Given what you have read about instructional design, how important is it to what your future work goals are?
My career thus far has always contained a course design and delivery function. My true love is delivering technology education to librarians. No matter how I intend to accomplish this in the future, instructional design is one of the foundations of success to a good course. Making sure to analyze no only the material to be presented but also the audience which will be attending has often been the key factor to the quality of the knowledge transfered. Additionally, I have found that evaluation and closing the feedback loop to be instrumental to improving the effectiveness of not only my teaching style but the reference materials the students retain. I'm looking forward to learning about instructional design in a formal manner, as most of mine has been JIT or on-the-job training.
September 04, 2008
Starting my PhD -- Instructional Design Class
I am pursuing my PhD in the Information Science department at UNT. I live in Austin and will be in Denton two to three days a week. This year I've left the "real world" and dedicated myself to being a full-time student and Graduate Library Assistant over at the Willis Library. I've been in the "training" and "library" worlds since 1994 and am looking forward to formal instruction in Instructional Design. All of my knowledge has been through trial by fire or those professional development course I've been able to take along the way. I've done everything from Corporate Training, help desk support, IT management, to course development, professional development delivery, conference presentations, and website maintenance.
For those of you who have been following this blog a while, you'll start to see weekly updates from me on Instructional Design topics from my course work. For those of you classmates, you'll see occasional non-class posts from me and posts regularly from my very insightful co-author. I encourage you to enjoy them all.
Happy Reading!
For those of you who have been following this blog a while, you'll start to see weekly updates from me on Instructional Design topics from my course work. For those of you classmates, you'll see occasional non-class posts from me and posts regularly from my very insightful co-author. I encourage you to enjoy them all.
Happy Reading!
August 16, 2008
Another job change....
I've been following threads on several lists regarding job changes and how long one should stay in a bad situation. Well, at 19 months in my current position, my last day was yesterday. It is not something I expected to do when I took the job, though in the end it worked out for the better for me.
I accepted the job with great excitement and anticipation. I was returning to Texas and would be able to buy a house and settle in and grow my career. It didn't work out that way. In fact, I walked into a situation that most people couldn't even imagine. I certainly didn't. I've worked for almost 20 years and in several different industries and in some toxic environments. None of them prepared me for the situation I walked into. I wouldn't term it toxic, but it definitely wasn't in my best interest. I bounced back and forth between sticking it out and making the best of it to stay in an area I enjoy or looking for another job and literally starting over again. Fortunately, I don't have anything to hold me back in the moving department, so that was an option.
Then, I saw the job. I knew it would be a great job for me and as a bonus, would allow me to return to Civil Service. So, I applied. And, got the job! There is always the fear of walking into something worse. I worried about that when I took this job and it proved to be true. Actually, my concern was giving up a relatively enjoyable work environment for something that could prove to be worse. So, this time I'm cautiously optimistic and very much looking forward to starting my new job, in Maryland, at the beginning of September.
My advice to those in "bad" jobs. Take a good hard look at the job. What exactly is bad about it? Does it allow for career growth? Do you like your co-workers? Are you challenged? Are you accpeted? Are you supported in trying new ideas or methods? Is your input valued? Do teams work well? What I learned comapring this job with my past jobs, is that any number of these things can be off and it's still not a bad job; there are worse out there, as I found out. However, if it's detrimental to you personally and emotionally, it's probably time to start looking, regardless of how long you have been there. If there is no chance of growth and you're not ready to retire (I've got more than 25 years before I can retire), then it's time to consider looking for another job.
I knew the first day of this last job, yes the first day, that I'd made a mistake. I didn't heed some of the the warning signs I saw when I interviewed and I paid for it. When you interview, remember to evaluate them as they are evaluating you. Look at how they interact with each other. Watch body language. Ask about projects between departments (especially if interviewing at a large university/organization). Ask if the position is new (mine was and it's not necessarily a good thing. Those duties came from somewhere and most likely, someone). My favorite question: "What do you like about working here." Pay careful attention to how this question is answered. Second favorite: "What don't you like about working here?" I've gotten some really honest answers to this question, which I appreciated.
