Advocating for Accessibility
It’s now becoming common knowledge that humans have a wide range of cognitive differences, in addition to the physical ones that are more readily apparent. However, we’re still just scratching the surface with our understanding of conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder. With that emerging comprehension comes persistent stigmas. I’ve experienced them in my own family and encountered them in the learning and development field.
In fact, what spurred me to write this was getting blocked by a doctor who has an active social media and podcast presence because I asked her to consider not using background music that contained vocals, as the vocals competed with what she said aloud. That doctor also is a professor at a state university, which made me wonder if she provides accommodations for her neurodivergent students. (Learning differences don’t go away when a person enters medical school, after all.)
This reminded me that we still have a...
Become an IDOL 71: Success Story with Barbara Taylor an Internal Promotion
Guest: Barbara Taylor, Manager of Training for Talent Acquisition
In this episode, I will be chatting with Barbara Taylor, IDOL alumni from cohort 3. She was able to transform her role within a fortune 100 company through her passion for Learning and Development with the implementation from IDOL courses Academy. She now serves as the training manager for 180 recruiters. Listen in now to hear more details on Barbara’s internal promotional journey.
Listen to this episode below:
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Let me tell you a little bit about Barbara:
Barbara has always had an affinity for instructional design and online learning and aspired to succeed in this type of position. She began working toward her dream of landing a position in the Learning & Development field. The journey was lengthy, and after receiving her master’s degree...
The Need for Trauma-informed Instructional Design
Shouldn’t it be the adult learners’ responsibility to handle their mental health needs so they can access learning? Why should an ID even take mental health into consideration? Alumni, Mandy Brown, shares her answer.
The Need for Trauma-informed Instructional Design
When you design for learners, how often do you consider burnout? How often do you consider trauma? What about your learners’ survival responses? These are all questions I had to consider on a daily basis when I worked for a restorative justice center.
I tend to use “trauma,” “burnout,” and the “survival response” interchangeably when I speak with mentees at IDOL courses Academy. And while there is a Venn diagram of the three, some quick definitions might help.
The survival response (also called the stress response) is that deeply rooted instinct when one responds to danger, the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses. We...
Become an IDOL 70: Digital Learning that Makes Impact with David James from 360Learning
Guest: David James, Chief Learning Officer
In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with David James, Chief Learning Officer at 360 Learning. David has a wealth of information about our industry and he shares tips for creating digital learning that makes an impact.
Listen to this episode below:
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Let me tell you a little bit about David:
David is Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning (formerly at Looop) and has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.
David is host of The Learning & Development Podcast, a prominent writer and a conference speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.
Connect with David: LinkedIn | Website | Twitter | Podcast
Enjoy the Episode...
No Pain No Gain: An IDOLs Journey
No Pain No Gain
Learn to accept the pain for the gain when you:
- Search your mind
- Carve out time
- Reach out for help
- Work out the wrinkles
No Pain No Gain
This old saying implies that gain will only come through pain.
Did you ever . . .
- Search your mind and soul to find a gain worth the pain?
- Carve out time in your schedule as a commitment to the gain?
- Reach out for help when you were stuck and overwhelmed on a gainful journey?
- Work out the wrinkles when the first attempt failed to gain?
Recently, I traveled The Narrows of Utah’s Zion Park. This hike journey rating of “moderately strenuous” did not frighten me. Yet the journey of walking in water and stepping on unknown rocky surfaces did cause some angst. My instructional design journey presented me with unfamiliar terms and processes. To begin, the kickstart #DoItMessy assignments provided the path of pain to gain.
Because of the stunning views, I knew The...
Become an IDOL 69: How to Have Conversations with Clients featuring Brian Harris
Guest: Brian Harris, Chief of Design and Development
In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with Brian Harris, Chief of Design and Development at Brilliant Educational Services, about his journey since enrolling in the eLearning Freelancer Bootcamp. Brian talks about how he leads conversations with his clients, manages pushback, and always keeps the needs of the learners first.
Listen to this episode below:
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Let me tell you a little bit about Brian:
Brian Harris is the Chief of Design and Development at Brilliant Educational Services. He develops E-learning and designs learning experiences that engage minds, motivate hearts, and get real, measurable results. He's someone that's been in the IDOL courses Academy. He's an alumni, but he's more than that...He's a business owner. He's an e-learning designer and developer extraordinaire, and he just has so much...
Mentorship Means Community
The one thing academy alumni, Mandy Brown, didn’t expect to get from mentoring was the very thing she needed while in a previous role. Read more to learn what mentorship has meant to her.
Mentorship Means Community
One of the most astounding aspects of mentorship has been seeing my impact. That wasn’t always something I had. When I worked at the restorative justice program, learners entered and left the program on individualized plans, and if they never returned, the leadership assumed all went well. (Given that this population was highly transient, this assumption was and remains problematic.)
Returning learners often forgot all the work we’d done from their last trip through the program. They’d remember me but have lost the learning we’d worked so hard to achieve.
So either I’d never see them again, uncertain of the results of my work. Or I’d see the same learners repeatedly and notice how...
Become an IDOL 68: IDOL Success Story with Ian Melchinger, an IDOL Talent Member
Guest: Ian Melchinger, Program Manager
In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with Ian Melchinger, a former Lead Instructional Designer at IDOL Talent. Ian discusses his experience as an IDOL courses Academy member and his journey to become an IDOL.
Read on to find out what it's like to work with IDOL Talent, the importance of giving and receiving quality feedback, and creating goals for continuous improvement.
Listen to this episode below:
Subscribe to Become an IDOL Podcast: Apple Podcast | Spotify | Google Podcast
Let me tell you a little bit about Ian.
Ian Melchinger has worked in instruction, media, and movies for over 20 years. He lives in Connecticut, keeps chickens and bees, and makes musical projects with friends. He joined IDOL courses in Cohort 10 and loves remote ID work. He quickly become a Lead Instructional Designer at IDOL Talent and has recently accepted a position as a Program Manager at Learn Quest!
Connect with Ian: LinkedIn
Ian, will...
Harnessing Your Personality Type to Reach Your IDOL Goals
We’ve all been there. You’re trying to get more work done or minimize the amount of time you spend working, so you look at how other people do it, right? You copy them by making lists, using the Pomodoro Technique, working first thing in the morning so you’re not interrupted, etc. And sometimes it works, but a lot of times it doesn’t, and you’re left wondering what’s wrong with you that you can’t get the same results.
Guess what? Nothing’s wrong with you! Everyone is different, and everyone’s work style and needs are different. One thing I have to learn over and over again is to work with, not against my personality and natural tendencies when it comes to being productive.
So how can you work with your personality type instead of feeling bad that you don’t have a different one? While there are several personality frameworks out there, I’m not going to go into Enneagram types or Myers-Briggs (though if you...
An Idea Generation Activity for Portfolio Topics
If you’re like some of my mentees, you can’t seem to get out of the teacher's perspective. And I get it. When you’re teaching and creating portfolio items, the desire to kill two birds with one stone is strong.
But you don’t have to throw out your academic expertise to build something for your portfolio. You just have to shift your perspective a little. After all, a science teacher has a lab safety lesson every year. I’m willing to bet a corporate lab has safety compliance training with similar content.
Three Questions to Ask
Remember, instructional design solves problems with learning. So whatever topic you choose, make sure you can provide specific...
