point of submission for numerous reasons. My current role as a manager of a team of talented learning technologist had me considering options focusing on how technology is used for adult learners. The 2016 election had me considering looking at adult voters as adult learners and how they make the decision of which candidate gets their vote. And then my prior work had me writing a prospectus on how a leadership development program could change the perception of employees about whether their organization is a learning organization. The options are literally endless. So, where did I land…

Title: My Autoethnography: Where Spirituality, Sexuality, and Adult Learning Meet.

When I thought about what I could spend this much time researching and studying, I thought about the things I am most passionate about. And then about the things I have always struggled to figure out myself. To find a method of research that would allow me to literally study my own story from the perspective of the culture in which it happened, that was a turning point! Adams, Jones, and Ellis (2015) described it this way:

The term AUTOETHNOGRAPHY invokes the self (auto), culture (ethno), andwriting (graphy). When we do autoethnography, we study and write culture from the perspective of self. When we do autoethnography, we look inward – into our identities, thoughts, feelings and experiences – and outward – into our relationships, communities, and cultures. As researchers, we try to take readers/audiences through the same process, back and forth, inside and out (p. 46).

This is my passion. This is where I want to focus my attention. To write a dissertation that ends with adding to the field of adult learning while also learning about myself and how I was shaped and guided by my culture, this is a no brainer. Sounds amazing, right? Now I have to get it approved. Wish me luck.

From this point forward, I hope to write about my journey through writing an autoethnography and about the things I am learning about how adults learn through the events of change in their life. Every now and then I might also throw in some information about topics related to work as well. And, in the end, I hope to add to the world of adult learning, whether academic or corporate, and share my experience and knowledge from a perspective all my own. If you want to hear more of the personal side, check out my other blog page, The Arch of Learning Life Lessons. We will keep it professional on this side!

Adams, E. A., Jones, S. H., & Ellis, C. (2015). Autoethnography: Understanding qualitative research. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Scope Creep

In my job, I work on a team that develops training for the management team to make their teams more effective. We do not deliver the training, we only develop it for the managers to deliver. Each year we propose a training plan which will focus on topics that have been suggested by the management team. Our team of three Instructional Designer/Project Managers has only been in place for two and a half years and in the first year we learned a great deal about scope creep (though we wouldn’t know to call it that).

The first year we proposed a plan for developing training which involved each level of management. However, when we presented the plan we presented it only to the senior management who would sign off on the overall concept. We then took what was approved by the Senior leadership and began implementing our well thought out concept. The major issue was that we did not present to the other manager who would be a great influence on the success or failure of the project.

As the implementation of the project began, we started getting a lot of push back from managers on the amount of time it was requiring of them and their people. They didn’t like the classroom format of the training and wanted it to be more computer based to keep them from having to spend so much time training and not enough time coaching their people. This first bit of scope creep involved our team conducting trainings to alleviate the manager’s time. However, the feedback continued that the live session were taking up too much of their employees time. Thus we took the training and developed an e-learning course which took a good deal of time and effort and changed the projects scope completely for the rest of the year.

In the end, the scope creep from this first major project taught us that communication across the organization and with all those who will be involved in the project from top to bottom must be included from the beginning. Because we only included the senior leaders, those who were at the floor level were immediately frustrated and saw issues that senior leaders wouldn’t see because they are not in the midst of the action on a day to day basis. It is communication that will make or break a project. When communication is done well, scope creep can be minimizes. However, with little communication comes a major amount of scope creep which will break a project down quickly if not managed.

Effective Communication

From http://interactive360.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Communication.png

Have you ever received an email or IM from someone that started with “No, I…”? What did you hear when you read this? Was it positive? Did you think the person typing the message was being friendly or encouraging? In all likelihood after receiving that message you probably felt as if someone has scolded you simply because of the way the message began. The fact that you couldn’t the tone of the message can change the delivery 100%. Dr. Stolovitch (Laureate Education, Inc.) clearly stated that “communication is not just words.” I have given the advice more than once to colleagues who were frustrated with a written communication that they shouldn’t read tone into an email or text. It is always best to speak with the person face to face before interpreting a written message with a certain tone.

