Lack of Resources
As both a designer and an educator who specializes in innovative technologies within an emerging online field, I am often faced with a lack of affordable resources, if they were even available at all. In other circumstances, many of these resources are not aligned with my learner’s needs or skill levels.
These situations give me the opportunity to marry my two fields of expertise; education and design. When the appropriate materials are not available, I am able to produce high-quality instructional materials in the form of infographics, handouts, booklets, motion graphics, animations, and instructional videos that align with learning objectives, assessments, and activities. Because these items are often custom-made, the cost to the organizations I represent are significantly reduced.
Personal Passion
My love of Adobe products, specifically Adobe Photoshop, has given me the opportunity to share my knowledge with users young and old. As the founder of the Houston Photoshop Meetup, I had the opportunity to design and deliver Photoshop training to both students and adults. This is where my love of instructional design was born.
At that time, Photoshop tutorials were expensive and the learning curve was steep. I designed a separate curriculum for both adult and student learners, which I delivered around the city of Houston for free. At the height of its popularity, we had over 1000 Houston-area members. This community service caught the attention of Adobe; I am now a featured content creator for the Adobe Education Exchange, an Adobe Education Leader, and one of the founding members of the Adobe Creative Educator Crew. My lessons are now used in classrooms around the world, as well as my own, as I am a part-time adjunct that teaches courses to help students attain their Adobe professional certifications.
Flexibility and Innovation
My interest in emerging technologies has led me into the virtual & augmented reality space; I enjoy creating immersive educational experiences for both adults and children. As these multi-modal training modules continue to evolve, I remain dedicated to learning new software, new learning theories, and new skills to continue to deliver the most effective learning materials to my clients.
With the introduction of artificial intelligence, the educational landscape is evolving rapidly. I actively use AI tools to speed production and develop content that my clients require, but remain cognizant of the intellectual property boundaries that these tools push; as the industry continues to change, I remain dedicated to creating ethical and legal products that do not encroach on the livelihood of others.