Overview
In my program of study, there are three themes that are prevalent: Foundations of Instructional Technology, Designing Multimedia Tools, and Developing Multimedia Tools.
When I entered the IDD program, I had several professional goals. Of these goals, some were for short-term tasks I wanted to be able to accomplish, others were long-term professional goals, and some were related to professional goals in the future.
I had an immediate interest in learning how to manage websites so that I could integrate technology into my classroom. In addition, I had many ideas of how technology could improve learning, but I had no idea how to create them. I wanted to learn how to design and develop instructional materials in order to be able to be a consultant or work for an educational technology company at some point in the future. Lastly, I had a desire to use my many skills and teaching talents to become an instructional leader in my school by gaining my certification as a Media Specialist.
I started my program in the Fall of 2005 and took the first of the Studio classes along with the fundamentals of Instructional Design. I don't think that I could have started out with a better combination of classes for my first semester in graduate school. In the first Studio class, I remember that my first class day was overwhelming because of all of the techy terms that were being thrown out there. I remember hearing people use acronyms like "ASP," "CSS," and "HTML," which was one that I did know. I wondered if I was in the right place since I was not a programmer and had no interest in being a programmer. However, once the first session began with all the other first-timers, my worries were quickly squelched. I had designed a website in my undergraduate program using Front Page. As soon as I started using Dreamweaver, I found it to be very user-friendly.
As part of this first class, we were to read articles that talked about constructivism learning theories. We then had to write reflections about these articles. Most folks probably found it to be a laborious task to write these reflections. But, when I was reading these articles, I remember why I got into teaching originally. I had always had a passion for learning and enjoyed teacing in progressive ways that we learned about in the early childhood program at the University of Georgia. However, when I started teaching I quickly found that these progressive ways were not a reality in public schools. The act of teaching itself was something that I knew I was meant to do. However, the realities of the job contradicted my philosophies and seemed like a constant internal struggle. How could I do the things that I was told to do when it contradicted everything that I knew was the best way to teach children? As time went on, I found ways to do the things that I was told to do without contradicting my own philosophies about teaching and learning. The Studio's focus on constructivist ways of thinking helped me to remember my own passion for learning, which helped to keep me going at times where I felt like I was being pulled in too many directions from working full-time as a teacher and going to gradaute school. The Instructional Design class that I also took that first semester showed me that my teaching experience would be an asset in my graduate studies.
During this first semester, while thinking about immediate career goals, I had a lightbulb moment and realized that being a Media Specialist would utilize more of my skills than I was currently using as a classroom teacher. It would also allow me to enjoy teaching without getting caught up in all of the parts of being a teacher that make it miserable at times. I applied to the School Library Media program as a non-degree student seeking certification and was accepted.
In order to address all of my goals, I created a program of study that would address this unique combination of goals. The remainder of my semesters, I took an IDD class and a SLM class together. I got to know a wide range of peers since I was in both the IDD and SLM concentrations.
Through my classes, I learned the skills necessary in order to fulfill my three professional goals. I learned how to manage a website and made a website for my classroom that helped me to integrate teachnology into my teaching and was also a resource for students and parents. I learned how to design and develop educational learning using technology tools and have a vision for some tools that I could develop for educational settings as a consultant. I also learned the skills necessary to use all of my existing strengths to be an instructional leader in a school to serve the students and teachers as a Media Specialist.