What I enjoyed most about LT 8000: Foundations of Instructional Design and Technology was blogging, an activity I had not experienced prior to this course.
Blogging has helped me immensely on many levels and I think of it sort of like journaling – a way of helping me collect my thoughts and ideas and/or disseminating my research reports. It has also helped me to “get my arms around” the concept of IDT and I found myself becoming more and more confident in my understanding of the field as I continued to add to my blog as well follow other colleagues and other IDT blogs. Contributing to my blog, Kellye’s IDT Blog, is something that I enjoy so much that I am sure I will continue the practice well beyond this course.
I reviewed my first blog where defined IDT as “being involved with the use of technology to maximize the effectiveness, efficiency and appeal of instruction and other learning experiences.” Having now completed the course there are two IDT approaches that we discussed at length throughout the semester that resonated most with me and they are:
- Learner-centered approach which means that the focus should be on the learner to facilitate the learner’s natural learning process to serve his/her needs and not the other way around; and
- Evidence-based practice approach which means that we should seek to make design decisions be based on research evidence shown to work from the kinds of learners and learning objectives at hand;
As the semester comes to a close and I reflect on my first week or so of classes, to be totally honest, I had no idea from a theoretical standpoint what ID was all about. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I did not know what to expect from the course or my professor. The class, LT8000: Foundations of Instructional Design and Technology, was going to be my very first ID course. I am happy to say that I am ending the semester feeling extremely confident that I have met the goals and objectives of the course. Thanks to Dr. Calandra I feel I am now better prepared for my upcoming courses as well as IDT internships and eventually professional employment in my new career.
Unfortunately, my “journey” this semester has come to an end. But as Ernest Hemingway once said “It is good to have an end to the journey forward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.”
Feel free to visit my Kellye’s IDT Blog
As always…. Happy Learning!