I just completed an activity where the same message was given in three different mediums – first by email, second by voicemail and then finally face-to-face. In the message Jane is asking Mark for a report she needs in order to complete her own work and have it in on time. When I read the email from Jane it came across as being annoyed or frustrated with Mark and the situation. She starts by saying that she knows he is busy and she ends with saying she appreciates his help, but the message between these two things makes it seem as though these sentiments are simply her way of trying to get what she wants. The voicemail didn’t seem much different to me. Jane sounded annoyed and somewhat demanding and put off that her own work could be late because she is waiting on Mark. In fact, what she said in the voicemail was exactly the tone I read from the email. The finally message was face-to-face and the body language, facial expressions and tone used helped the message to come across as more of a friendly reminder than of an annoyed colleague. It was a completely different message in my observation.

I think the take away from this activity is that when things are due and there is something that needs to get done or an important message that needs to be communicated it is best to do it in person when necessary. However, sometimes it is not possible and when messages must be conveyed from a distance it is best by phone using an appropriate tone or if absolutely necessary through a written message avoiding the use of certain phrases or words that may come across as negative and demanding like the first example I gave. Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer (2008) tell us that “whatever form communications take…project managers should plan and prepare so their messages are received and correctly interpreted” (p. 367). Communication is key to a successful project and how the communication is delivered can make all the difference as to whether it is effective or destructive.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). Communicating with Stakeholders. (Media Resources). Boston, MA: Stolovitch.

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Learning from a Project “Post-Mortem”

In my professional life I work as an instructional designer and often am required to manage projects which I am a part of as well. When I work as a project manager I typically am pretty successful. However, when I set out to plan my partner’s, Phyllis, and my first baby shower I should have approached the task more as a project manager and less like only a member of the project team.

As a first time parent, there were a number of people who had volunteered to be a part of the planning and throwing of the baby shower. The decision was originally made that my sister-in-law, my best friend and Phyllis’s best friend would work together to plan and throw the shower. We communicated with each of them and shared their contact information among them. We were told that we should step back and allow them to plan the party and just show up and enjoy the fun and festivities. But, when it came to less than a month before the shower should happen we began to get nervous and started asking some questions. It seemed that no one had communicated among the three of them. Two of them, separately had been looking into locations for the shower at completely different locations and types of facilities. Though the idea of being able to step back and let the team do the work seems wonderful, in this case, it was a disaster!

The outcome of the way this project was managed was that one shower became two and my sister-in-law ended up not only not planning the shower but not even attending. The two showers were planned and thrown by two people who were not one of the three original contributors and those who were original chosen became attendees who provided some of the food and/or decorations. The locations of the showers ended up being at the houses of the friends who threw the showers which had a good deal to do with the decision to have two showers due to the amount of space available at the houses. And the friends who volunteered to let us use their houses really took over most of the responsibility of the planning and throwing of the shower. Phyllis and I chose the dates and sent out the invitations as well as purchased the decorations and game prizes ourselves.

If I would have come at the planning of the shower as a project manager, still working as only a manager of the team, but allowing the team to do the work of the overall project I believe it could have been much more effective and would have avoided the drama and stress that resulted from the lack of communication and organization. Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer (2008) explain that successfully launching a project requires that “everyone associated with the project must understand the roles and responsibilities of project teams and stakeholders (p. 76). This just simply was not true with this project.

Greer (2010) says that “you need to meet with all of your stakeholders and conduct a brainstorming session in order to document, in “high resolution,” everything you are going to be building” (p. 13). We should have taken the time to meet with everyone at the beginning of the project and discussed what each person would be responsible for completing and how they would communicate with each other and with us. Also, timeframes should have been made much clearer from the beginning. The reason Phyllis and I took the reins and ended up doing a lot of the work is because we didn’t feel things were happening in an appropriate timeframe. Since we did not communicate our expectation of timeframe from the beginning no one had a deadline to hold them to and thus things did not get done.

