My research interest, at this point, is professional development. I worked in K12 education for 13 years, and I can't remember one time that I saw professional development done really well, especially when it came to integrating technology into the classroom. I feel like I can say this because I was on both sides of PD delivery as a teacher and as an instructional technology specialist facilitating the PD. As the person delivering the PD, I knew that I and the other people in my department weren't doing enough to make sure our learners were getting the most out of what we were teaching. Unlike the students in the classrooms, teachers are expected to learn under a one size fits all model. There may be some hands on training, but there is usually very little, if any follow up. The reason for these things often boils down to time and never having enough of it and having more learners that one trainer knows what to do with. Even if teachers do attend a professional development and find it interesting and useful, they don't always have the time and support to implement what they learned. And also in the interest of time, the trainer has to move onto the next thing and hope some of what they taught stuck. My research interest lies here. How can we personalize learning for teachers of all ages and experience? How can trainers and facilitators make sure teachers are getting the training that's right for them, and how can they follow up with teachers to support them through implementation?
In thinking about my design project, I'm leaning toward a type of online tutorial that somewhat models itself after the old "choose your own adventure" books. It will start out with questions that will lead the student to right point to start in the training to both save time and make sure they are comfortable. Some people need very explicit step by step training, others do not. These initial questions would allow the student to situate themselves in the training and move through it at their own pace and level. Is this too ambitious? Right now, I have no idea. I think Storyline would be a great tool to create one of these lessons, but I've yet to explore the other tools in the class, so I'll wait a bit before I make that final decision.
I know I can't wait too long. I feel that I must take what Moggridge said to heart and start creating prototypes and failing a few (several) times before I get close to the end product I have in mind. By approaching PD from this view point, I believe I am taking into account the human component and looking at learners from all parts of the spectrum, not just the "norm" in the middle. Gal mentions that any place a designer is at a particular point can affect how they approach their design project. This will be true as I move through this class and gain different perspectives, ideas, and knowledge of tools. I will not follow in Ray's footsteps and ignore a tool that could possible be useful to me.
This is just the beginning of thinking of what my project will be, and I need to be open to the fact that it might fail, forcing me in a completely different direction. I don't like to fail, so I see the challenges before me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little afraid of them, but I'm also excited to see what I can do.
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