It has been almost two months since I started courses with the ILT program at UCD. I am taking two courses this semester: INTE 6750 Current Trends and Issues and INTE 5665 Social Media and Digital Cultures.
The first two months have been exciting and productive! Needless to say, I have been learning a lot.
Here are some of my key takeaways from the past two months:
1. When it comes to learning, you get out what you put in.
2. Time management is THE most important skill for online learners.
3. Peer review is essential. You learn as much from your classmates as your teachers.
4. Don't procrastinate. Each project is worth your time.
5. Give yourself some "me" time to relieve stress of going to school, working and running a business.
My experience in the program has been excellent. I feel connected to my classmates and supported by my professors through weekly discussions, webcam chats, emails and phone calls. I can't wait to see what the next few months bring!
3.03.2013
3.02.2013
A Reflection
I
am currently a student in the Master of Arts program in Information
and Learning Technologies with emphasis in Instructional Design and Adult
Learning at University of Colorado Denver. I am pursuing this opportunity for
professional growth because it will provide a theoretical framework and
direction for teaching and curriculum development practice that I have gained
over the last eight years.
Currently, I hold a Bachelor of Arts in both Spanish and Anthropology, with a focus on Linguistics from the University of Minnesota. During my time at the U of M, I developed an appreciation for the influence of language on culture and decided to pursue a Master of Arts in Linguistic Anthropology at Iowa State University to explore the topic further. Though I was unable to complete my studies at Iowa State, it was there, as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, that I recognized I wanted a career in teaching.
In the classroom, I was fascinated by the spark in my students’ eyes when they understood a theory in its application. I valued my students’ ability to learn from one another’s experiences, as well as their own. I also welcomed the challenge, as an instructor, to explain, demonstrate or map out information in a new way to accommodate each student’s learning style. It was the first time I recognized that not all students learn the same, especially adults. I believe that as teachers, we should adapt to students’ learning styles instead of students adapting to our teaching styles.
I pursued a teaching position at Mi Casa Resource Center, which is the largest Latino-serving non-profit organization in Denver, where I could gain more experience in an adult classroom. My career opportunity at Mi Casa afforded me the luxury of combining two of my passions for nearly three years: teaching and working in the Latino community.
During my time at Mi Casa, I oversaw four in-house workforce development training programs for the Career Development department, which prepared low-income adults to enter the workforce in high-demand, high-growth industries. In my role as Assistant Program Manager, my primary responsibility was to design, write, implement and modify training curricula. I developed curricula for adult audiences in the areas of soft skills, vocational English language learning, job search workshops, financial literacy seminars, self-directed career exploration modules and technical training in construction, finance, customer service and healthcare. At Mi Casa, I produced workbooks, manuals, tests, presentations and instructor manuals. In addition, I trained instructional staff on the implementation of new and existing curricula and provided them with on-the-job support and technical assistance.
Through my work with Mi Casa, I also had the pleasure of collaborating on a federal grant with Colorado State University and USAID to implement a Green Jobs Training Program in Tijuana, Mexico. The project required me to design and develop a workbook and instructor manual for a soft skills course in Spanish that was culturally relevant to at-risk males ages 18-21 in Tijuana. I was also required to travel to Tijuana to conduct a train-the-trainer session with the Mexican instructors who would teach the course.
I recently made a career transition, leaving the world of traditional non-profit and moving to Denver Health. I am currently working for the SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) Program at Denver Health as a Health Education Specialist. In this position, I screen at-risk patients for substance use disorders and provide them with education, resources and referrals, as necessary. I also work with providers and nursing staff to train them on brief intervention and motivational interviewing strategies that encourage behavior change in at-risk patients. Though I continue to use my skills as a bilingual educator serving the community in this position, I view my move to Denver Health as a strategic one. After completing my degree in the ILT program, I anticipate transferring to the Instructional Design team at the hospital to gain relevant experience, while applying skills that I learned at CU Denver.
Currently, as a small business owner, I help professionals
meet their career and business goals by learning and applying Spanish language
skills. In my courses, I use a custom curriculum which incorporates adult
learning theory, which I have designed and adapted over the past eight years.
The entire curriculum rests within a framework that promotes cultural
competency and diversity awareness in the workplace. I also work with students
individually to develop on-the-job aides that support them in reaching their
specific career or business-oriented goals.
My experience as a small business owner the past two years has
given me an outlet for my passion of language and culture, as well as my desire
to teach. I have also had the opportunity to explore social media as a tool for
marketing and communication through efforts to grow my business and incorporate
technology in my classroom. Above all, this experience has served to further
fuel my pursuit of a future in adult education.
I recognize the potential career and small business growth that I stand to gain by fusing my experience, knowledge and passion with a theoretical understanding of adult learning that incorporates e-learning strategies and promotes innovation. Like any adult learner, I want to take my skills to the next level by learning new formats and pathways to apply what I have learned through my experience. I want to have a contextual and theoretical understanding of adult learning theory to relate to the experience and skills that I’ve picked up along the way.
