Stephanie Carr Design Journey to Mastery @stephaniecarrdesign-blog - Tumblr Blog

Month 12 - My Journey to Mastery

Reflection

My twelve-month journey to mastery at Full Sail is ending, but knowledge is a journey that is never ending. Each of the courses that I have taken have built upon the first course Mastery, personal development, and leadership and now I see that the courses have come full circle.

Month One – Mastery: Personal Development and Leadership

During the course on mastery I found the contribution to my personal and professional development as an instructional designer was learning about my creative task, creative strategies, and my creative breakthrough. I then began to understand how to attain mastery in different ways. My most outstanding personal triumph was planning for future by creating a mastery timeline. I had never done this for myself and felt that I was truly beginning a journey.

Month Two – Strategies for Learner Engagement

The class began with working on posters, which I as a graphic designer I was very familiar. Our second project was a group project, working as a team was the contribution to my personal and professional development as an instructional designer. I began the project with a smaller role but had to assume a larger role in project management and art direction. The larger role in the project led to my outstanding personal triumph of being able to assume project management and full branding within instructional design.

Month Three – Visual and Verbal Communication

The visual and verbal communications course seemed as though it would be a breeze but, I was challenged by the instructor who had different design views. I did not feel that I was able to creatively express what I wanted. Then I realized that this was the contribution to my personal and professional development as an instructional designer. That sometimes it is not about my viewpoint but more about solving the problem. Solving the problem was my outstanding personal triumph, the solution was to give the people what they want

Month Four – Corporate Training and Motivation

My fourth month I felt abandoned for a while because I was the only student and in the second week my instructor went on leave. I was on an independent study where I had to redo assignments that fit the need of the new instructor. Creating a storyboard from past knowledge and learning to videotape and edit under tight time constraints was tough. The contribution to personal and professional development as an instructional designer was learning how to make things work regardless. My most outstanding personal triumph was learning how to write copy and give presentation from a script while directing and shooting. Learning how to multi-task this many things gives me the perspective on how to create on a shoe string budget and when it is appropriate to utilize talent.

Month Five - Instructional Design and Evaluation

Instructional design and evaluation was the most challenging course. The course load was immense to say the least. My instructor gave me a true lesson on writing and I will forever be grateful. The challenges that my instructor gave me are the best contribution to my personal and professional development as an instructional designer. I let the instructor know that I struggled with my writing and he had me write papers on everything in addition to writing and researching a thirty plus page training needs analysis. The most outstanding personal triumph was learning to write for educational purposes and defend in writing my viewpoints.

Month Six – Digital Media and Learning Applications

This class had me frustrated to no end. I struggled not because I did not understand but because I had a few errors that kept me from continuing the project. Learning to deal with the frustration was the contribution of this class to my personal and professional development as an instructional designer. My personal triumph not giving up on coding, not giving up period. I had many personal struggles during this class and my instructor did not give up on me and taught me about not giving up on myself and my abilities.

Month Seven – Music and Audio for Instructional Design

During the course on music and audio I learned about the creation of an audio landscape that is rich and allows for greater learning. The contribution of learning audio principals has added greatly to my personal and professional development as an instructional designer. I learned how to edit video and develop an ear for what is correct for instructional design. My outstanding personal triumph was learning audio through visual. I experience Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) which I struggled with at first in the class but when I finally understood where the levels should be I realized I could do audio editing.

Month Eight – Filmmaking Principles for Instructional Design

At this point I began to see how each course built on the skills utilized in the previous courses and built upon the schemas. This contribution of realizing how the tasks built was integral to my personal and professional development as an instructional designer. In addition, this course taught me about the significance of design in storytelling and how to visually keep learners attention. My personal triumph was creating a video production fully from start to finish. This included: copywriting, storyboarding, shooting video, recording audio and audio/video editing.

Month Nine – Game Strategies and Motivation

This course I felt a different type of creativity. I felt my horizons expand. The contribution of this class to personal and professional development as an instructional designer was to understand motivation through games, specifically through role play. My personal triumph was developing an idea from thin air and making creating a presentation of my idea. Although, I had many ideas in the past this is the first time I made a presentation. I utilized and built upon the skills of writing, storytelling, audio, and video. I was very proud of the result of the presentation.

Month Ten – Learning Management Systems and Organization

This class again built on the skills I have learned along my journey. The contribution of this class to personal and professional development as an instructional designer was to organize and translate the content created to create an engaging eLearning experience. My outstanding personal triumph was linking ideas together to create an actual course that I will use in the future. I learned how to link the platforms with the types of students and transfer content that will ensure the learners are able to retain information.

