Philosophy

Welcome to my ePortfolio I am an instructional designer in the Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS) department at Stevenson University. This ePortfolio was originally developed as a course requirement, but it now serves as a home for links and articles applicable to my work in instructional design and training in higher education.

When I design instruction for any audience, I engage in a process of questioning. q - I start by examining what is already known about the learners. Is it enough to start designing instruction for them, or is further analysis immediately necessary? q - Next, I determine (with the help of a subject matter expert), what the learners should know and be able to do when they have accomplished the learning goal- writing objectives. Sometimes this means defining a learning goal while in other instances, the learning goal is to engage in an exploration and is therefore less quantifiable. q - Are there natural stops along the way to the learning goal accomplishment that would allow the instructor to see that the learners are progressing toward the goal? These are often referred to as benchmarks or objectives to be accomplished on the way to achieving the goal.
 * My Beliefs about Teaching and Learning ||
 * ===Learning is:===
 * a life-long activity that requires years of careful attention.
 * different for every individual and therefore requires diverse tools, techniques, processes and timelines
 * complex! Brain mapping shows more complicated processes than we ever dreamed existed.
 * less likely to occur when we ignore learners' emotional and social tendancies.
 * more likely to occur when learners are motivated and engaged.
 * nurtured in an environment that is positive (not punitive), respectful of diversity and professional.
 * rewarding when there is a clear and relevant purpose || ===Teachers/Instructors:===
 * strive to develop in students positive attitudes toward life-long learning in the same way a farmer tends the soil for a crop- with an eye toward long-term sustainability.
 * are tasked with meeting diverse academic, social, emotional and physical needs
 * are less effective when they try to meet diverse needs as individuals
 * are more effective when they build and share resources, instruction, tools and techniques as a professional community.
 * are more likely to be motivated and engaged in implementing well-designed instruction when they are given opportunities to contribute and collaborate.
 * should be given opportunities and relevant purposes for growth and professional development. ||
 * ===Instructional Design- Getting Started===

- What will it look like when learners have accomplished the benchmarks and the end goal? Will it look different for different learners, or is there a quality standard that all learners must achieve before we can determine that they have reached the goal? Is the goal to progress in an area of skill development or to master a skill or competency, or is it a combination of the two? How will competency or mastery be determined? || ===Impact of beliefs on practice=== The questions listed in the instructional design section start the design process for me, and the answers to these questions can send the process into a variety of directions for development. q Because I believe that optimal learning is about matching the most efficient and effective tools with the learner's specific needs, carefully investigating the answer to the first question (knowing the learners) is essential to my design process. q Because the backward design model has proven to be appropriate for the educational settings in which I have worked to this point, I am most comfortable designing and developing curriculum and instruction using this approach (Wiggins & McTighe, 2004). q Because I believe that effective teaching can not be accomplished in isolation, an essential step in any design process that is focused on the learners is an additional step that asks how the design team or institution will support the instructors. Since we rocognize that learning is a life-long activity, we should make provisions for the learning of instructors, prioritizing it and designing for their needs as learner's needs are also being considered. ||

**Sample products showcasing my instructional design and development work are available in the left sidebar. For rationales and ISTE standards alignment, see the "Design and Development" link.**
====The icons and links below represent my efforts to stay current in the field of educational technology and literacy. I use Twitter as a professional social networking tool, I'm involved in the Classroom 2.0 blog, and the other organizations represent either past or present professional memberships. I've been a presenter for the NWP, KRA and NCTE, have submitted a proposal to present at SITE, and am a current member of MSET.====

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