In summary, I intend to use this degree to obtain a career as an Instructional Designer in a corporate setting that will challenge me to merge my experiences in curriculum development and workforce training with information technology. As a small business owner, I am anxious to investigate e-learning and distance learning models and apply them to principles of second language acquisition.
I have chosen this program for two reasons. Primarily, because I believe CU Denver supports the professional development of individuals with a career by offering Online Degree Programs that are flexible and allow you to pursue education without giving up your family, career or small business. The second reason I am choosing CU Denver is because the courses are 100% online and will allow me to experience what ILT feels and looks like. I appreciate the “practice what we preach” approach that the program takes, as opposed to the “those who can’t, teach” approach that other classroom-based instructional design programs offer.
Currently, I hold a Bachelor of Arts in both Spanish and Anthropology, with a focus on Linguistics from the University of Minnesota. During my time at the U of M, I developed an appreciation for the influence of language on culture and decided to pursue a Master of Arts in Linguistic Anthropology at Iowa State University to explore the topic further. Though I was unable to complete my studies at Iowa State, it was there, as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, that I recognized I wanted a career in teaching.
In the classroom, I was fascinated by the spark in my students’ eyes when they understood a theory in its application. I valued my students’ ability to learn from one another’s experiences, as well as their own. I also welcomed the challenge, as an instructor, to explain, demonstrate or map out information in a new way to accommodate each student’s learning style. It was the first time I recognized that not all students learn the same, especially adults. I believe that as teachers, we should adapt to students’ learning styles instead of students adapting to our teaching styles.
I pursued a teaching position at Mi Casa Resource Center, which is the largest Latino-serving non-profit organization in Denver, where I could gain more experience in an adult classroom. My career opportunity at Mi Casa afforded me the luxury of combining two of my passions for nearly three years: teaching and working in the Latino community.
During my time at Mi Casa, I oversaw four in-house workforce development training programs for the Career Development department, which prepared low-income adults to enter the workforce in high-demand, high-growth industries. In my role as Assistant Program Manager, my primary responsibility was to design, write, implement and modify training curricula. I developed curricula for adult audiences in the areas of soft skills, vocational English language learning, job search workshops, financial literacy seminars, self-directed career exploration modules and technical training in construction, finance, customer service and healthcare. At Mi Casa, I produced workbooks, manuals, tests, presentations and instructor manuals. In addition, I trained instructional staff on the implementation of new and existing curricula and provided them with on-the-job support and technical assistance.
Through my work with Mi Casa, I also had the pleasure of collaborating on a federal grant with Colorado State University and USAID to implement a Green Jobs Training Program in Tijuana, Mexico. The project required me to design and develop a workbook and instructor manual for a soft skills course in Spanish that was culturally relevant to at-risk males ages 18-21 in Tijuana. I was also required to travel to Tijuana to conduct a train-the-trainer session with the Mexican instructors who would teach the course.
I recently made a career transition, leaving the world of traditional non-profit and moving to Denver Health. I am currently working for the SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) Program at Denver Health as a Health Education Specialist. In this position, I screen at-risk patients for substance use disorders and provide them with education, resources and referrals, as necessary. I also work with providers and nursing staff to train them on brief intervention and motivational interviewing strategies that encourage behavior change in at-risk patients. Though I continue to use my skills as a bilingual educator serving the community in this position, I view my move to Denver Health as a strategic one. After completing my degree in the ILT program, I anticipate transferring to the Instructional Design team at the hospital to gain relevant experience, while applying skills that I learned at CU Denver.
Currently, as a small business owner, I help professionals
meet their career and business goals by learning and applying Spanish language
skills. In my courses, I use a custom curriculum which incorporates adult
learning theory, which I have designed and adapted over the past eight years.
The entire curriculum rests within a framework that promotes cultural
competency and diversity awareness in the workplace. I also work with students
individually to develop on-the-job aides that support them in reaching their
specific career or business-oriented goals.I recognize the potential career and small business growth that I stand to gain by fusing my experience, knowledge and passion with a theoretical understanding of adult learning that incorporates e-learning strategies and promotes innovation. Like any adult learner, I want to take my skills to the next level by learning new formats and pathways to apply what I have learned through my experience. I want to have a contextual and theoretical understanding of adult learning theory to relate to the experience and skills that I’ve picked up along the way.
In summary, I intend to use this degree to obtain a career as an Instructional Designer in a corporate setting that will challenge me to merge my experiences in curriculum development and workforce training with information technology. As a small business owner, I am anxious to investigate e-learning and distance learning models and apply them to principles of second language acquisition.
I have chosen this program for two reasons. Primarily, because I believe CU Denver supports the professional development of individuals with a career by offering Online Degree Programs that are flexible and allow you to pursue education without giving up your family, career or small business. The second reason I am choosing CU Denver is because the courses are 100% online and will allow me to experience what ILT feels and looks like. I appreciate the “practice what we preach” approach that the program takes, as opposed to the “those who can’t, teach” approach that other classroom-based instructional design programs offer.
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