Month Eleven – Media Asset Creation

Talking about a class that put everything together. Wow, I did not think I would make it through, but I did and the last project was actually… early. First week, training needs analysis, and the three assets that followed, one each week. The contribution to personal and professional development as an instructional designer that this class provided was learning how to multi-task and an idea of how to accomplish things in the real world. I loved my subject matter, Diversity in the workplace, which is relevant to what is going on in society. My personal triumph was learning rapid prototyping and copywriting. But the outstanding triumph was learning how to simplify my thoughts. I sometimes have grandiose ideas but I have learned that due to time constraints it is best to simplify. Simplification also helps for the learners to better understand complex concepts.

Month Twelve – Final Project

This course’s contribution to my personal and professional development as an instructional designer is putting my projects together to create a cohesive portfolio that highlights my work. As a busy designer, I did find it difficult to focus on my designs but moving into a new field, I now focus on rebranding. My personal triumph is making my portfolio shine and creating a new fresh vision for myself with a new set of skills.

Capstone Project

The capstone project was truly a task. I felt confident creating the assets that were necessary in a timely fashion. I employed the foundations and skills that were used in the months prior to build and articulate my final course “Designed 4 Diversity.” I utilized the main skills from ADDIE, when I researched the information. I used the abilities learned from instructional design and evaluation to write the TNA. I used my expertise in rapid prototyping to create the visual assets from each module of the course. I utilized coding when creating the interactive Epub. I was able to apply concepts from: organization, learner engagement, learner motivation, storytelling, game strategies, presentation skills, audio, and filmmaking in creation of an engaging course containing three modules. I finally feel that I am nearing mastery… as I have said before all I need is repetition, now instructional design is becoming a habit.

My mastery journey... Month 10 - Learning Management Systems and Organization

Reflect

During this month, I learned how to utilize a learning management system (LMS). The first project required research into different LMS’s and determine which system was the best for my needs. I chose Schoology because of the program’s ease of use and flexibility. The next step was to utilize a mind mapping program, mind node to create a graphic organizer. I first created an organizer that was for the entire course. I then created another graphic organizer to show the one module that I would complete for class project. The next step was to create a LMS learning environment. I really enjoyed populating, Schoology with the materials that I am currently using in my actual class. The final project included, testing the system, creating a video presentation, designing a survey using Survey Monkey.

I would have to say I was pleasantly surprised in the ease of designing the projects for this course. I could really see the value of this experience, especially in the courses that I am currently teaching. I know that takes more upfront work creating the course, but the value will be higher for the students who would be able to gain a more enriching and engaging experience within the classes that I teach online. I can also see how using this system would also supplement the courses that I am teaching in person.

I was very glad that during the last few courses my instructors allowed me to personalize the projects to include my interests and classes I currently teach. The experiences allowed for me to learn complex cognitive skills and they were sequenced in a way that I used my skillset to build on the other skills. I find myself wanting to use quotes now, which is unlike the old me. I can’t wait for my students to have a test run at my online class.

Inquire

To master the material presented, I would revisit the audio section of the presentation. What can I do to make my vocals sound more fluid? Do I sound confident during the presentation? I find it difficult reviewing my projects from time to time. Is this because of confidence or practice? I guess with practice comes confidence. How can I tackle this head on?

Suggest

If given more time I would have completed the course. I would also have tried out all three of the LMSs that I reviewed to be able to have an actual comparison. I will have to try that out with the same materials for each to obtain an authentic appraisal. I think that I embraced the material and was very successful with the LMS portion.

Elevate

I find myself saying each time I review the previous class, I need additional practice to become a master at this skill, and this class is not an exception. To elevate to the next level of this skill, I will try out some additional LMSs. The next LMS on my list, Blackboard which will allow me to teach additional classes at the community college where I am an adjunct professor. I did like the graphic organization and will put this to use when planning the next project.

#masteryjourney #submission

Creating an online course using a Learning Management System. The top photos show the LMS in Schoology for my course Dance Tour-Egypt edition. The other photos are the preliminary graphic organizers for module 3 and the entire coures created in mindnode.

Dance Tour LMS presentation

#dancingagain

Mastery Discussion

The future in instructional design

1) Should instructional designers be required to be industry certified to practice in the profession? Why or why not?

There are equal arguments on each side of this debate, while each side has merits, instructional designers need to have a certificate that shows minimum industry skills certified to practice. If the instructional designer wants to specialize additional certifications should follow the instructional designers focus. Dempsey & Van Eck (2012) pointed out that certification in certain minimum and e-learning design skills shows instructional design competency and ensure that these skills are taught to the students. The certification allows for standards of excellence that instructional designers should follow.

