Fitting the Pieces Together

Over the last 8 weeks or so I have had the opportunity to critically evaluate what learning means to me. Admittedly, I had a preconceived notion of what the practice entails, but it is so much more than I could have ever realized. I am a guy who is good at following directions or guiding others to the same. Specifically, I learn best when given written or audiovisual instructions. However, the readings in this course quickly showed why and how some students did better or worse than I in my formative years. I was amazed and eager to learn that there were different theories on how one best learns new information. As I continued to learn about the different theories it allowed me to look further into how I learn and why I want to learn. Moreover, the material we covered re-validated my perception that there is a time, a place, and a tool for every occasion. Now that I have this understanding of who I am as a learner, I can harness that bias towards educating myself further on the other learning theories and how to best employ them as an Instructional Designer. Finally, the use of technology is and will continue to be a great force multiplier for aiding the ID’er in helping the learner engage with the learning they seek at the point they need it. The shared collective knowledge of ID’ers around the world continues to identify new and dynamic ways to present and facilitate learning that further supports this goal. For example, I am a disabled veteran. Using closed captioning allows me to enjoy movies and media when I cannot discern on my own what is be said or done. Read aloud software lets me review digitized text that can be interpreted into voice. Lastly, dictation software allows me to complete coursework when my hands are overtaxed.

As global adaptation of new technologies increases, so too does the roles and responsibilities of the Instructional Designer.