Reflections of Week #2 and Week #3

Hello to all my followers out there! What a wild and crazy last two weeks I have had! The social networking continues for 744, as does the reading and writing for Instructional Design and Higher Education Law. I want to comment in this post on a few things I have learned this week and how I am using these skills at my job with the National Park Service.

The readings for Higher Education Law have been very intriguing this week. Chapter 5 of the text discusses professor rights and tenure issues that have developed over the last several years. The discussion of landmark cases in the area is very enlightening. I had no idea that professors at public and private institutions could have such different rights and be treated so differently. Also, I learned of the importance of contracts and that implied contracts, which could constitute oral agreements, faculty handbooks, and even e-mails. In short, I learned that it is very important to watch what you say or promise and know what you are signing at all times.

I have learned a great deal in Instructional Design as well. I have only done one Instructional Design Plan in my entire education career. As a result, I'm a little nervous about how mine will turn out at the end of the semester. My current idea is to design an education tool for 10th grade Maryland teachers in relation to the C&O Canal's history. Dr. Kuhn has indicated I am on the right track with the piece, but time will tell as it develops. I'll keep everyone posted on the status right here at my blog!

As the Volunteer Coordinator at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, my job is to recruit volunteers and complete any work that our staff is unable do. Since I arrived in the position in December of 2007, a goal of mine has been to create a website which can serve as a recruitment tool and an advertising/marketing venue for the program. A few months ago, we recruited a very dedicated and competent volunteer who agreed to assist us with building this web page. The site has slowly come together over the last 2 - 3 months. To better attract younger volunteers, and to get the park's name and program out on the web, we have decided to utilize social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter. The design phase of the site is almost complete. I'm hoping I can display the site and the tools we incorporated from this class as part of my final project, as the site is definitely being used as an educational and recruitment tool for the park.