Week #1
My name is Martha and I am in my “next to last” semester of MSIT coursework. I am taking one course this summer with one more in the fall when I will take my comprehensive exam. It has been quite a journey to this point as I have attempted to juggle working full time while taking classes. The CISE department has been going through administrative changes over the last year and that has added yet another stepping stone along my path but 2015 will come to an end in a most rewarding way!
My undergraduate degree was in Administrative Communication that included several business courses, so this journey to a MSIT degree has been quite a challenge to say the least. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to understand the necessary components of successful instruction and while I am not a teacher in the traditional sense, my role as an administrative assistant often finds me training new staff and faculty members.
Technology Skills
Call me old fashioned, but I still prefer communicating in person and am convinced that society is losing something as we rely more and more on technology. A previous course allowed me to sample the various communication tools found in Blackboard as well as some that are web-based and free to the public. One of our class projects had us researching such a tool and we created tutorial web sites that were added to a growing list, a great resource for future needs. When I first started to pursue this degree, I was not super excited about blogging for class. I can now see the value in documenting a student’s progress by having them post reflections on assignments.
I am quite comfortable using Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher even though the latter two are now rather obsolete after my coursework experiences using InDesign. Last semester, I dabbled with Pixlr,GoAnimate,Empressr and other free online multimedia tools that can be used to deliver instruction. The one tool that I enjoyed the most was what we used to create an electronic portfolio,Pathbrite. I have included a link at the end of this post if you want to take a look at all of the projects. To this day, I am amazed of what I was able to accomplish in that class.
Teaching
Learning is not limited to the structure of a classroom, but goes far beyond any walls or time frame. I believe that instruction can take place just about anywhere to learners of all ages if the teacher/trainer delivers the content in a clear and concise manner that is infused with the proper motivation. Not all people, from children to adults, learn in the same way.
Taking individual preferences identified in the analysis phase into consideration during the design and development stages can increase the chances for successful outcomes. Hands-on approaches are usually my favorite methods, but some learners deal better with “how to” videos or lectures given in person or though audio recordings.
In what now seems like another lifetime, I served in the U.S. Navy in the field of meteorology. The study of weather remains a passion of mine and I hope to impart some of my knowledge in my assignments for IT 645. I want to be able to design instruction that appeals and motivates all users while delivering the required content. My biggest challenge will be tailoring my materials to the abilities of elementary school students. Now that I have several multimedia tools to choose from, I am excited to apply these new skills while learning even more from my fellow classmates who will walk this path with me.
My name is Martha and I am in my “next to last” semester of MSIT coursework. I am taking one course this summer with one more in the fall when I will take my comprehensive exam. It has been quite a journey to this point as I have attempted to juggle working full time while taking classes. The CISE department has been going through administrative changes over the last year and that has added yet another stepping stone along my path but 2015 will come to an end in a most rewarding way!
My undergraduate degree was in Administrative Communication that included several business courses, so this journey to a MSIT degree has been quite a challenge to say the least. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to understand the necessary components of successful instruction and while I am not a teacher in the traditional sense, my role as an administrative assistant often finds me training new staff and faculty members.
Technology Skills
Call me old fashioned, but I still prefer communicating in person and am convinced that society is losing something as we rely more and more on technology. A previous course allowed me to sample the various communication tools found in Blackboard as well as some that are web-based and free to the public. One of our class projects had us researching such a tool and we created tutorial web sites that were added to a growing list, a great resource for future needs. When I first started to pursue this degree, I was not super excited about blogging for class. I can now see the value in documenting a student’s progress by having them post reflections on assignments.
I am quite comfortable using Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher even though the latter two are now rather obsolete after my coursework experiences using InDesign. Last semester, I dabbled with Pixlr,GoAnimate,Empressr and other free online multimedia tools that can be used to deliver instruction. The one tool that I enjoyed the most was what we used to create an electronic portfolio,Pathbrite. I have included a link at the end of this post if you want to take a look at all of the projects. To this day, I am amazed of what I was able to accomplish in that class.
Teaching
Learning is not limited to the structure of a classroom, but goes far beyond any walls or time frame. I believe that instruction can take place just about anywhere to learners of all ages if the teacher/trainer delivers the content in a clear and concise manner that is infused with the proper motivation. Not all people, from children to adults, learn in the same way.
Taking individual preferences identified in the analysis phase into consideration during the design and development stages can increase the chances for successful outcomes. Hands-on approaches are usually my favorite methods, but some learners deal better with “how to” videos or lectures given in person or though audio recordings.
In what now seems like another lifetime, I served in the U.S. Navy in the field of meteorology. The study of weather remains a passion of mine and I hope to impart some of my knowledge in my assignments for IT 645. I want to be able to design instruction that appeals and motivates all users while delivering the required content. My biggest challenge will be tailoring my materials to the abilities of elementary school students. Now that I have several multimedia tools to choose from, I am excited to apply these new skills while learning even more from my fellow classmates who will walk this path with me.