Welcome back to the eLearning Roadtrip. Have you said your daily ID affirmation?
In the last post I had suggested that maybe the best way for IDs to start reasserting the value of our practice is to start with a bit of self-reflection, maybe even starting the day with something that goes something like:
IDs help transform intangible information assets into things of great business / epistemological value*.
(*feel free to pick one or the other. Academics seems to prefer the e-word, while business types prefer the b-word.)
I had also suggested that every time someone said it, he or she needed to think of what they do to make this true. My point was that if you can't name something you are doing to drive value that is concrete and operational and measurable, it's time to do more than think about it.
And the more I thought about that, the more I realized that it might be time to think about spring training. You would never expect to run a 10K race without training for it. For many of us, the evolving expectations for operating as a competent professional in the learning technologies metaverse may be the professional run of our lives.
ID is actually more like a decathelon than a 10K race (which is all the more reason for more training!!) You may remember that decathelons feature 10 track-and-field sports events where aggregated results of all events determines an overall winner. In ID, instead of 10 events we have ADDIE and the five-step process model to guide our success. For ID types, ADDIE is sort of like the "Holy Trinity" although in ADDIE's case there are 5: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation.
When you're actually doing ID work, it is really nice to have these 5 ideas as a checklist to navigate one's way through whatever part of the learning metaverse you happen to find yourself in. But it's even more important to have the skills and competencies you need so that the activities called for in ADDIE can actually be implemented. You need to be "good enough" to stand toe-to-toe with experts working along the long value chain where ideas and information are transformed into achievement and results.
This tends to draw a certain kind of person to the practice. The best IDs I've known are great team members. IDs like to bring a better sense of order to a situation so that things can get done. Competent. They are there to make others look good. Maybe our best IDs don't get the rewards or recognition of, say, a scholar - or a designer - or a business leader. People drawn to being an ID aren't necessarily looking for rewards. But recognition is certainly in order. Particularly during times when we are going to see a lot or organization change, where those who thrive will be those who are relevant for the demands of the day, and can flex to anticipate the needs for tomorrow.
When organizations need to restructure, reorganize or resize, it is really important for contributors to demonstrate value. Even more importantly, when organizations are in the midst of their own reorganizations, IDs need to have a better sense of where they stack up given what is hot and trendy and hiring in the current marketplace.
Let me just say that I do think there is value in the MA courses and programs offered by many of the institutional out there, My remarks are not meant as program dings. It's just that when I think about what it is that most IDs learn in school, and what IDs actually do once they get hired to work as IDs, I think there's an opportunity for fine-tuning ones experiences through which competencies are developed and maintained.
Additionally, when I look at some of the industries experiencing growth where ID may be able to make a contribution if willing to stretch a bit it offers another reason why IDs may want to get in better shape for the opportunities that will be available in the months ahead.
So - the answer to the question of yesterday's question of "Who is my ID?" My ID is a decathlete. There are 10 Events in the "ID-cathelon" that I see in today's market. I will take a look at them in the next post.
FINAL NOTE: Regarding questions I asked about in yesterday's post are (1) At Adobe it depends on the business unit you ask. (2) At various points in Macromedia's history it was Authorware, Director, Flash, Dreamweaver, Breeze and Captivate.
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