Part I Synthesis Nathanael Cannon EDTECH 503 ID Job Posting The Cannon Corporation is looking for an ambitious, motivated

d and energetic Instructional Design employee to join their team at their corporate headquarters in New Port Richey, FL. Our company has been working to create dynamic and engaging lessons to help school districts across the United States adjust their curricula to the new Common Core State Standards which have been adopted across the nation. Implementation of these standards is set for the 2014 school year, so time is of the essence. The team will be developing instructional material through video, in-school training, online support, social media and other outlets to effectively help school districts get ready for the C.C.S.S. Potential employees must be self motivated, experienced with industry standard software packages (Microsoft Office and Adobe) and platforms, able to work collaboratively with others, and perform other duties as given. A local candidate is preferred but relocation assistance is available to the selected candidate. Minimum qualifications: Bachelors degree in the Education field, masters in Instructional Technology or related field preferred Minimum of 4 years classroom experience Outstanding performance reviews Superb organizational skills required Able to quickly learn and utilize new technologies and instructional methods Demonstrate satisfactory oral and written communication skills in the English language Interact with others using sound judgment and a sense of humor Show a desire for constant improvement of teaching and learning

PART II - Reflection Teachers and instructional designers have several common skills; however, teachers do have a few things which are unique. Educators are required to have an educational degree, state licensure and some states require mandatory continuing education to provide the best teaching experience possible for the future of America. While the new Common Core State Standards have many school districts changing over their entire curriculum, it used to be that a district would create (or adopt) a curriculum and then add or subtract over time as needed. It seems that instructional designers are doing this process with every new project! With that being said, educators also implement this curriculum and assess the students on their understanding of the material which is something an instructional designer does not appear to do. Also, school districts and their staff are being assessed on their students test scores which help guide the teachers in their constant tweaking of the presented material.

Just like teachers, when one examines the job functions of instructional designers, there are many similarities but again, there are distinct differences. Instructional designers need to understand a variety of presentational strategies and be fluent in almost all of them. They are required to adapt and effectively present by physical or electronic means depending on what the need of their companys client. Completed project portfolios demonstrate your skills during a business interview, while with teaching interviews it is more important to highlight your philosophies and skill to answer student-centered questions. The ability to create the perfect presentation of the companys material to the desired demographic is also needed. This talent brings into play an entirely new set of skills that are not directly associated with being an instructional designer. Storyboard planning, styles, color selection, audio and video are just a few of the skills that are being asked for by employers. From my investigation into jobs for instructional designers, I observed that instructional designers could have a degree from numerous backgrounds while teachers need to specifically have an educational degree. Another difference that I noticed is that designers need to have an extra presentational skill set to help sell their product to the desired demographic. Educators on the other hand have a very narrow demographic (elementary, middle school or high school students), some of whom think they are forced to be there. This creates disciplinary challenges that I did not see as a requirement for instructional designers. Finally, while many instructional designer jobs required the ability to work collaboratively, this skill is not always needed in schools (especially small schools) where you may be the entire department. This also means the statement perform other duties as given doesnt always apply to teachers.

PART III - Job Posting URLs

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