Tag: Distance Learning

Posted in Uncategorized

So You Want to Be an Instructional Designer? | EdSurge News

Posted on by TechCommGeekMom

Good listener. People person. Lifelong learner. Sound like you? No, we’re not trying to arrange a first date. These are some common traits of people with successful careers in a booming job market: instructional design. Colleges, K-12 schools and companies increasingly turn to  instructio

Source: So You Want to Be an Instructional Designer? | EdSurge News

I wish I had seen this article several years ago.  Getting into Instructional Design isn’t easy if you don’t have a degree in it, but you still have a lot of the foundational background to break into the field. Some just “fall” into the field, but I have yet to see a job listing for an entry-level instructional designer in the last five years.  Even so, this article will let you know some basics about what it takes to be an instructional designer.

Do you agree with the article’s assessment? Include your comments below.

–TechCommGeekMom

Posted in Uncategorized

John E. McIntyre’s trigger warning about taking his editing class- Baltimore Sun

Posted on by TechCommGeekMom

Take a seat, school’s back in session. Here’s John E. McIntyre’s “trigger warning” to new students at his editing class at Loyola University Maryland.

Source: John E. McIntyre’s trigger warning – Baltimore Sun

I highly, highly encourage you to watch the video in this link, especially if you’ve ever taken an editing class.  This reminded me SO much of what I had to go through in the technical editing course that I took at NJIT with Dr. Norbert Elliot.  He’s retired now, but his lessons definitely live on! I showed this to one of my classmates from the class, and she said this was exactly how she imagined Dr. Elliot in her imagination, but with a different appearance, naturally.  I spent many weekends and weeknight pouring over texts. Our usual assignment would center on a particular common grammatical error, such as the use of commas. We’d be provided eight to ten sentences, which we would not only edit, but we had to give citations from various grammar rule books–such as the Chicago Manual of Style–and explain WHY it was wrong. It was NOT an easy class by any means, but I eeked out an A, and it was one of the first grades I received in grad school.

Did you have an editing class that was similar to what this gentleman was teaching or what I experienced? Did it help you as a technical communicator (I know it helped me!)? Share your experiences in the comments below.

–TechCommGeekMom

Posted in Uncategorized

Off the wall presentations featuring Ben Woelk – Content Content podcast episode 11 – ed marsh dot comed marsh dot com

Posted on by TechCommGeekMom

Ben Woelk, technical communicator and Information Security Office Program Manager at the Rochester Institute of Technology, talks about being an introverted leader and how it’s changed his career and his passion. Mentioned during this episode Ben Woelk on Twitter STC … Continue reading →

Source: Off the wall presentations featuring Ben Woelk – Content Content podcast episode 11 – ed marsh dot comed marsh dot com

That’s right! Ed’s got another webisode of ContentContent up, and this time, it’s with Ben Woelk! Ben was one of the first people I met when I first got involved with the STC, and he’s been one of the great mentors I’ve had within STC ever since then.  I remember him putting me at ease at my first STC Summit because I was rather shy and hardly knew anyone, and he was awesome in assuring me that all would be well–and he was right.  His take on introverted leadership has been catching like wildfire in the last year, as I think he’s tapped into something that many technical communicators grapple with–how to be a leader when you are an introverted person.

Take a listen, and let Ed know what you think about the webisode!

–TechCommGeekMom

Posted in Uncategorized

Should your content generate leads or relationships – Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}

Posted on by TechCommGeekMom

There are two content marketing camps. Should your content generate leads or relationships? A discussion of both views.

Source: Should your content generate leads or relationships – Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}

One of my digital marketing profs from Rutgers, Mark Schaefer, wrote this gem (although he writes a lot of gems).  I like his approach here–and it’s one that’s a big part of what I often say is the role of social media as well–is that content is to form relationships. You can generate lots of leads, but if those leads don’t turn into relationships, then they are worthless.  Social media, I’ve often argued, is one of the means of conversation in the relationship between customers/clients and providers.

What do you think about Mark’s take on this? Include your comments below.

–TechCommGeekMom

Posted in Uncategorized

Content on Content on Content — Medium

Posted on by TechCommGeekMom

I’m about to get real meta on you: the article you’re about to read was made from a video, that was made from the making of an article…

Source: Content on Content on Content — Medium

This was an interesting article, as it talked about just what the title says–making content that was made from content, but was made from previous content to that.  The article is really about taking all the information you may already have, and how to break it down and create new content as a means of content strategy. It’s hard for me to explain as cleanly as the author explains it, so I recommend you read this article directly.  It’s not really a new approach, but I think it’s another perspective to add when thinking about content creation and curation.

What do you think? Include your comments below.

–TechCommGeekMom