For me learning is a continuous process. My journey through education did not stop at high school graduation. I continued on and attained a bachelors in psychology and masters degree in teaching. Currently, I am in the dissertation stage of an online Doctor of Education program. Knowledge is a gift that you can give yourself that no one can ever take away from you.
As an elementary educator, I didn't realize that what I did on a daily basis was instructional design. All I knew was that if I wasn't reaching my students, I had to try something different. Therefore, I have learned that flexibility is crucial in designing learning and assessments. Sometimes that meant redeveloping on the fly when a lesson started going south in a classroom setting.
When I started taking courses for the Ed.D program, I truly had that "aha" moment of realizing that what I did, day in and day out, was instructional design. As an online student, I found that being able to connect in some way with my instructor or classmates diminished a sense of isolation. Now, in my role as an instructional designer, I strive to provide experiences that are engaging and build a sense of community among the learners through the activities and assessments I create for the courses I develop. These courses cover a wide variety of program areas: history, business, criminal justice, computer science, communication and media, equine studies, mathematics, language arts, and project management.