Communicating expectations from the beginning both the role and responsibilities and timeframe would have made all the difference with this baby shower being planned more quickly and effectively. In the end we had two wonderful showers. However, not only was there a lot of stress, but relationships were strained from the lack of management of the project. This was a project that needed to be managed but unfortunately I didn’t approach it in that way. I will definitely look at it differently if ever I am faced with a “project” such as this one again in the future.

References:

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Reflection on Distance Learning

“Distance education provides the opportunity to widen intellectual horizons, as well as the chance to improve and update professional knowledge. Further, it stresses individuality of learning and flexibility in both the time and place of study” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 39). The benefits of distance education are clear. However, there are still varying perceptions of distance education which exist within our society today. How will these perceptions change over the next 5-10 years? How can instructional designers be proponents for improving these perceptions? How can we, in the field of instructional design, be a positive force for the continuous improvement of distance learning? The following reflection on distance learning will attempt to address each of these questions.

It seems we are in a transition time where technology is growing to be so commonplace that it would be almost ridiculous to consider an educational model that would not include some form of distance education. George Siemens (2010), in speaking on the future of distance education, spoke of bridging the gap of comfort and explaining that as learners have more experience with technologies they will be more comfortable with using them in an educational format. Of all of the differing definitions of distance education, they all include the separation of the student from the teacher and other students. However, with the use of programs such as Skype^TM , FaceTime on an iPhone, and free video conferencing tools such as AnyMeeting^TM the distance is being bridged. It seems that as these types of tools become more and more common, as even the personal computer has become, that distance education will not have the same negative perceptions to overcome. I believe that in the next 5-10 years distance education will be expected in both the higher education and corporate settings. What the perception of distance learning will be depends on the instructional designers and especially those who conduct these courses.

Instructional designers must become proponents of distance learning, because it is part of the landscape of education and will only continue to grow in its popularity. The current perceptions of distance education tend to be negative because of the lack of training for both the designers and the educators. Valentine (2002) reiterates this when he said, “As in any educational situation, the instructor can set the tone for learning in the educational environment. That instructor must be properly trained and motivated to be effective.  An instructor must have technological skills and confidence to use all of the various electronic devices in order to be truly effective in the electronic classroom.” Instructional designers must learn to design instruction to be effective in this format of distance learning. It is not the same as face-to-face, though some similarities may exist. As the Equivalency Theory explains we must design instruction that is equivalent to classroom but not identical. (Simonson et. al., 2012) It is the learning activities that will look different though the outcomes will be the same. When instructional designers begin to think in this context when designing for distance learning there will be a shift in the outcomes and thus the perceptions of the learners.

As I have taken this course, my own perception of distance learning has changed. From the content that was covered to the actual practice of being a distance learning instructor by Ronald Paige, I saw how distance learning can be conducted in a way that you do not compare it to a face-to-face course, but you simply learn from the activity of the distance learning platform.  So, how do I now continue this perception and spread it past own beliefs? I believe it will start with developing all distance learning coursework with the theory that guides it in mind. Simonson et. al. (2012) tell us that Holmberg suggested that “distance education has been characterized by a trial-and-error approach with little consideration being given to a theoretical basis for decision making” (p. 42). If we begin to base our decisions for design on sound theory then we are working from a strong foundation and this is where we should begin.

