Reflection Letter

My name is Yeidilene Rios, and I currently work at the College of Central Florida as Coordinator of Online Library Resources & Instruction. The main goal behind the creation of the following e-portfolio was to document my achievements throughout my master's program in Educational Technology from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. I'm proud to say I graduated in December 2021. I chose to complete said degree to complement, and enhance my career in academic libraries. Being a well-rounded librarian has been my goal since I first discovered my passion for librarianship.

My librarianship career began back in 2016 in a university library where I worked as a full time library assistant for the reference department. While working, I also attended library school to earn my master's in Library Science. Looking back, I realize that throughout my library career, I have been working with educational technologies on a daily basis. My duties, and job are centered around using technology to help college students find the information they need, and instruct students how to interact, and evaluate the various information sources they encounter. Many times, without formal planning, I instruct on digital literacy practices during my reference consults. My real-life work experience is what led me to search for a graduate program that would prepare me further in educational technologies, and would give me the proper mindset of how to incorporate technology in creative ways to deliver instruction, and learning in the library setting. 

Throughout the program, I was provided with many opportunities to learn about different instructional design approaches, and creative ways to deliver instruction using various technology resources.

In the EDTC 6320 course, I had the opportunity to collaborate with other professionals in the design, and development of a client proposal. It was a very enriching experience to make decisions as a team on a wide range of topics from the design, to selecting appropriate technologies to deliver the content. Our team project was based on the ADDIE approach, and our multimedia component was a self-paced presentation that included 2 modes of presentation: a student mode, and an employer mode.

For the EDTC 6321 course, I had the opportunity to develop an instructional unit step by step from beginning to end. I was in charge of selecting the topic; an instructional goal along with objectives was redacted, and the project began to take form. I was exposed to different technologies, and selected technologies that would deliver learning based on the abilities of the selected audience.

For the EDTC 6323 course, the main project consisted of creating a multimedia object. This was my first experience in creating a website, along with adding pages, and creating a simple navigation menu. Before deciding on Google Sites, I was able to explore other free website creators on the web such as: WordPress, Weebly, and Wix. By the end of the course, I had created a lesson that included multimedia, and interactive activities.

In the EDTC 6351 course I had the opportunity to create a very attractive infographic. I learned about the purpose of infographics, and they’re ability to condense great quantities of information in a way that the learner can easily navigate from one topic to the next. 

Finally, for the EDTC Educational Technology Practicum, I had the chance to put into action all the skills, and knowledge I gained throughout the program. I created an instructional solution using Google Sites as the host. My instructional solution is comprised of 4 modules, and a final assessment. I planned, and developed every step of the mini course. First, I divided my topic into sections that flowed from one topic to the next. Each module had different components; some modules included a video, and others an interactive activity to measure the learner’s engagement with the topic. The learners ended the training with a final assessment, and summary of the lesson.

My experience in each of the afro-mentioned projects ranged from making professional decisions in regard to selecting appropriate technologies, deliver content based on the learner’s capacities, and the selection of design principles to create a learning object. I was exposed to design principles based on the ADDIE approach, the Kirkpatrick model, and Universal Design. I learned about the importance of accessibility in instructional design, and how it is based in Universal Design principles- a learning object that is carefully designed to allow learners with diverse learning needs to engage with a topic. 

Based on my accomplishments during the program, and lessons learned, I encourage others to adopt an adventurous attitude. Educational technologists need to be comfortable with exploring technologies under the mentality of how that technology can enhance, and deliver knowledge effectively. Proper instructional design must be centered around the learner's needs, and it needs to be intuitive. Discovering the various ways learners interact with information is key to creating learning objects, and instructional solutions that promote retention. An advice I would give others starting the program is to try, and learn about the steps of various instructional design models. One of my biggest takeaways of the program was learning about the importance of good intuitive design when creating learning objects. I experienced firsthand, as an online graduate student, how good design can facilitate learning when navigating course materials created by instructors who are instructional designers themselves.

My long-term goal as an experienced librarian is to become a User Experience Librarian who designs intuitive online learning objects, and develops research to determine how users interact with said online materials. One of the things that attracted me most of the present graduate program in educational technology is how it relates to contemporary librarianship. Online learning, and teaching is where education is headed. With the pandemic, a lot of the flaws of our traditional educational system have come afloat. If we look carefully at the current generations that are developing, we will notice how technology takes center part in their daily lives; technology consumption will inevitably affect how the present generation learn, and interact with information. Now more than ever, educational technologists should take the lead in creating multimedia rich learning environments, based in good design principles that tailor to the diverse backgrounds, and abilities of the learners. The way learners interact with information nowadays is not the same way learners of the past interacted with information. There is an element of instantaneity in interacting with information that did not exist in the past. Using technology to tailor teaching according to the way present, and upcoming generations consume information will be essential if we want an educated society that contribute to research, and deliver essential services to others.