Anderson, Poole, Quinn, & Schlicht (2014) believed courses should be based on the best practices identified in research as well as sound instructional design principles and standards. The process of upholding courses to these standards should involve continuous quality improvement, in addition to alignment of learning objectives, assessments, resources, student engagement, and technology that contributes to student success.

2) Explain why continuing education in instructional design and technology is important, and how you plan to continue to develop your technical skills to remain competitive in the field.

Continuing education in instructional design and technology is important to keep up with the media and technology advances that are happening in society. In the educational arena, an instructional designer should be able to get the knowledge needed to fill in gaps in learning along with the technical skill to grow and expand. Malamed (2009) discusses the traits of the ideal instructional designer as having self-didactic tendencies and takes advantage of relevant tutorials, podcasts, conferences, associations, and certification programs. The designer will learn something in a completely different field and transfer this knowledge to instructional design.

To remain competitive in the instructional design field I plan to attend seminars and classes to keep abreast of new and emerging concepts and technologies. I also plan to further my skills by taking online classes so that I can adopt the most effective instructional design tools. To keep up with the trends in the industry I will visit forums and blogs to connect with other instructional design professionals. I will watch the consumer space to locate trends in technology. I will play a game or two to investigate the connectivity, media distribution, and social networking options provided by the system.

3) Considering how quickly eLearning theories and practices have evolved, and in anticipating more changes in the future, how will you ensure that you as an instructional design professional will keep abreast of future changes?

I will stay abreast of future changes by: attending conferences, reading textbooks, participating in eLearning events, reading blog. I anticipate that I will continuously learn throughout my career due to the changing needs of the students and clients, this makes for an exciting career.

I hope to eventually go back to school to obtain my Ph.D. but I hope to receive that degree in expressive art therapies. It is my desire to create opportunities for art therapies to be received to clients via different modalities. Dempsey & Van Eck (2012) discuss the newer fields of study as going through an anointment before change is implemented. I intend to make change.

References:

Anderson, N. B., Poole, L. L., Quinn, S., & Schlicht, C. L. (2014). Using a multiperspective design team to develop and manage multilayered online courses. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 15(4), 25-36.

Dempsey, J.V. & Van Eck, R. (2012). Using rich media wisely. In Reiser, R. A. & Dempsey, J. V. (Eds.) Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (3rd ed.), 41. (pp. 281-289). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Malamed, C. (2009). 10 Qualities of the Ideal Instructional Designer. Retrieved from: http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/10-qualities-of-the-ideal-instructional-designer/

This shows customization within the game-based activity. I am proud of my illustration of the avatar and how it resembles me.

#customizationgame

This is my final cut video presentation from the month 10 Game strategies class.

#gamestrategies

Mastery Reflection

Month 9 - Game Strategies and Motivation

This was one class that when reading my upcoming mastery classes I was concerned that I would not grasp the concepts. I am not a big gamer but I am curious about the relationships of gaming and education. I found that there was no need to be fretful, I really enjoyed the concepts and principles presented during this class.

The weekly live sessions and discussions encouraged additional research which helped me relate to my peers and get a full grasp on the subject matter. I appreciated relating to different viewpoints and the additional elements that my peers brought to the dialogue.

This month’s major project was to plan and present a game based learning activity. It took me a while to grasp the concepts of the game-based and gamification. I found my biggest struggle came in narrowing my ideas to a simplified idea to focus the learning into chunks of information. The first part of the task was to plan the game that was inclusive of Google Earth and to include strategies that would engage the intended audience to my learning objectives. One of the hints given by the instructor was to choose subject matter that is a special interest or falls within my current field or field of interest, I chose middle eastern dance this would allow me to relate this project with the project I completed in month 8 of my mastery journey.

The second part of the project was to translate my written plan into a presentation with the intended audience to be potential employers or clients. The first task was to develop a storyboard for a two - three-minute video. The second task was to produce a final cut video utilizing the skills that I have learned from audio and filmmaking production.

I found my success came in creating an engaging game which incorporated the elements of the criteria for the project. I struggled in simplification which did leave some holes in the game. The holes would eventually be solved during the creation of the game. I wish that I had more experience dealing with game developers so that I would come across more versed on the subject. This experience will eventually come with time I am excited with the process. I am learning and applying skills, which makes me joyous.

