Published: February 13, 2020

Episode: 18

Guest: Nyla Spooner, Learning and Instructional  Designer

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Nyla Spooner. Nyla is an instructional designer and eLearning developer for a giant multinational corporation. She shares her wisdom and advice for new instructional designers and she is on a mission to help 100 women of color in our field. This episode is what happens when two ID mentors get together. We chat, giggle, and teach!

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

• Nyla's mentorship process
• Fundamentals of Instructional Design
• Define your Instructional Design Philosophy
• Nyla's favorite advice about pushing past your fears

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January 2nd, the second day in the new year of 2020, I received an email that changed my career trajectory. “Congratulations on your assignment with PADI!” 

I finally became an IDOL!

Three years ago, I came to the United States as an international student. My major was Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). My first job was teaching Chinese in an elementary school. A year later, I got my second job as an ESL teacher, however, after six months, the language center I worked at shut down. At this point, the only thing I wanted to do was to find a job as soon as possible. Then I found my third job, as an education consultant. Guess what? Six months ago, I was laid off. 

What do you want to do with your life? What job will provide a stable working environment? I asked myself. 

The lay-off made me rethink my career seriously. Luckily, my savings allowed me to take a break for a few months, so I decided not to seek the next job right away. Not...

 I was a middle school teacher for almost 10 years and loved almost every second of it. My favorite parts about teaching were building fun and engaging lessons (ones that I just knew the kids were going to love), bringing the lessons to life and connecting with my students. My classroom was fun. My reputation and my team's reputation preceded me within the school district. I was asked many times over to help with one initiative after another, especially when it came to technology in the classroom. I would also present to my colleagues at workshops and district conferences. I used to think to myself, I found my calling. I was quite content and had no plans to be anything else except a teacher until I couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't until year eight of my career that I began to notice it; the tightness in my chest, rapid heartbeat, and frequent headaches. The symptoms came on more frequently this particular year as the group of students was more difficult to manage than...

Teachers in Need of a New Career Path:  Think Instructional Design

Are you a teacher that seeks a new career?  Are you unsure where your skill set will be valued? Have you considered Instructional Design? If you haven’t, I encourage you to do so for many reasons. 

Hi there! I am Melissa. I am a learning designer and educator. I have been teaching for approximately 14 years but found I needed a new venture. I reflected on my teaching experience and discovered there were tasks I performed in my role as a teacher that I really enjoyed such as design and content development. 

When I started researching careers for teachers outside of the classroom, I discovered the instructional design field and fell in love with it. Now I want to teach you what I have learned in this journey.

Why Instructional Design is a Good Fit

Instructional design is a good career path for teachers because teachers possess many transferable skills. Furthermore, the...

Published: January 16, 2020

Episode: 17

IDOL Hiring Manager Elizabeth Pehlke Shares How to Land a Job

Guest:Elizabeth Pehlke, Learning and Instructional  Designer

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Elizabeth Pehlke. Elizabeth was a hiring manager at Pearson and she was hiring between 10-20 instructional designers a year. She shares her best interview, resume, and application tips for those looking to land their first or next instructional design job. 

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

• Resumes
• Hiring process
• interviews 
• Best practices and tips for new instructional designers

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The New Year has just passed yet again in the blink of an eye, or at least it feels like it. As a child, the years never seemed to move as fast as they do in adulthood. So here I am reflecting on where I have been in the last few years, and how I want to grow in 2020. Self-reflection is an essential part of growth and really assessing what we want out of life.  So, what do you want to achieve in 2020? 

I have been working on a personal ID project.  It really has been a labor of love, but it isn't moving as fast as I would like, but it is moving forward, and, in the end, it will be completed. Luckily, I am not in this project alone.  Through the IDOL Academy, I have met Molly Parsons, who has jumped on board to help with my project and has become my accountability and project partner.

Whether you are working on your portfolio or building your own LMS in my case, finding someone to hold you accountable keeps you on track.

I am excited to...

Show notes for Podcast UX and UI design with Melanie Sexton

Published: December 11, 2019

Episode: 16

UX and UI with Melanie Sexton

Guest: Melanie Sexton, Learning and Experience Designer

In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with Melanie Sexton, Learning and Experience Designer, about her experience in creating graphic interfaces for online courses and E-Learning development.  Melanie Sexton is a jack of all trades learning design professional living in Central Texas. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design earning a BFA and MA in Sequential Art and is now back in school at Austin Community College taking several courses in UX Design. Melanie has a history of making comics and illustrations and sharing her passion for digital media with students in higher ed and libraries. As an instructional design professional, Melanie has worked with clients in the US Military, EdTech, and Cyber Security spaces to create internal, external, and...

Published: November 5, 2019

Episode: 15

Teaching teachers instructional design with Bejanae Kareem

Guest: Bejanae Kareem, Owner of BK International Education Consultancy

In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with Bejanae Kareem, Executive Director and Owner of BK Consultancy, about her experience creating and launching BK to transitioning from secondary education to instructional design and eLearning development. We’ll be sharing tips for how educators can incorporate instructional design STEM-based classes into the classroom, tips to overcome common challenges, as well as tips for teachers experiencing burn-out.

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

• The best way to break into the instructional design field as a secondary school teacher
• Fellowship:  Fellows receive on-the-job training in instructional...

Published: October 7, 2019

Episode: 14

Instructional Design Freelancing with Kim Tuohy from Belvista Studios

Guest: Kim Tuohy

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Kim Tuohy about making the transition to a freelance instructional designer. Kim shares a wealth of knowledge from her own transition from full-time employee to a self-employed business owner. Belvista Studios is an instructional design and eLearning company located in Australia and as the founder, she has a lot of experience working with clients to share.

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

• How to make the transition to freelancing
• Considerations when becoming your own boss
• Getting corporate instructional design experience before making the switch
• How to price your services
• How to manage your life and work balance
• Goal setting
• Mindset work
...