Conclusions: My Final Blog Post for ITAP!

As a concluding task for the ITAP program, we were asked to reflect on a few questions. I figured I would share some of my reflections as my final post on my ITAP blog not only as a way to present my personal reflections on my own ITAP experience this past year, but also with the hope of creating further dialogue with anyone interested in the ITAP program now and in the future. 

I encourage any questions or comments from readers! 

WHY ITAP?

I was interested in taking the skills that I had gained during the first three years of working in HWS Instructional Technology to the next level. My hope was that exposure to the “inside” workings of Instructional Technology would provide me with a better understanding of how and why Instructional Technology functions as a whole and I knew the ITAP program would be a great opportunity to gain such insight.

ITAP EXPERIENCES

• ELI Educause Conference – This conference was a great opportunity to expand my own exposure to the world of Instructional Technology (current trends and issues, where it’s headed, etc.) while also providing networking opportunities that resulted in interesting conversations and that will likely prove beneficial in the long-run.
• IT Leadership Interviews – These interviews were conducted with the leaders of HWS Instructional Technology. The opportunity to sit down and discuss each person’s job role/responsibilities and general interests gave me a much broader view of the HWS IT departments/team and how they all work together.
• IT Re-Branding Process – As part of my “digital project,” I worked to conceptualize a new branding concept for HWS IT. The process of implementing the new branding was eye-opening in that it involved departments within and beyond IT and, therefore, was representative of how processes/plans are carried out in academia.

ITAP SKILLS

• Advanced Knowledge of InDesign – Through “lynda.com” videos, online tutorials, and hands-on experience (implementation of skills toward digital project and misc. projects) I was able to learn the basics of InDesign and create products to show for it.
• Advanced Knowledge of Google Tools - Having never been an avid user of Google tools, the experience of learning and using Google for communication (Gmail and Blogger) and creation (Google Sites, Google Drive, etc) was beneficial both as a general skill-set and also as a means of broadening my own “preferred tools” toolbox.
• Advanced Knowledge of Remote Communication - While I have certainly been familiar with communicating via mediums beyond face-to-face communications (i.e. phone, email, skype, etc.), the scale of individuals involved in this program along with the range of physical locations, schedules, etc. provided a great learning experience for “best practices” for such kinds of communication; in a way, this experience represented a sort of microcosm similar to working remotely in the work field.

After completing this program, my personal "description" of what Instructional Technology "is"...

The “role” of Instructional Technologists is one that has changed and will continue to change as technology itself changes and develops. Further, the “job description” of any individual Instructional Technologist depends on the work environment and specific needs of his/her institution. As a whole, the role of Instructional Technologists requires both an understanding of specific technology/devices (a task that is becoming more complicated with the immense range of tools and devices available to the modern student/individual) and pedagogical techniques as well as the specific needs of the institution; for an Instructional Technologist to be “successful” he/she must balance these skills in order to brainstorm and implement the “best” combination of technology and teaching techniques to meet the needs of the task/project at hand.

As a final note...

I appreciate, so very much, the array of experiences provided and skills gained  over this past year, thanks to the Instructional Technology Apprenticeship Program. I look forward to utilizing those experiences/skills as I make my shift into the "real" world and will be sure to maximize on the benefits of the resources and networking opportunities created through this program! 

Best of luck to the NY6 ITAP team and future apprentices as the program continues to grow and develop over the coming years!

-Megan