Goals
Upon entering the program
It wasn't supposed to be a Master's degree in Education.
Years ago, I thought I'd take a year off – some day – and get a Master's degree in Journalism. I grew up wanting to be a sportswriter and I always figured I'd add another Journalism degree, you know, to take a break from the grind. Eventually, I became a sports editor, and I kept thinking about getting an MBA. The degree was sexy in the 1980s and 1990s, and seemed like a way of jumping high in the management ranks.
I never pursued it because, frankly, statistics bored me – as did budgets and accounting.
I left the newsroom, turned an extra bedroom into a home office, and with a 10-year-old Mac, became a webmaster. Working for myself, I worked through the night many times, teaching myself HTML, JavaScript, Flash and ActionScript. I was always the smartest person in the room (the dog and cats were no match), but I found I was re-inventing the wheel every day. I had no one with whom to share knowledge. I started attending conferences and workshops, and I learned at an exponential rate. Soon, I was working again in the corporate world, guiding companies in interactive strategy.
But still I'm alone. Because the Web is so young, companies hire just one person like me. When I'm working on Google ranking strategy, or figuring out best practices in Flash, I may as well be back in that spare bedroom – I'm all alone again. Sure, blogs are a terrific way to learn what another person's thinking, but it's difficult to get a reliable (and correct) answer to your own questions.
Then I "discovered" the Educational Instructional Technology program at GMU. I'm looking forward to learning from and collaborating with students and professors in standards and best practices for the web and interactive applications. At last: An environment where we're all thinking interactively.
And a degree in Education is appropriate: The Web is all about learning new information
Upon leaving the program
I want to establish a professional network here at George Mason, which will include both ID peers, educators and staff. The ID program is a nerve center for information and connections throughout the Washington, DC area. Graduates and recruiters alike flow to George Mason for education, like the e-Learning symposium, and referrals for possible job applicants.
While I plan on building my personal network through my address book and LinkedIn profile, I'd like to work with the ID program to build a social network for a knowledge base. This could include a wiki, archived information and group blog, discussion board and job postings.
Career
Now that I've earned my Graduate certificate in e-Learning, I've developed scaffolding for further learning in Instructional Design and project management. Most of what I've known about planning in my career has aligned with ID and PM principles; I simply lacked the nomenclature. I've found I've been using a version of the ADDIE methodology, but now have a clear understanding of how to apply precise guidelines.
As I mentor peers and employees, I'm now able to outline the principles of ADDIE as well as agile and waterfall PM methodologies, and help people understand the benefits and risks of each approach, then choose the correct methodology for the correct situation.
Lifelong learning
Anyone involved in the interactive world has settled into the role of lifelong learner. In the short-term, I learn through postings on blogs and wikis and feel comfortable challenging the facts or pursuing more information. I'm also interested in a being a professional trainer, teaching adults on-site and online, much like this class.