Section 6: Chapters 24-27

• Chapter 24 takes a look at lessons learned from the chapter's author for obtaining a position in instructional design. Take a look at a few of the sources provided for job openings from lesson 1 and search for at least 3 positions that are of interest to you. Describe the general nature of the positions and list the skills required for the job. Do you have these skills?

On Monster.com I searched for teaching positions in the DFW. There were 65 results brought up from that search. The first several were offerings for ESL positions, there were a few results to help get certified, I found some childcare posts. All of which, either do not interest me, or I am not qualified for (ESL). There was a resource center teacher job I was interested in, but it was in Connecticut. I helped plan the 5th grade Science Curriculum for my district this summer and realized that I enjoy this aspect of the field. There were several job opportunities K-12 in Florida, but very few here in Texas.

• Remember that the field of instructional/educational technology is not just focused on education, but on business and industry as well. Look at the resources provided on page 258 in chapter 25 and select one of these links and complete the self assessment. What did you learn about yourself from the assessment?

I went to the United States Department of Labor's site and then clicked on Career Information. It took me to an external site, the OneStop Site that was mentioned in the book as well. I then clicked on the Testing and Assessment Center link. However after twenty plus minutes of trying to find the link, I could not find a way to take the test. Finally on the OneStop site, I clicked on Career Tools, I then clicked on Career Exploration, and finally Assess Yourself. Then I clicked on Take Assessments. I then checked on Skills Profiler. I then searched job types: EDUCATION. On that skills page, I was able to click all but one, and probably could have chosen that one as well, but it was iffy. I chose all of the Basic Skills, Social Skills, Complex Problem Solving Skills, a few of the Technical Skills, one System Skills, all Resource Management Skills, and all Graphics Skills. I then rated each of those skills on a 1-7 scale. It rated me at a 97.6% match for a SPED/preschool/Elementary Educator. In high school I also took a similar test and it told me my best job match was in the Education field as well. I guess I've chose wisely.

• Chapter 26 lists several websites for professional organizations and websites for professional publications. Visit 2-3 websites for professional organizations and 2-3 websites for the professional publications and address the following:
• Professional organizations:
• #1 Association for Educational Communications and Technology
  
• Mission: improving instruction through technology. AECT members may be found in colleges and universities; in the Armed Forces and industry; in museums, libraries, and hospitals; in the many places where educational change is underway. AECT members carry out a wide range of responsibilities in the study, planning, application, and production of communications media for instruction.
• Cost of membership: Membership costs varied based on level and type of membership. The cheapest was $75.00 for New Student Membership and $400.00 for Corporate Membership.
  
• Publications: it provides access to the following publications: Tech Trends, Educational Technology Research and Development, Handbook for Research in Educational Technology, Getting Started in Instructional Technology Research, and more.
  
• Conferences and meetings: It's upcoming conference information can be found at this site.
  
• Opportunities for professional development: I could not find any information about professional development.
  
• #2 E-Learning Network
  
• Mission: Here's the closest thing to a mission that I could find:

  The eLearning Network (eLN) is a non-profit, Community Interest Company run by the elearning community for the elearning community. The eLN is the number one source for guidance on best practice and future trends in technology-based learning and development at work, with nearly 3000 members in the UK and beyond. Here’s why it has never been a better time to join the eLN: Inspiration: Technology has never developed so quickly and with such far-reaching implications. You need information you can trust, practical advice and standards to aspire to. As a member of the eLN expect to be inspired:

• Cost of Membership: Free
  
• Publications: There is an on-line publication forum where members can submit and discuss articles etc.
  
• Conferences and meetings: see below
• Opportunities for professional development: Here is an upcoming event. There are several upcoming events that cycle through on the homepage.
  
• Professional publications:
• #1 American Educational Research Journal
  
• Focus/Goals of the journal: The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a national research society, strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.
• Submission guidelines: I had a very difficult time finding a specific process. There were however several contact e-mails for editors based on topic of interest.
  
• Is this a peer reviewed journal? Some of it, mostly no.
  
• Is the journal online? Yes
• #2 Educational Technology Review
  
• Focus/Goals of the journal: The purpose of this exchange should result in the growth of ideas and practical solutions that can contribute toward the improvement of education and learning through information technology. All AACE members receive the AACE Journal as a benefit of membership.
• Submission guidelines: Research articles should not be submitted to the AACE Journal but rather are welcome in other AACE journals. For the list of all AACE journals, see: www.aace.org/pubs/
• Is this a peer reviewed journal?: No
  
• Is the journal online? Was originally a print article, which is now on an online platform.
  
• How is the journal and organization useful to you and your career? Were you aware of the organizations/journals that you researched? I was not previously aware of these publications, and I do not see any usefulness to my current career, however once pursuing technology a bit further, I definitely see their usefulness.
  

• Chapter 27 looks at competencies for instructional design and technology professionals. If you were responsible for identifying the domains, competencies, and performance statements for a performance technologist, what would they include and why?

I would want to make sure that the performance technologist focused on results, and helped the students focus on those results, looks at situations systematically considering context and contemplating change. I would make sure that they add value to the things they work on, and used partnerships and collaboration techniques while working. I would make sure that they were someone who considered all aspects of a situation and considered possible factors that could limit performance. They should be someone who was aware of the solution/end product and did what they needed to to make sure it was met and achieved. This person should make sure that once a solution/end product was met, it was utilized/applied in the correct way or manner and then they were able to step back and analyze the effectiveness of this situation.