If they offer the job, how do they offer it? Can they tell you the salary and the benefits? Believe it or not, I was offered a job and the library director couldn't tell me the salary; told me to check the announcement, which was a range, then said it would be the first step, which isn't a range or what was implied in the ad. There didn't seem to be much enthusiasm. It was a job I would have enjoyed, however, given the vagueness of the initial offer and after a lot of consideration, I turned it down. Not an easy thing to do, but easier to do when you have a job, even if you desperately need to get out. If you're going to move for a job, make sure your comfortable with the offer and the organization. Listen to your little voice and don't be afraid to turn down a position. I'll reiterate - you're evaluating them as much as they are evaluating you.
No matter how bad your job is, there are worse ones out there. Carefully evaluate the jobs you interview for and keep in mind that the goal isn't simply to leave a bad job, but to find a good one - one that will make you want to get up in the morning and go to work.
I accepted the job with great excitement and anticipation. I was returning to Texas and would be able to buy a house and settle in and grow my career. It didn't work out that way. In fact, I walked into a situation that most people couldn't even imagine. I certainly didn't. I've worked for almost 20 years and in several different industries and in some toxic environments. None of them prepared me for the situation I walked into. I wouldn't term it toxic, but it definitely wasn't in my best interest. I bounced back and forth between sticking it out and making the best of it to stay in an area I enjoy or looking for another job and literally starting over again. Fortunately, I don't have anything to hold me back in the moving department, so that was an option.
Then, I saw the job. I knew it would be a great job for me and as a bonus, would allow me to return to Civil Service. So, I applied. And, got the job! There is always the fear of walking into something worse. I worried about that when I took this job and it proved to be true. Actually, my concern was giving up a relatively enjoyable work environment for something that could prove to be worse. So, this time I'm cautiously optimistic and very much looking forward to starting my new job, in Maryland, at the beginning of September.
My advice to those in "bad" jobs. Take a good hard look at the job. What exactly is bad about it? Does it allow for career growth? Do you like your co-workers? Are you challenged? Are you accpeted? Are you supported in trying new ideas or methods? Is your input valued? Do teams work well? What I learned comapring this job with my past jobs, is that any number of these things can be off and it's still not a bad job; there are worse out there, as I found out. However, if it's detrimental to you personally and emotionally, it's probably time to start looking, regardless of how long you have been there. If there is no chance of growth and you're not ready to retire (I've got more than 25 years before I can retire), then it's time to consider looking for another job.
I knew the first day of this last job, yes the first day, that I'd made a mistake. I didn't heed some of the the warning signs I saw when I interviewed and I paid for it. When you interview, remember to evaluate them as they are evaluating you. Look at how they interact with each other. Watch body language. Ask about projects between departments (especially if interviewing at a large university/organization). Ask if the position is new (mine was and it's not necessarily a good thing. Those duties came from somewhere and most likely, someone). My favorite question: "What do you like about working here." Pay careful attention to how this question is answered. Second favorite: "What don't you like about working here?" I've gotten some really honest answers to this question, which I appreciated.
If they offer the job, how do they offer it? Can they tell you the salary and the benefits? Believe it or not, I was offered a job and the library director couldn't tell me the salary; told me to check the announcement, which was a range, then said it would be the first step, which isn't a range or what was implied in the ad. There didn't seem to be much enthusiasm. It was a job I would have enjoyed, however, given the vagueness of the initial offer and after a lot of consideration, I turned it down. Not an easy thing to do, but easier to do when you have a job, even if you desperately need to get out. If you're going to move for a job, make sure your comfortable with the offer and the organization. Listen to your little voice and don't be afraid to turn down a position. I'll reiterate - you're evaluating them as much as they are evaluating you.
No matter how bad your job is, there are worse ones out there. Carefully evaluate the jobs you interview for and keep in mind that the goal isn't simply to leave a bad job, but to find a good one - one that will make you want to get up in the morning and go to work.
