Hello World!

Hi everyone! I'm Amber. I actually live in Bloomington, IN, but I am working on my IST Certificate via distance learning because I am a working mother of 2 (twin boys turning 6 in June). It's much easier to go "back to school" in the comfort of my home office while my kiddos are sleeping in the nest room than to attend classes in the flesh.

I currently work full time at IU as an academic specialist developing language materials and curriculums.  My specialty is language learning technology.

I decided that I wanted to pursue a certificate in IST for two reasons: #1 - to improve my productivity and effectiveness in my current position. And #2 - to broaden my qualifications from the world of language learning technology to more generally instructional technology and design so that I will be more competitive in the job market.

The main reason I'm interested in IST is because I am a "let's not mess around...do it right the first time and then let's all go home" type person. When I'm at work, that is time away from my family. I want all time not being spent with my family to be effective and efficient, because I want to feel like I'm away from them for a purpose. I cannot stand disorganization and inefficiency in the workplace. It's a waste of the company's money, but I also feel like it's a waste of my time.

I like IST/ISD because it is a systematic attack that finds what isn't working, proposes solutions, and applies them! Then, perhaps my favorite part: EVALUATES whether or not the changes are actually making improvements! This part is so important and so often neglected (at least in academia)!

I feel like I have a good foundation of IST applications through my working experience, but I'm looking for the theoretical education and training, and of course, accreditation via a certificate.

 

An interesting thing about me is that I'm taking this class with my dad! He graduated with an MS in IST from IU in May 2010, and he is considering applying for the EdD, so this class is him testing the waters.