Reflection

A theme that I have noticed throughout the last three chapters is teamwork. Instructional Design and Technology in any setting cannot be successfully accomplished alone; it requires the work of a team. Table 18.1 in the book, on page 176, defines the roles of different team members. Last week in my reflection, I talked about how these roles carry over to the educational setting with an example of a curriculum committee. One of the main topics in Chapter 21 is that of the Step-Up-To-Excellence (SUTE) process. There is no way in the world that this process can be done alone. This process needs multiple team members that work together. Chapter 22 gives us a look into the everyday lives of five common roles in higher education. All of these faculty members share how they work together with their colleagues to make the most of their careers.
I think that all professions work as a team in their environments. This is also something that can be worked on every year. I know that my district works very well as a team, but there is always room for improvement. This is why we all attend professional development meetings throughout the year. It’s always good to have a team building meeting at least twice a year to keep everyone on track and to keep them looking at the bigger picture. Wouldn’t it be neat if all of our school districts would move towards the SUTE process?
I think that my strength is communication. I communicate very well on a daily basis with students, parents, and coworkers either in person, on the phone, or through email. I’m always giving suggestions for improvements, encouragement, and also asking for advice. If I have a concern, I like to deal with it ASAP; I’m not one to wait around for someone else to fix something! Two competencies that I’d like to develop, or more improve, would be: 1.) Stimulate and sustain learner motivation, and 2.) Use media and technology to enhance learning and performance.
I think that we are all looking to develop, or improve, our skills in media and technology to enhance learning and performance; why else would we take this class. I’ve already learned so much in the six weeks that we’ve been in this class that I hope to put to use in my own class and district. Sometimes I wish we had more time with each new piece of technology that we are learning about!