Seems like only yesterday I was saying, “You want me to create a what….a blog? What’s that?” Well, I did that. And, I also learned not only what a wiki is, but what it can be used for, in terms of learning. I also learned that these tools are a part of a learning revolution called “social learning” that is a part of a time period in internet history called “web 2.0.” Long story short, I unexpectedly learned a lot more about technology in this course than I ever anticipated. Thank you Jerry.
Under the guise of IDD, I am learning about the nuances of the definition of that acronym. It’s becoming clearer how it is used by experts in different ways. In this course, while I am the first to say that the reading is a bit much, it also takes one through the relatively short history of IDD. And, I would imagine, that a developing science goes through a linguistic evolution of sorts, until it solidifies itself at some point in the future. I see this with human resources. First it was personnel, then human resources, then human resource management, and now, in some places, it is talent or people management. So, through this journey, I’ve also reconciled with how to one might deal with a situation of scholars in this field, understanding that I would have to listen carefully to ensure I understood their viewpoint or definition of IDD.
My appreciation of graphic representation grew this semester. I have seen the power of using graphics in instruction as I have led two nationwide learning map training implementations where the bulk of the learning came from reading the graphics through a carefully constructed set of questions. I found it interesting to learn from the teachers that the graphics were difficult for them and they were more comfortable with narrative. I think in the real world, more people can grasp a graphic much quicker. There’s an area for further research. My instinct tells me the picture would win hands down, but that notion will need to be proved at a later date.
Further on graphics, I think the graphics allowed us to learn more about the different types of models in a short time period. I cannot imagine trying to read just narrative about all of the different models we reviewed. I could never have synthesized that much information into something that I now feel fairly comfortable with through long narrative. I love the boxes and arrows concept, and I am forever grateful to Dick and Carey for starting that trend in this field.
Concerning context, I feel that my gut understanding about the need for solid up-front analysis in higher education was validated. I have felt that the “buy-in” step was critical here, but seeing in Diamond’s research reaffirmed my observations. I know that my model applies to staff vs. faculty, but I am sure that the same emphasis will apply in my situation. I also think that the use of front-end analysis applies to business as well, one just has a lot less time to conduct that type of review in corporate America. I definitely need to take the front-end analysis course to learn more, and, as Jerry alluded to, I may just have found my niche in this field through this section. Front-end analysis certainly resonated for me. I just may be my real area of interest.
I loved learning about the concept of “diffusion.” I need to get Don Ely’s book on this, and further my research on this term. At least now I have a term to research. Thank you Don Ely.
Finally, and this is the biggest nugget of learning, I am beginning to make connections between all of my areas of interest that include: instructional design and development, organizational development, assessment, human resource development, and professional development. This is very exciting and energizing. I feel as though I am seeing how each piece is either embedded within another, is linked to another, or meshes with another. Prior to this, I was having trouble filing the information I was receiving through these courses into my human hard drive because I’ve been trying to file them separately. I am beginning to see where the files fit within a file and how to store the files in a way that I can access them quickly when needed. Said another way, I feel that my understanding of my total knowledge base took on a whole new level of meaning and totality this semester. I read philosopher’s like Eckhart Tolle who can connect the dots between different theories within different religions within differing cultures and I think that’s a reflection of being able to marry several thoughts and ideas. I think this is reflection of higher level thinking and I am beginning to experience it. Who knew that knowledge could make you high?
So, I’ve blogged, wiki’ed, learned about building pictures of systems using boxes and arrows, and felt the euphoria of knowledge convergence. Not bad for three months work!
