Multimedia Competencies for an Instructional Technologists
Instructional technologists have a tremendous burden to keep up with the latest trends in technology and how to implement them into curriculum and the classroom. While being an expert in all competencies may not be feasible, understanding how to work with and integrate technologies is a skill on its own. The ability to understand how technology can benefit a classroom and help students succeed is a sign of a skilled instructional technologist.
20 years in the Higher Education classroom has provided me a vast amount of experience in all modalities including traditional face to face, online (synchronous and asynchronous), and hybrid using various Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Canvas, D2L, and Blackboard. I have progressed through each of these LMS earning institutional certifications, third party trainings, and certified course programs using UDL principles.
As a Higher Ed instructor, I have seen, firsthand, the positive and negative impacts of technology in the classroom, the roadblocks of integrating technology into curriculum, and more importantly, the need for more training and professional development of faculty. Instructional technologists are there to streamline the process of technology integration.
My time as a full-time faculty member has allowed me to collaborate with my peers from across the college and I recognized some of the technological deficiencies among other faculty members. I began to host training sessions to get others up to speed on what they wanted to become better at. These sessions were hands on, faculty led, and were approached as "How do I...." type of interaction.
Currently, I am a facilitator for our institutions Faculty Academy (Faculty Led Trainings) and lead sessions centered Digital Equity in the Classroom, using social media for Engagement, Using UDL principles to Reduce Student Emails, and Utilizing AI as a Tool for Student Success. These sessions rotated through informal conversations to more interactive sessions.
Most recently, I was invited to participate in the Institute on Digital Equity hosted by the American Associate of Colleges and Universities as part of an institutional team. As part of this series of workshops and seminars, we are working to develop a Digital Equity Baseline Assessment for our students and faculty that will be used to guide our Digital Literacy Centers across our campuses.
Over the years I have become proficient in mainstream applications such as Microsoft 365, various Adobe applications, Windows, and Apple OS. During the transition to remote learning during the Covid-19 timeframe, I began to utilize more advanced recording applications such as Open Broadcast Software, Audacity for audio lectures, meeting spaces including Zoom and Kaltura, and various interactive and polling websites to engage students with the goal to create a more interactive online class.
Instructional technologists must develop certain competencies in multiple areas of interest. From basic computer skills, advanced course design, to video editing, an instructional technologist offers a broad range of knowledge and an applied skillset. The pursuit of knowledge in the field of Instructional Technology led me to earn my Master of Education degree, with a specialization in Instructional Technology, at Sul Ross University and I look forward to any opportunity that allows me to integrate my passion for both technology and education.
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