Does Client Size Matter?

I've been selected as the Lead ISD on a project with the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and I must say, I am a little nervous about working with this client because of the size of the corporate university and the size of the contract. This paper, titled "Size matters—but not
in the way you think" that I stumbled across, explains how Instructional Designers should use the size of their client to their advantage. The author says that for all of us who plan to become Instructional Designers and create courseware for large organizaitons, there is nothing to worry about. I consider this to be good information for recent graduates in the field of Instructional Technology.

Instructional Design in Second Life

Hijack Alert!

My post today contains a link to another blog called "knowledgework." While I am posting to a specific post in that blog (here), the blog itself is also a valuable resource--for the same reason ours is! The postings there are often very similar to ours in content and type. There is a lot on elearning there.

This specific link is to a post about instructional design in virtual worlds. I found this while looking for some last-minute wiki info. Basically, the blogger found the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) location in Second Life to have some effective instructional design techniques built into their SL space. Anyone with a SL account may want to search the ASTD space and give it a look.

Students Learn the Art of Hacking

As I was looking for inspiration as to what to write about for this blog, I stumbled on a very interesting article:

The article reports in brief that University of Abertay in Dundee, Great Britain will offer a class called "Ethical Hacking and Computer Security". The university states that by offering this course to its postgraduate IT-students, it will prepare them to realize the vulnerabilities of computer networks and teach methods of how to protect against them.

This article caught my interest even though it is not directly e-learning related. It made me think of the different teaching methods and strategies that would be used during the class. It just feeds my curiosity to think how the faculty teaching the class gained their experience in the matter! ;)

Also, as a spin off, it brings to mind a wonderful perk for the field of instructional design. As ID is not related to any industry, one has the opportunity to learn about new industries, clients, cultures, business strategies (you name it) with each project that comes along. An ID team might have even built the training for the faculty teaching the "Ethical Hacking" class. SME's would be professional hackers caught red-handed... This versatility of the ID field is at the core of why it interests me, as I fear the future as the same routine day in and out.



Link to the short article in The London Independent:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20080827/ai_n28037309

Great Online Course Management Site

I would like to preface this by saying this is my first blog ever.
Now, after spending (surfing) time on the Web, I came across a website that I don't believe has been mentioned before. If it has, I apologize, but I think its a valuable resource for teachers and administrators to use if they want to set up an online course. Edu2.0 is a site for anyone - even those with minimal technical skills - to set up an online course for any subject for FREE. It is a great online course management system. Take the 3-minute tour http://www.edu20.org/tour and you will be impressed with how many resources are available.

The term edu2.0 stands for "next generation education" and also mentions that its a great tool for parents who want to home school their children. They also allow you to upload information and host if it for free. If you start at http://www.edu20.org/company/about , check out different tabs. Its an eye-appealling website that offers numerous options for the online teacher. Great site!

E-Learning and IDT in the Real World

One of the better podcast I listened to this summer was one by Michael Dowdy, an e-Learning Manager at Regions financial in Memphis, Tennessee. He is an alumnus of the IDT program at the University of Memphis.

I found this particular podcast very informative because Dowdy speaks very candidly about the corporate world and how E-learning fits in.; It was interesting to discover what Many in the banking and financial industry know about e-learning (not much, according to Dowdy, but that is changing) but also the hiring practices of those in the private sector approach a burgeoning need for e-learning professionals.

He also gives a lot of tips on how to get hired and what you need to do in order to make yourself an attractive candidate in the e-learning field, as well as what skills are necessary to make yourself stand out to potential employers.

Some of his talk deals with directly with the Memphis region, but most of it can be applied to any market or region, or any industry for that matter.

"IDT in the Real World" series- Michael Dowdy