This is my 12th
year of teaching with Dallas ISD. My
current job is as a Visual Arts Instructor at the secondary level teaching
grades 9-12. This year my course load is
Art I, Drawing, Ceramics, and Digital Art.
My certifications include Visual Arts, Technology Applications, and
ESL. I am enrolled in the Masters in Educational
Technology program, with an anticipated graduation in December 2014. I plan on teaching for at least one more year
after this year and then from there I would like to try something new and
different. I’m hoping that this degree will open new doors in the field of
instructional design or training. Whether
I stay with education or venture out into the corporate world or even
healthcare, I will be open to a new opportunity.
After completing the WorkMatrixTM
, I would like to work
at either the Level 1 or Level 2 but preferably outside the classroom, and my audience
would be adults. I would like to either teach adults in an educational setting
or train adults to use technology. I
could see the possibility in the future if I were to work for a corporation or
healthcare to move to the level of designing or developing instruction. Currently location is very important for me
in my career, however in the future it may be a great opportunity and
experience to have.
I know that if I want to
change economic sectors I will need to learn new skill sets. During my study breaks from this class I
research different instructional design jobs and corporate training jobs to see
what skill sets I have to learn. I have
started a folder with different jobs that I have printed off outside of education,
and checking off skills that I have learned or studied. My husband thinks it’s kind of funny, but he
knows my determination to make a career change.
I have researched the Certificate in E-Learning Instructional Design,
which I think would be very beneficial to obtain and would provide extra credentials
when searching for a new job. Many of
the jobs require specific knowledge of E-Learning software; this is where I
have no training. I have played around with Moodle a bit on my own, but that is
about it. Hopefully one of the following
classes will address the skills that I will need to obtain: ETEC 525, 562, or
579. But if not I am open to finding courses
on E-learning software or learn on my own.
I think it is very
important to be part of professional organizations. I am currently a member of the Texas Art
Educators Association and National Art Educator Association. However, I will be looking to join different
organizations that will support my new career path. I do think as I get closer to graduating it
would benefit to join the organizations, as I it could provide networking, job opportunities
and more knowledge about the field. A few that I have researched that I think
could benefit are the following:
The
eLearning Guild-
American Society for Training and Development
http://www.astd.org/
Hi Kristin,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post this week and I relate to many of the things you stated.
In particular, I found it interesting that you are looking to explore the design and training aspects of a career after graduating. I am setting my sights on a librarian position in a school setting, but I also think it is important to always consider what other career opportunities could be made possible for us by having our degree.
I agree that it is always important to be a part of some professional organization that you find to be relevant. One of the first things I did when I became a teacher was to research groups and organizations that matched my interests in teaching.
Great post this week!
-Lauren C.
Kristin McCloskey,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your latest post. It can be difficult making a career change but you sound like you are working efficiently towards that goal. With your art background and new understanding of instructional design, it sounds like you will be prepared for an instructional design position needing a creative person. Thanks for sharing the links for the professional organizations. They all appear to be beneficial in the field of instructional design.
Sara Dalton