It was probably 8 or 9 years ago that my interest in the Internet and the World Wide Web (www) really began. I had just graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Management from Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, MI, and I was working at a small marketing/communications firm, as a Production Manager. I had just helped our company switch from dial-up to DSL a year or so earlier and had started to use the Internet to search for potential vendors and new technology that we could use in the production of various deliverables, such as CDs, DVDs, forms, banners, brochures, educational binders, and other material. In addition to producing some of these items, we also outsourced some parts of the projects to various vendors.
Over the next 2 to 3 years, the company started doing business as a CME provider, focusing on education for physicians, rather than marketing/communications. This change in focus brought about the development of the company's first Website, which in turn led me to take a couple of online classes in HTML and Web Design, which introduced me to Blackboard, an online learning management system.
In August 2008, I started an online Master's program in Communications with emphasis in New Media. In October 2008, the company experienced some significant losses and I was laid off. A freelance graphic designer we had worked with, knew of and told me about a temporary Instructional Designer position at a university that she felt would be perfect for me and had the potential of becoming a permanent position. I applied for the position and thankfully, was hired.
Since being hired, I have learned a lot more about instructional design, but of course, there's still a lot for me to learn. In the meantime, as I'm learning, I've begun to read quite a few instructional design blogs and decided I would like to start one too.
This blog will provide a place for me to share my thoughts and experiences in online learning and technology, along with providing a place to share links to cool tools and great articles.
