My Personal Statement, Part 1: Forever Young
Like most of my fellow students, I'm a working adult who's been able to fit my coursework in between a full time job, home and family responsibilities, and many other active interests. Unlike many of my fellow students, however, I have been in the workforce since 1972, with much of my experience in training and development. When I started out I used yellow-lined pads to design my training and flip charts and markers as presentation aids. Aided by a number of mentors, memberships in ASTD and the the Society for Human Resource Management (then called the American Society for Personnel Administrators), and numerous books and articles on training adults, I learned instructional design and platform training skills that served me well in a number of leadership positions in human resources, training and performance, and operations management. I had long considered returning to school for a master's degree, but was able to have a successful career without one, and never had the time, money and motivation at once.
Then in 2009, after both daughters had been educated and launched, I felt a bit stagnant in my career, and the expense of graduate school seemed manageable. I realized that I needed some additional intellectual stimulation as well as a chance to develop some new skills that could open up additional career opportunities. I looked at a number of graduate programs and decided to attend the UMBC ISD program to attain the Instructional Technology and Distance Learning Certificates. Having moved past yellow pads and flip charts, I love using technology and have enjoyed designing and developing e-Learning courses in the past My scientific side enjoys the analytical and engineering aspects of e-Learning design, and my artistic side enjoys placing text and images on the screen in a way that will support learning. I started graduate school at the age of 59, as eager as a kid starting kindergarten with a new box of crayons.
Then in 2009, after both daughters had been educated and launched, I felt a bit stagnant in my career, and the expense of graduate school seemed manageable. I realized that I needed some additional intellectual stimulation as well as a chance to develop some new skills that could open up additional career opportunities. I looked at a number of graduate programs and decided to attend the UMBC ISD program to attain the Instructional Technology and Distance Learning Certificates. Having moved past yellow pads and flip charts, I love using technology and have enjoyed designing and developing e-Learning courses in the past My scientific side enjoys the analytical and engineering aspects of e-Learning design, and my artistic side enjoys placing text and images on the screen in a way that will support learning. I started graduate school at the age of 59, as eager as a kid starting kindergarten with a new box of crayons.
My Resume
You can find the most recent copy of my resume here. I've also posted documents on selected speaking engagements and a sample of courses I've designed and delivered in my professional work.
My Personal Learning Network
The course that has had the greatest impact on my personal development was EDUC 689: Instructional Design for Informal Learning taught by Jeannette Campos. In this course, I rekindled my passion for lifelong personal learning. I remembered to ask myself, "What have I learned today?" just as often as I ask, "What have I accomplished today?" I also learned that, aided by a variety of social media and web tools, my personal learning network (PLN) is limited only by my imagination and initiative.
Follow this link to a Prezi I created about my Personal Learning Network. When the Prezi loads, Click More and select Full Screen to view the presentation. Click the forward arrow to progress through the presentation.
Follow this link to a Prezi I created about my Personal Learning Network. When the Prezi loads, Click More and select Full Screen to view the presentation. Click the forward arrow to progress through the presentation.
Intentional Use of Self
I've done some work in organizational development, and many of my colleagues in that field have talked about intentional use of self as a concept that organizational change agents need to understand. Since nearly all of the training I've designed and delivered has been undertaken to effect some type of change, I believe that, as an instructional designer and trainer, I'm a change agent. In EDUC 605: The Adult Learner taught by Linda Raudenbusch, I decided to focus my individual project on how intentional use of self can help create successful learning experiences. As I researched, wrote, and presented this paper, I learned that deliberate choices based on thoughtful self awareness and accurate situational assessment can lead to deliberate behaviors that support change.
Follow this link the the paper I submitted: How Intentional Use of Self Can Help Create Successful Learning Experiences.
Follow this link the the paper I submitted: How Intentional Use of Self Can Help Create Successful Learning Experiences.