REFLECTION STATEMENT

Over the past two years as a student in the IDD program at the University of Georgia I have been blessed with many experiences that have helped to strengthen and grow my skills as an educator and creator of educational curriculum and materials. Each class and assignment has shown me new perspectives, methods, and issues to consider in order to be the best teacher possible. However, what I have been pleasantly surprised to explore through this process are some strengths and passions that I was not completely cognizant of previously.

BACK

The first area that I have discovered a passion for is in the area of development. From creating Excel spreadsheets to completing tutorials on Photoshop to turning a storyboard into a real live module on Articulate Storyline, I absolutely love figuring out how to make things work. When learning a new program, or even using new features on a program I am already familiar with, it brings me great joy and excitement to work through an issue and find a resolution. The problem solving that goes along with this process is inspiring and energizing. I have always enjoyed creating materials for my own students, but this step of developing an idea into a tangible product is something that continues to push me to learn more, especially in our ever-changing world of technology.

Theme #1: Development

The skills I have learned and fostered throughout this program already have and will continue to make me a better teacher. I currently teach at a private school where, although we have departmental goals and collaborate on our materials and curriculum, there is room for creativity and using our own creations in class that will help our students to grow in ways that are very customized to the learners. Therefore, the skill of taking an idea or concept and seeing it through the development process will be of great use to my students and me.

Development was a major focus for me in many classes, particularly in Edit 6210: Learning Environments Design II. As a member of an excellent team, the Design Divas, I served as the lead programmer and graphic artist. I volunteered for this role because I was realizing my interest in this area of the design process and wanted to push myself to develop content designed by someone other than myself. Previously in the program I had developed my own content and designs on several occasions and I knew that working with the ideas of others would take more finesse not only in the technological aspect of the project, but also on the communication side. In this role, I was tasked with taking the design put together as a storyboard by team members and creating the module on Articulate Storyline. This was not always easy as sometimes even something that seems very clear can be misunderstood on a team, but it was always satisfying to understand a request and be able to produce the desired interaction in a way that pleased and impressed teammates and clients.

The second area that I am focusing on in my portfolio is the area of design. Although this step usually comes before the step of development, I am choosing to list it second because it was not so much a self-discovery that I made during this program, but rather a previously recognized passion that I continued to nurture and was cultivated by much of the curriculum of my professors. The creation of not only materials but also curriculum has always been a really exciting step for me as a teacher. Although I knew I enjoyed creating materials previously, I have had several experiences afforded to me by the program that have given me added confidence in this area. The first was in the spring of 2015 at our studio showcase hosted at the Gwinnett campus. I received a lot of positive feedback on a module that I had designed and developed for Edit 6190. At the time, in addition to learning how to use Articulate Storyline and all its capabilities, we were also learning more about good design practices, so I was concerned with trying to keep good design principles at the center of my project. As I began to explain my project to classmates and outside observers, I gained a lot of confidence in choices I had made, not only about the content of the material, but also the design. Some of these individuals had been presenters at the IDD conference the previous fall, so it was quite a confidence boost.

Theme #2: Design

As I look back on the many artifacts I created and produced in the last two years, it is rather exciting to see how my sense of design has grown, developed and improved based on much of what I learned. In the spring of 2015, we studied the Design Basics Index by Jim Krause in Edit 6190: Design and Development Tools. I am not typically a fan of reading a textbook, something that I have had to really work through in this program, but the pages seemed to fly by as I read the material. I did not always agree with everything I read, but I was extremely intrigued by the concepts set forth and presented and what a difference a small design decision can make on a product.

Another course that challenged and excited me in the area of design was in the summer of 2015, Edit 6500: Digital Video in Education. As I look toward the future and the movement toward providing more content online, even in a face-to-face classroom, I realize how valuable much of the instruction was in that course. Even a year after completing that course, I continue to view much of what I see in the arena of digital media through the lenses of a more educated individual. I can see how even my current professors use these tools not only for presentation of content, but also to foster relationships by letting their students get to know them and see who they are, not only as professors, but also as human beings. As an educator of 15 years, I can clearly see how continuing to cultivate these principles will help my learners and me in the future as we strive towards improving every day.