August 06, 2008
del.icio.us updated...
As mentioned in the previous post, one of my biggest complaints about del.icio.us was its very ugly interface. Well, I logged in yesterday to tag an item (it had probably been a couple of weeks) and lo and behold the interface has been updated.
It's a lot less haphazard in appearance, however, the font is a bit tiny, but that's generally because of my work monitor and the screen setting I have to have it on to not have things be blurry. I'm still trying to decide what I think of the new interface, but I will say that it's better than the old. The awful pink and pale pink highlighting is gone. It did take me a while to figure out that the "inbox" is now where I find things tagged for me (I will eventually read the information on the new interface), though the font color still leaves a bit to be desired. In this case, I say there's nothing wrong with black... the shade of blue they use can sometimes be difficult to read.
Overall, though, I'm glad to see it cleaned up.
It's a lot less haphazard in appearance, however, the font is a bit tiny, but that's generally because of my work monitor and the screen setting I have to have it on to not have things be blurry. I'm still trying to decide what I think of the new interface, but I will say that it's better than the old. The awful pink and pale pink highlighting is gone. It did take me a while to figure out that the "inbox" is now where I find things tagged for me (I will eventually read the information on the new interface), though the font color still leaves a bit to be desired. In this case, I say there's nothing wrong with black... the shade of blue they use can sometimes be difficult to read.
Overall, though, I'm glad to see it cleaned up.
July 09, 2008
Social bookmarking....
My library is doing a series of short, lunch-time technology exploration sessions to introduce staff to some of the technologies that are out there, be they Web 2.0 or not. We've covered Firefox extensions, Google Docs, Wiki's, and Social Bookmarking. Actually, I and a co-worker did the Social Bookmarking session today.
For as familiar as most computer users are with bookmarks/favorites, many have never ventured out to the social bookmarking arena. Quite honestly, many wonder why they should. Because I have a work pc and a home pc and have had one blow-up, I started using Yahoo! Bookmarks a couple of years ago. In fact, it expanded to one account for personal links and one for professional. I didn't realize I was participating in social bookmarking for quite some time as Yahoo! feeds your saved bookmarks into a social bookmarking site called Yahoo! My Web. They look a little different, but with the My Web component others can see your saves and tags, like in del.icio.us.
A year or so ago, after reading and hearing oodles about del.icio.us, I decided to check it out. I got to the site and promptly left. What an ugly interface. And, IMHO, somewhat difficult to read. I stuck with Yahoo! My Web. However, in preparation for this session, I again ventured on to del.icio.us and several other social bookmarking sites. While, del.icio.us is still ugly (making me wonder if it's so popular because it was one of the first), it does have a few features I like - your network, subscriptions, and links for you. However, it's not exactly geared for group collaboration, though I'm seeing where libraries are finding work arounds for this. I've found a couple of other sites (I'm sure there are others) that are better for group collaboration and will discuss those here.
Yahoo! My Web is one. In addition to making bookmarks public or private, it provides the ability to share only with contacts (of which you can create different levels), making it easy to collaborate with different groups.
Another is Ma.gnolia. In addition to saving, tagging, and sharing sites, this site offers a few unique features. One is a built-in mail system. Another is the ability to create Groups. Groups can be public (as in UTA Library STEW) where all members can add links; moderated, where the group is public but only designated members can add links; or private. There is also a discussion feature, but I've not tried that one out yet.
Last, but not least, is Jumptags. Jumptags does not offer networks or contacts, but it does offer something called Collections. Collections are created by a member, who can keep the collection Private or make it Public. With either type, there is the ability to invite others to be Contributors to the collection. You can even let invited Contributors invite others to the Collection. Coming soon will be the ability to Subscribe to a Collection.
Yahoo! My Web, Ma.gnolia, and Jumptags all offer much better interfaces. They offer bulk editing, the option to import your del.icio.us bookmarks in addition to importing bookmarks from your browser, and Yahoo! My Web and Ma.gnolia also offer the ability to send a site to someone, much like tagging a site for:somone in del.icio.us.