I found that I have improved in the creation of the storyboard and the final cut video. I have increased my speed and created a system in the audio and video production which signifies a step toward mastery. The instructor feedback was “Nicely done, Stephanie. You have a great visual presentation. The mechanics need to be refined a little bit to work out the bugs and the game needed a section where you really could show how to play it. Overall, Good stuff!” I am proud of the project and my growth.

The rubric scores from the instructor were as follows: Demonstrates an advanced level of technical and communication skills including grammar, spelling, and punctuation. There are one or two small errors that do not impact on the project’s function. Created a unique solution, without drawing from existing ideas or examples, that meets the project expectations but requires minor further development. The solution is supported thoroughly by learning theory. The project demonstrates an advanced understanding of the factors that make a learning project effective for the targeted audience. Demonstrates an expert level of technical and communication skills, including grammar, spelling and punctuation. Materials are very appropriate for intended audience. There are no errors in the project. Overall I received a 94 on the final project.

#gamestrategies

Month 8 - Mastery Journey

Filmmaking Principles for Instructional Design

Reflect

During this month of my mastery journey I learned how to create an instructional video by using the principles of storytelling.

The first part of the part of the project was pre-production. Pre-production included creating a storyboard illustrating an instructional tutorial on a subject from Wikihow. I found an instructional tutorial on how to “Dance Like Shakira,” I felt that this subject was up my alley because I teach middle eastern dance for continuing education at the college. Once the subject was approved by my instructor. I wrote the script, timed out the narration and did preliminary sketches and photos with camera angles that followed the directions. I was challenged because it was difficult to shoot the video and be the talent. In addition, I was able to use the skills learned from the audio class to record and edit the narration.

The second part of the project included production and post-production. In the first part of the process I learned about lighting, set layout, camera angles and adjusting the script for time and content. I then learned about the post production aspects of filmmaking. Post production starts with the organization of the clips, and then editing follows. I had the opportunity to add additional shots and narration to add to the overall clarity of the project. I then did a rough cut, intermediate cut, and final cut of the video each time adding new elements. The elements that were added included music and graphics.

The feedback from my instructor was “Overall, a very good video. There is a small problem with the framing at times. The action is up at the very top of the screen. The long shots are ok but might be framed better by moving in just a bit”.

Inquire

Is there a better way to communicate directions to the photographer to ensure the type of shots that need to happen? How do producers/actors balance the demands of the project especially when on a small budget?

Suggest

To improve my project, I would have rather used Premiere Pro for editing instead of iMovie because I would have had more control over the layers. If I had more time I would have chosen a proper studio to film in. The project did show elements of a home studio, the project would have a more professional feel if video were shot at a gym or another location. Another element I would have added if I had more time would be animations that showed or described the movements.

Elevate

Once again, I find myself saying that to elevate myself to mastery I need practice. I find myself building on my skills, learning, and improving with each class that I take. I am feeling more comfortable in front of the camera and in utilizing scripts. Through taking these classes I am overcoming my fears in writing and becoming more confident not only as an instructional designer but in all aspects of my life.

Final-cut Instructional Video for Filmmaking Principles for Instructional Design

Storyboard, audio and video production files from month eight of my mastery journey.

Objective: Design and develop music score and audio tracks to add to an existing silent video for the purpose of adding instruction and engaging learners by connecting music and audio with visual information. Intended

Audience: The story was customized to reflect a woman’s perspective for ages nine and older.

Project Roles: Scriptwriting and narration, recorded the project by doing each voice separately and re-recording when necessary, researched, added in music and sound effects and final post production and editing.

Credits

Music - Free music archive – creative commons

Background Sound effects - Freesounds.org

Foley – orangefreesounds.com

#audionarration

Visit Original Link

Audio learning object

Objective: This assignment consisted of creating a “music story,” using sound as a means to tell a story based on a Grimms’ Fairy Tale. The focus was on creating an audio story using narration, dialogue, sound effects, and music to communicate the message of the story while engaging and motivating the learner.

Intended audience: Adult learners in a relationship seminar.

About the audio: This is part one of a two-part story because the original Grimm’s fairy tale story is divided into two parts. The subject matter is intended to be sassy and sad. The first story part one is where Mr. Fox is alive but pretending to be dead and the second tale - part two, Mr. Fox is actually dead. The music has a house beat but a sad oboe in it which reflects Mrs. Fox’s mood of crying throughout.

#audiolearningobject

Month 7 - Music and audio for instructional design

Mastery Journal Reflection

Reflect

My experience with creating audio in the past has been very limited and I was intimidated by the unknown in regards to audio.