This course has also inspired me to consider online teaching as a possible future endeavor. I have such a strong passion for teaching and have always aspired to one day be a professor at the college level. I can now see myself doing this not only in a classroom but also in an online format. With the knowledge gained from this course and the experience of thinking through developing an online class with our activity I feel I could be successful. Being a positive factor in the continuous improvement of distance education starts with being a part of great distance education! I hope to be part of this exciting change in the field of education in the coming years.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). The future of distance education. [Video podcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3396926_1%26url%3D

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Valentine, D. (2002).  Distance learning:  Problems, promises, and possibilities.  Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, V(III).  Retrieved August 20, 2013 from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall53/valentine53.html

The Impact of Open Source

From voipfreak.net

Anant Agarwal, a professor of MIT’s EECS department and President of edX, a worldwide, online learning initiative of MIT and Harvard University, was interviewed on the Colbert Report about the phenomenon which is Open Source within higher education. During the interview, when asked about how it could be a good idea to offer a U.S. education to everyone for free he stated, “So, we’re giving away education. So, this is going to be good for the world. An educated world is a better world for everybody.” (Inside Higher Ed, 2013) There are a number of different ways to receive a free education available today for those who are willing to go out and find it. From MOOCs to free degrees online through schools like University of the People, there is no shortage of ways to access a free education.

MIT Open Courseware, found at http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm, completed its initial publication of the materials from 1800 of the courses offered at MIT in 2007.  “The idea is simple: to publish all of our course materials online and make them widely available to everyone” (MIT Open Courseware, n.d.). The President of MIT, L. Rafeal Reif, in his message on the OCW site explains that “MIT’s mission statement charges us to advance knowledge and educate students, and to bring knowledge to bear on the world’s greatest challenges for the betterment of humankind. Open sharing of knowledge is the purest manifestation of this mission” (MIT Open Courseware, n.d.). The faculty of MIT uploads the materials from their face-to-face courses to the Open Courseware site in the hopes that those who want to find the knowledge can do so at no cost, anytime, anywhere.

The idea behind the MIT Open Courseware site follows the Theory of Independent Study proposed by Charles Wedemeyer most closely as it emphasizes “learner independence and adoption of technology” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). It gives the learner complete independence to take the materials presented and to use them as they see fit to learn the content. The adoption of technology comes from using the internet to access the materials and in some cases, where the course offers, to view video presentations. Wedemeyer does say that the relationship between the student and teacher is important (Smaldino et. al, 2012) and this is where these course offerings from the MIT Open Courseware stray from the theory as a distance learning model. There is no real relationship built with these courses between the teacher and learner as it is really more of a repository of information.

Essentially, these courses are the materials from the face-to-face courses offered on campus at MIT made available online to anyone. The courses include a syllabus, a calendar, suggested readings and assignments. Some of the courses also offer video or audio lectures, lecture notes, online textbooks, example student work, assessments, and interactive simulations. In the sense of these courses being consider distance education as proposed by Simonson et. al., they present a very loose interpretation. The definition for distance education proposed by Simonson et. al. (2012) is an “institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors” (p.32). These courses meet all the criteria except for the interactive telecommunications. However, the courses are not developed with the online learner in mind. The courses are, in using terminology from the Equivalency Theory, identical and not equivalent. However, these courses are free and thus the expectation of “equivalency” would be unrealistic. The materials are available, what learners are able to glean is completely at their own discretion.

In evaluating this site and the courses offered for the sake of distance learning theory and the focus on the distance learner as an audience there is a definite disconnect from what is being outlined by Simonson et. al. However, for the purpose of the site and the mission of MIT, this site and its courses are meeting its goal. I think there is great value in these materials as they are available to those who are looking for the knowledge that is offered here. To learn from professors from an institution such as MIT, even if there is no two way interaction, is a great benefit. I, for one, plan to take advantage of this resource now that I am aware of the offering.

References:

Inside Higher Ed. (2013) Colbert Report Explains MOOCs. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/ quicktakes/2013/07/26/colbert- report-explains-moocs

MIT Open Courseware. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/find-by-topic/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Defining Distance Learning

I currently work for an organization that parents a number of universities that provide degrees through both traditional classroom settings as well as completely online courses. Before attending courses here at Walden I had only ever taken one course online myself and that course as well as my knowledge about this type of course was from my exposure through my current employer. That being said, when I heard the term “distance education” as presented as the title of this course, my mind went directly to online learning. If you had asked me what my definition was I would have said something like, “Distance learning is a student taking courses online instead of in a classroom. They complete their work in their own space and in their own time as long as they meet the requirements of the institution. They communicate with their professors and the other students in their courses through the computer or by telephone.”

