Ashley Chiasson, M.Ed

Instructional Designer & Consultant

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Top Blog Posts of 2018

First off, I cannot believe that it is mid-December already. I know everyone says this, but wowee! 2018 blew by!

I’m always asked for better categorization of my posts, and I really want to do that (honestly, I’ve wanted to overhaul my site for YEARS now), but I haven’t yet perfected cloning technology, found someone that I trust to overhaul the site for me, or discovered a way of increasing the amount of time in a day…I know. Excuses.

In lieu of overhauling the site, I’ve opted to curate a list of my most popular blog posts of 2018, and I’ll attempt to categorize them as much as possible. Enjoy!

Screencasts:

E-Learning/Instructional Design/Freelance Advice:

Portfolio:

Conferences:

Random:

Why I Use Assistive Technology As a Presenter

Earlier in the year, I posted about why my memory sucks – how a softball injury has affected me. I truly appreciate all of the kind words I received from that post, and I continue to forage on with my sucky memory. I present on things I’m passionate about to some folks who may not entirely understand why I do things the way I do.

Brief synopsis:

  • I took a softball to the face several years ago (playing softball, not a rogue bystander injury)
  • It took 2 years of a liquid diet, maxing out all of my dental/physiotherapy/massage coverage, and a jaw surgery to address the physical issues
  • I now suffer from post-concussion syndrome, and haven’t quite figured out the nuances of my new memory
  • This injury has forced me (for now) to defer my Ed.D because I am no longer confident writing 100+ page papers that require me to remember things I wrote several paragraphs earlier
  • I am still learning strategies for dealing with my memory issues and welcome any suggestions

This year, I presented at several events, notably DevLearn…where I facilitated a 1-day pre-conference certificate workshop on Introduction to Instructional Design and a BYOD session on using Variables in Articulate Storyline 360.

In both of those sessions, I addressed a big of housekeeping: why I use assistive technology to help me present. Basically, it’s so that I can get all of the information I need to get to my audience. I understand that at times I may seem flakey or scatter-brained, but I assure you it’s not because I’m making excuses for myself. As someone who also suffers from anxiety, when I trip up during a presentation, it also stresses me out. I want everyone to feel like they’ve been able to take something valuable from my sessions, and I want to seem like a competent industry professional.

But….when session evaluation time rolls around, opening the files is always a moment of induced anxiety. You’ll never please 100% of the attendees or participants, and I’m fine with that, but I always kind of hold my breath while I read through to see what folks are saying about the assistive technology. This year I was incredibly surprised by all of the supportive feedback I received. I received a lot of great suggestions that I will take forward with me in my session-delivering-journey, and again, I will always be receptive to this type of constructive criticism.

As I work to finalize a presentation for my session with the E-Learning Guild for their Spotlight, I thought I would record a quick screencast that shows you how I create my session notes.

Check out the screencast below!

Screencast: Real-Time Build of Drag and Drop Interaction in Articulate Storyline 360

In this screencast, I’m doing a real-time walkthrough of how I create a quick categorization drag and drop interaction in Articulate Storyline 360. Watch me awkwardly fumble through this recording before I’ve finished my morning coffee (hint…I could have streamlined things better had I been more caffeinated…I am TIRED today!).

Check out the screencast below!

I’m Speaking at the eLearning Guild Spotlight 2018: 2-Day Spotlight on eLearning Foundations

Have you heard about the 2018 eLearning Guild Spotlight? It’s a 2-day online spotlight on eLearning Foundations, and it’s happening this Wednesday and Thursday (December 12th and 13th, 2018). If you’re new to eLearning or looking to keep your finger on the pulse of changes in the industry, you should definitely register.

I’ll be delivering a 1-hour session on Thursday, December 13th from 10am – 11am PST, Instructional Design Tips for eLearning. Here’s the blurb:

Oftentimes, eLearning programs don’t fully consider instructional design principles and best practices. Without considering these principles, though, how can you ensure that the eLearning is effectively addressing the issue for which it was developed?

In this session, you will learn about several key instructional design tips to consider when developing your eLearning. These tips stand to help you create a more targeted, consistent, and accessible eLearning program.

  • Why it is so important to know your audience
  • Methods for ensuring consistency
  • Strategies for designing more universally
  • Ways of building in feedback opportunities

This event has a powerhouse list of speakers: Tim Slade, Dawn J. Mahoney, Rance Greene, Kevin Thorn, Bianca Baumann, Bianca Woods, and Jean Marrapodi….so many industry professionals with so much knowledge to share. It’s going to be a great event, so I certainly encourage you to check it out!

Book Recommendations for Instructional Designers and E-Learning Developers

I’m always in the market for a good book, so they’re usually my number one request for the holiday season. Here is a list of books that I would recommend for any Instructional Designer or E-Learning Developer:

Hopefully these book recommendations help you out in your search for good Instructional Design or E-Learning Development reading materials – Happy reading!