I was happy to learn about the many dimensions of audio. I first learned how to develop a critical ear for audio. I enjoyed working on this project and learning about the creation of a balanced audio piece. I struggled with the balancing of the vocals because I have tinnitus which causes ringing in my ears but the direction given by my instructors videos gave me a visual direction to follow. My peer feedback gave me additional direction so that I could complete a quality project. With both the direction and feedback I had the ability to get over the fears of doing audio for projects.

My second project allowed me to create an audio project using a Grimm’s fairy tale. I learned to write narration, EDL and utilize time codes. I then recorded and edited in Garageband. I chose The wedding of Mrs. Fox as the subject of my narration. I did really well on the creative portion but struggled with the understanding of the EQ and frequencies.

The final project was to utilize an instructional video to create effective narration for instruction. I had fun once again devising the narration but struggled this time with the audio volume and its clipping and peaking which had an effect on my technical score in the class.

My instructor feedback stated that “Overall, your project is creative and effective. However, the clipping/peaking issues are distracting and actually harmful to the ears if the output volume in headphones is raised. Listening required me to constantly adjust the volume.”.

Inquire

To improve I will follow some of the suggestions that my instructor included in my reviews. These suggestions include using ambient audio as an immersive experience, background audio and music for emotional and context cues, being careful not to add too many tracks that might impact retention, adding audio that adds value.

Suggest

If I had more time I would re-record my narrations to include the learning that I attained after the class or during my final feedback. The narrations although creative needed technical revisions. The technical revisions would also be enhanced if I learned to speak faster but stay clear when creating audio.

Elevate

At first my feelings regarding audio was to hire someone to do the audio for me. I now feel that with practice I can do audio for smaller scale projects myself. I know more about scriptwriting, creating effective audio, designing engaging learning objects, timecodes, environmental soundscape and creating student centered learning which can make for a mastery of audio for instructional design and direction.

#audioinstruction

Screen shots of final project. The first picture is the full screen of the game, the following two pictures include the coding files with the project shown to the right in both mobile and desktop sizes.

#interactive game

This is a video that shows my final project, an interactive game for the Great Lakes of Europa in action.

#interactive quiz

Month Six - Mastery Reflection

Reflection: My month six class was Digital Media and Learning Applications. This class challenged me on many levels.

Once again, I first felt challenged in writing the mastery paper, but I felt more comfortable and knowledgeable because of my experience during the needs analysis during month five. I did well on the paper after the first draft and comments by the professor.

The next challenge came during coding of an interactive game project. The interactive game creation was in several parts. The first part was to produe an interactive game by following a Lynda tutorial on how to create code using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JavaScript Online Notation (JSON), and Angular. I did well until I ran into a problem with the coding which threw me for a loop to find the problem. I eventually solved this problem, with many tears, but my time schedule was blown and there were still mistakes in the coding.

The final project was to create an interactive quiz utilizing the previously created quiz as a template. I worked out many trials with the coding, but by the end was able to work out the kinks. I now feel more comfortable with coding and its challenges. In addition to coding I created an assessment quiz was based on information learned in Nasa's Sciencecast video, "The Great Lakes of Europa". The video was then used as a learning object. Three measurable outcomes were developed from the video object and traditional and authentic assessments were created. These assessment questions along with public domain images from the NASA website were then utilized to generate the information for the quiz. Rapid prototyping was used to populate the final quiz. The interactive quiz was created using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JavaScript Online Notation (JSON), and Angular. The quiz was designed in mobile and desktop formats.

What I learned most from the project and the professor was that this class was about learning how to solve problems. My professor agreed by saying “I just want you to know how proud I am of you!!!! :-) You could have given up, but you did not - and it paid off!”.

Inquire: I know there must be a better, less time-consuming way of troubleshooting errors while coding, like the ones that I made in the duration of this project. Are there programs that can check your coding while programming?

Suggest: Although I did best to be thorough with my assignments, but I needed to be even more thorough during coding to make sure all elements are work properly. I should work on a method of how to double check with the video while doing a project instead of just typing when the person in the video is typing. If given more time I would have learned to customize the project to my style.

Elevate: To elevate the skills learned in this course to mastery I have to work on additional coding projects. My new objective in this skill as well as life is to continue to overcome being less afraid, skills that I am unfamiliar with, and projects that challenge me. In coding if I increase my speed and accuracy, I will be well on my way in becoming proficient. The only way to increase the speed and accuracy is through practice. In addition, if I learn to not get so flustered, which I usually do when I am uncomfortable with situations or when things go wrong I will conquer many challenges and become masterful.

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