ACADEMY ABOUT HIRE AN IDOL℠ BOOK: The Do It Messy Approach COURSES RESOURCES Book 1:1 Coaching Call BLOG LEAVING THE CLASSROOM BECOME AN IDOL PODCAST COMMUNITY IDOL℠ PORTFOLIOS APPAREL CONTACT US IDOL℠ World Projects PRESS ACADEMY ENROLLMENT Login

Do I Really Need a Portfolio?

 Do you really need a portfolio to land an instructional design job? My answer is yes. There may be some different opinions on this topic. In our digital world, you need to have a digital presence. Today I joined Cath Ellis and friends in her Monthly eLearning Hangout meetup, we were talking portfolios, and she agrees a portfolio is helpful and recommends having one. Cath said she had her portfolio before she was a freelancer, and because of this, she was able to transition to freelance. People were reaching out to her do complete projects, and she has not had to look for work since moving to freelance. Hanging out with Cath and I was Mohd Mudassir Nagaria. He stated he was inspired by Cath during The Show to develop a portfolio and highlight his skills.  

 

Here are my reasons why I think you should invest the time to build your instructional design portfolio:

 

  1. Career Transitioning.

If you are...

Continue Reading...

Newbies’ Guide to Networking - Remote Edition 

 Pivoting your career trajectory or changing careers all together requires a number of key steps; highly important among them is creating new connections. Connecting with others professionally opens you up to new understandings and perspectives on the field you want to join. It also helps you to be aware of opportunities, as well as to learn more about specific companies and organizations. And networking is key to making new connections. While it can be best to network in person, it is possible to do it remotely and everyone should be engaged in both remote or virtual networking, as well as in person or face-to-face networking. As many communities around the world are still under stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders or they’re continuing to practice social distancing, opportunities to network in person are limited, we’re going to kick off this series of articles on networking with a focus on tips for remote networking, but these tips apply if you’re...
Continue Reading...

Become an IDOL 19: ADDIE vs HPT vs Agile with Alexander Salas


 

Published: March 27, 2020

Episode: 19

Guest: Alexander SalasDigital Learning Consultant

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Alexander Salas. Alex is an eLearning freelancer and the owner of eLearning Launch. He shares the differences and history of ADDIE, HPT, and Agile. He also gives recommendations for which methodology to use and when.

 

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:

  • ADDIE
  • Human Performance Technology
  • Agile

 

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I'll be publishing a new episode every two weeks and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re...

Continue Reading...

Changing Perspectives: Creative Detours

 I’m tired. I crawl home from my 8 to 5 hour day, eat a brief dinner, and then open my laptop to work on my portfolio, LinkedIn profile, or resume for the final hours of the evening. The constant revision and construction of a sample with an optimistic hope that it would satisfy a recruiter or potential employer. Weeks go by with the occasional interest that leads nowhere. Eventually, the tiredness leads to exhaustion before the creativity runs dry leaving a blank screen and the looming question: “Should I tap out?”

While I am sure and hope I am not the only one who feels this way, I also know persistence is needed for success. However, I feel that I have hit a roadblock. Initially, I felt roadblocks were negative and something I needed to overcome. Then, I shifted my perspective: Roadblocks force us to detour and lead us down a new path. When finding a solution in the corporate world, these detours lead to innovation. But, where does one find inspiration...

Continue Reading...

How I learned to love feedback and how you can, too.

 I used to hate getting feedback. Performance reviews, observations, and peer work sessions in professional learning communities all made my stomach turn. I’m not perfect and I’m aware of it; being told about my imperfections felt just awful. But then I learned to look at feedback differently - I learned what feedback is and isn’t, I learned when it has value and when it doesn’t, and I learned how to use feedback to my advantage, to propel myself forward towards my goals; I learned to love getting feedback. I’ve had a lot of mentors in my many professional lives and I’ve had even more supervisors and managers, but the majority of those who gave me important feedback throughout my professional endeavors didn’t even consider how I felt about their feedback and if it was helpful. So, once I figured that out for myself, I have become a bit of a feedback evangelist. The following is my guide for learning to love feedback.

The first step...

Continue Reading...

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

 

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,...

Continue Reading...

Become an IDOL episode 17: IDOL Hiring Manager Elizabeth Pehlke Shares How to Land a Job


 

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

 

 

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I'll be publishing a new episode...

Continue Reading...

Kick Self-doubt to the Curb: Mindset Needed to Become an Instructional Designer & Online Learning Developer

 

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...

Continue Reading...

Become an IDOL 16: UX & UI for Online Learning with Melanie Sexton

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...

Continue Reading...

Become an IDOL 15: Teaching Teachers Instructional Design with Bejanae Kareem

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...
Continue Reading...
1 2
Close

50% Complete

Enter your email below to get instructional design tips and tricks delivered straight to your inbox.