The Class

Feb 11

April HaymanOpinion, Technology, instructional design , , , , 1 Comment

This YouTube video is making the rounds through Twitter and I thought I’d share it with you. While it pokes fun at higher education and the use of technology thereof, I don’t think it’s too far off the mark. What I did like was that the professor was flexible enough to listen to his students and make some changes. After you watch the video, I’ll walk you through some tips that I would give to the professor on redesigning with technology in mind. More

Goodbye…and Hello!

Jan 22

April HaymanFeatured, ISTE, Opinion, Uncategorized , , , No Comments

Turn the light off - Goodbye / Arrivederci

Image by janusz l via Flickr

For the past three years I have worked as an instructional designer at Performance Learning Systems. It was a great experience and I learned quite a bit about design, teamwork, and myself. I have made some great friends while developing online higher education for teachers. But, like all great things, my time with PLS has come to an end. And, with a heavy heart, I must say goodbye to the friends and colleagues I have come to know so well.

And say hello to my new colleagues at ISTE. As of January 25, I will be working for this terrific organization as an instructional designer. I look forward to creating professional development that is informative, timely, and innovative. I find this opportunity exciting as I hope to continue my personal mission to help teachers prepare our kids for a world increasingly dependent on technology and the increasing amounts of available information.

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LinkedIn Connection Requests: Do’s and One Very Big Don’t

Jan 11

April HaymanNetworking, Professional, Social Media, Technology , , , , 2 Comments

LinkedIn, for those who haven’t heard of it, is a professional networking site. It is a good place to put your resumé and interact with others in your field (you know…networking). Besides the basic purpose of the site, I find the Connections a fascinating study. It’s six degrees of separation at its finest and you never know who you might be connected to through someone you already know. And, if you don’t know someone, you can always ask for a “connection”.

Which brings me to the “one very big don’t” part of this blog post’s title. If you are going to ask someone for a connection, do not under any circumstance, send the following default message:

Because, if you do, what you really send is:

*inhales deeply to calm herself*

Okay, maybe that was a bit overboard. There are times when I’ve sent out the default message. But, and this is a big exception, it was only to someone I already knew and was expecting the invitation.

When I am not on a first name basis with the potential contact, though, I always send a short and polite note letting the person know why I am asking for the connection and anything we may have in common.

The default LinkedIn message is like the following video (if you substitute LinkedIn for Facebook, that is):

You might have something in common with them and, potentially, could even make a great connection, but without a personal and meaningful interaction, the conversation cannot even start.

So, to get the conversation started, you need to do the following:

  • Do make the effort to get to know the person before requesting the connection. LinkedIn is not a popularity contest and quality really is better than quantity.
  • Do look to people outside of your immediate field for connections. You never know what will inform your practice next.
  • Do contact the potential contact through their blog or Twitter and strike up a conversation before you ask them to connect with you on LinkedIn. That way, you are no longer a stranger when you send the request.
  • Do be polite and spell/grammar check your request.

The bottom line is that I really like using LinkedIn, meeting new people, and making those networking connections but I won’t answer plain old, default LinkedIn requests. Do us both a favor and make it interesting and polite. Showing an interest in the person you’re trying to connect with never hurts either!

~April

You may connect with me on LinkedIn. See above post for connection requests.

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