Betcha thought I forgot to post this week! Actually, I just wanted to make space for the launch of the Dear Instructional Designer podcast! This week, I released five episodes, one a day, to inaugurate the show, each focusing on a different aspect of portfolio design.

Why?

That’s a great question! I’ve been thinking about podcasting for a good, long while now and it’s been something that’s scared me. But, in listening to a lot of other podcasts this year, in particular maker podcasts (I’ve mentioned MegaMaker previously), I was inspired to make 2016 another Year of the Project and to try out some things that I’ve been putting off, including creating a show. I also took some advice from all of those business podcasts and floated my idea out there to as many different people as I could on Twitter and Reddit and email to validate it. People seemed to be into it, so I figured I would give it a go!

What’s it All About?

My hope in doing this show is three-fold: first, I’ve been enjoying having great conversations with all kinds of other IDs that I’ve only every met via Twitter or other social media channels. I’ve been able to talk to all sorts and I hope to talk to many, many more. Second, I wanted to focus on helping other ID newbies, like me, who are out there dealing with all of the messiness involved in trying to incorporate their own learning, pitch new ideas, consult with SMEs, empathize with users, and use and develop all of the other competencies that instructional designers need to do our work effectively. How can we help each other overcome or at least recognize struggles and frustrations and compromises we may have to make? Last, I wanted to mimic the awesome Code Newbies podcast and give a platform to other instructional design newbies to talk about their work and progression. Over the course of the season, I hope to accomplish all of those things. The format will consist of a mix of interviews and solo episodes.

Wait, Season?

Yep! Starting a new project at putting it out there is always a bit scary (I can’t tell you how long I procrastinated editing some of these launch week episodes) and so I figured I would give myself over to the idea that the podcast could fall flat. So I’ve decided to go all out for a season of episodes and then stop and take stock at the end of it. Is it helping others? Do people find it interesting and useful? Those will be my metrics.

Listen In

You may have noticed the shiny new Dear ID Podcast link in the menu at the top of the page! I also wanted to wrap up the week with all of the episodes in one place. We’re also on iTunes and Overcast! Here they are in web form!

Let me Know What You Think

Thanks for listening! Bottom line, I can’t make this show work without you. You can tweet at me, send me an email, and/or leave a review on iTunes. I want to know if you’re finding the show useful, if you’re enjoying it, if there’s something you want to hear about, somebody you want to hear from AND whether or not you’d be willing to be interviewed. I really do want to give a platform for IDs across the spectrum, including students!