Just for the record, they all also offer buttons or toolbars for the browser which make tagging sites easy. I will say, there were a couple of problems. One was with Ma.gnolia. It seems that creating an account here is more difficult than it should be and could be a turn off for many. And, trying to install the Jumptags toolbar on IE turned out to be something I couldn't pull off, at least at work. It installed beautifully on Firefox, though.
If you scroll down the left hand side bar you will find My Del.icio.us link roll and My Jumptags. Both are the result of my preparing for today's session. Obviously, I probably won't keep four of these things going, but I see the strengths of each.
If your curious, I'm kewllib2 on all these sites.
Update 5/14/09 - Yahoo! has closed Yahoo! My Web. Sad. However, there bookmarking feature is still available - just no ability to share.
For as familiar as most computer users are with bookmarks/favorites, many have never ventured out to the social bookmarking arena. Quite honestly, many wonder why they should. Because I have a work pc and a home pc and have had one blow-up, I started using Yahoo! Bookmarks a couple of years ago. In fact, it expanded to one account for personal links and one for professional. I didn't realize I was participating in social bookmarking for quite some time as Yahoo! feeds your saved bookmarks into a social bookmarking site called Yahoo! My Web. They look a little different, but with the My Web component others can see your saves and tags, like in del.icio.us.
A year or so ago, after reading and hearing oodles about del.icio.us, I decided to check it out. I got to the site and promptly left. What an ugly interface. And, IMHO, somewhat difficult to read. I stuck with Yahoo! My Web. However, in preparation for this session, I again ventured on to del.icio.us and several other social bookmarking sites. While, del.icio.us is still ugly (making me wonder if it's so popular because it was one of the first), it does have a few features I like - your network, subscriptions, and links for you. However, it's not exactly geared for group collaboration, though I'm seeing where libraries are finding work arounds for this. I've found a couple of other sites (I'm sure there are others) that are better for group collaboration and will discuss those here.
Yahoo! My Web is one. In addition to making bookmarks public or private, it provides the ability to share only with contacts (of which you can create different levels), making it easy to collaborate with different groups.
Another is Ma.gnolia. In addition to saving, tagging, and sharing sites, this site offers a few unique features. One is a built-in mail system. Another is the ability to create Groups. Groups can be public (as in UTA Library STEW) where all members can add links; moderated, where the group is public but only designated members can add links; or private. There is also a discussion feature, but I've not tried that one out yet.
Last, but not least, is Jumptags. Jumptags does not offer networks or contacts, but it does offer something called Collections. Collections are created by a member, who can keep the collection Private or make it Public. With either type, there is the ability to invite others to be Contributors to the collection. You can even let invited Contributors invite others to the Collection. Coming soon will be the ability to Subscribe to a Collection.
Yahoo! My Web, Ma.gnolia, and Jumptags all offer much better interfaces. They offer bulk editing, the option to import your del.icio.us bookmarks in addition to importing bookmarks from your browser, and Yahoo! My Web and Ma.gnolia also offer the ability to send a site to someone, much like tagging a site for:somone in del.icio.us.
Just for the record, they all also offer buttons or toolbars for the browser which make tagging sites easy. I will say, there were a couple of problems. One was with Ma.gnolia. It seems that creating an account here is more difficult than it should be and could be a turn off for many. And, trying to install the Jumptags toolbar on IE turned out to be something I couldn't pull off, at least at work. It installed beautifully on Firefox, though.
If you scroll down the left hand side bar you will find My Del.icio.us link roll and My Jumptags. Both are the result of my preparing for today's session. Obviously, I probably won't keep four of these things going, but I see the strengths of each.
If your curious, I'm kewllib2 on all these sites.
Update 5/14/09 - Yahoo! has closed Yahoo! My Web. Sad. However, there bookmarking feature is still available - just no ability to share.
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