After reading chapter 22 (and taking the other chapters into consideration), one overriding theme I see pop up again and again is the need to use technology to target different types of learners, and to share these new findings with colleagues. I was particularly impressed with what Peter Albion said about not taking glory for new research he uncovers. As an associate professor, he in interested in promoting "the common good of the faculty" by involving and working with his colleagues. This is something I've seen pop up not only in the reading, but in some of the projects we've had to complete (i.e. social bookmarking). It goes back to the beginning of the class when we discussed Web 2.0, in seeing programs as more of a service than a product. I know my colleagues and I share new findings, technology or otherwise, to help each of us become better instructors. For Albion, it created more excitement for online learning. For our staff with collaboration, it leads to more ways to reach students.
Another theme I saw the last few weeks is that it takes a lot of work and time to successfully implement aspects of instructional design. Junko Nemoto, a Japanese assistant professor, reflects that he wished he had more time to research and develop tools for instruction. I think this is something I as a teacher wish I had. I keep going back to these Chromebooks we are getting in our classroom, because even though I have learned a lot about some great tools to use in my classroom, I'm still apprehensive about making sure I am getting the most out of this new technology. It brings me back to a few weeks ago when we were trying to solve a technology problem in the classroom where it wasn't used effectively. That is why I (along with my colleagues) am spending part of my summer looking into what programs would be best to enhance my instruction.
Chapter 26 provides several lessons for those who are looking for positions in the instructional design field. Needless to say, I am not looking for any such position. I am very happy with my job teaching fourth grade. Granted, some of the lessons are applicable to my life, even some I have used in the past. For instance, when I was looking for work, I used Lesson 15: When Preparing for a Job Interview, Find Out as Much as You Can About Your Potential Employers almost to a fault. I looked for work for five years after graduating college. Whether I was applying for jobs, or preparing for the interview, I always checked out the school by reading their website, looking into what the city/town was like, and reading reviews on the school. I turned down a job because the school had several problems the administration didn't let on to during the interview (why would they?), and while I struggled with that decision for a while, it turned out I made the right decision.
Along with that one, Lessons 9 and 10 were very relevant to my life around that time. Though, with the teaching profession being a rather competitive one, it was not being discouraged after the 150th job I applied for. I was able to put behind the disappointment that came with being rejected and focus that energy on applying for the next job. I was substitute teaching at the time, which helped me hone my skills in the classroom, as the several interviews I endured helped prepare me better for the next one. I started comparing all the schools I was applying to one school I subbed at a lot, as I held it up as a shining example of educational excellence and a positive work environment. I ended up getting hired at that school, which made all the disappointments worth it!
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