However, after only one week of reading and material in this course on distance learning, my understanding and my definition of distance learning has changed. Not only do I see that distance learning can involve other avenues of communication outside of a computer and online, but I also believe the work I do as an instructional designer within a corporate setting can be included in this broad methodology of learning.

Reading about the history of distance education this week was very eye opening. I hadn’t considered that distance learning could have begun at least 160 years ago. Of course, it looked a lot different then. “An advertisement in a Swedish newspaper in 1833 touted the opportunity to study ‘composition through the medium of the post.’” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2008) This mode of distance education is also one I had not thought about. My mind automatically goes to how I see distance learning today. A world where we have high speed internet and cell phones on which we can access virtually any information we may be looking to find; this is the world where my definition of distance learning has been shaped. Still today, distance learning can include methods such as the mail, videos, and the telephone, not only the computer and the internet.

The method for distance learning was not the only change that my definition had to undergo this week. When I considered distance learning before it was almost exclusively used for education in the higher education arena. However, we read three different articles this week that defined how distance education is also being used effectively in the K-12 and training and development areas. This should not have been a new part of my definition. In fact, in training and development, it should have been a major part of my definition as this is what I do in my work on a day to day basis, but it is not something I would have defined as distance learning before this week. I now see this differently. I now define distance education differently.

Based on my experience and my knowledge, including what I have learned in the past week, if you asked me today what my definition of distance education is I would say something like, “Distance education is a person gaining knowledge through a method of learning outside of a classroom using resources provided from an instructor who communicates through a variety of different means.” It is much broader. It is much more encompassing of not only my own experience but the experience of a much larger audience.

As my definition has changed based on what I now know about the history of distance learning, the future of distance learning must also be considered. Where is distance learning going? What does the future of distance learning look like? I am no expert in this field, and I do not own a crystal ball. However, having seen computers go from a flashing green cursor on a black screen only 20 years ago to a tablet that can now access the world wide web by just touching the screen, I would say that the future of distance learning has no limit. We are already able to take our courses from a cell phone, from anywhere at any time. As technology continues to advance so will the possibilities for distance education. The challenge will be in designing the instruction for the learning to meet the needs of all learners in these new formats. This is why being in the field of instructional design in the present is so exciting, because the future looks so bright!

 

Two Courses Down… What Have I Learned So Far?

As I just finished up my second course in my Masters Degree in Instructional Design and Technology, which I passed with an A (I have to brag a little!), I want to stop and reflect for a moment on what I have learned so far.

I was sitting around a fire pit with friends the other night and a 16-year-old sophomore started talking about under water dragons or dinosaurs. She was fascinated with the subject and started telling us all these different facts. When we inquired where she learned all of this she said that she initially saw it on TV, but she was so intrigued that she Googled it and read more about them. This was an “ah ha” moment for me, connecting what I have learned about how children, and adults really, are learning in such a different world than they ever have before. They have access to all of this information at their finger tips, and when the motivation is right, they can learn about any topic by simply using a search engine. What an amazing tool that could be used within the world of education. We need to take advantage of this new way of learning and not avoid it.

Change is happening! Change is ALWAYS happening. It is the one thing we can always rely on – Change! So, as we develop instruction for any field we must consider the learners and the channels which they typically use to gather information. If we are using out of date, dinosaur aged technology will we ever really be effective in helping these learners to grasp our curriculum? I don’t think so. If they are bored with how we present the information, then it may not matter what the information is. There must be a change in the mindset of instructional design to meet the needs of this new generation of learners! It’s an exciting time to enter this field!

So, change and technology… and the theory behind both, this is what we have gotten through so far. So much more to learn!