Our department creates the distance learning material for the Navy and graduate students from around the world. Many students are on deployment and erratic duty schedules must be accommodated.
My title is Interactive Multimedia Assistant. I help create online course work and learning tools, work with instructors to develop lesson formats, and support the distributed learning students. My role is support to the Instructional Designers, Media Developers and Graphic Designers. In this capacity I generate websites, edit content and presentations and generally assist in production however I can.
Our website describes the organization:
The Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Educational Design, Development, and Distribution (CED3) aspires to become the nation's leading center for educational design, development, and distribution of graduate level educational products and is committed to ongoing excellence in its services.
CED3 will use its expertise in instructional design, media development/production, marketing/communications, student services and administrative services to support resident and non-resident instructional programs. Through collaboration with NPS schools, departments, and faculty, CED3 will help NPS use new and existing technologies to extend our graduate level education to the total force.
A. Learning Outcomes: In this internship I intend to obtain professional experience in web development with Dreamweaver, Premiere, WebDAV, Articulate, Camtasia, After Effects and other current software. My progress in this will be measurable by the course work that I publish that is actually being used by NPS students.
I intend to grow my design skills through rigorous production of online course material and printed media such as brochures, pamphlets and posters. I will develop my video production skills by taking part in the filming of educational and promotional content. I will gain experience in communication design by taking the learning objectives of faculty and instructors and creating original, interactive content. All of this will be measurable by the deliverables that I produce in these capacities at CED3.
My teamwork and professional collaboration abilities will grow as I continuously interact with co-workers and clients. By collaborating with my team to constantly improve project management and work flow systems we will bring high quality learning products to market. Working in this close, professional design environment will give me those skills so valued in the creative and corporate field. My contributions may hopefully ensure a place on the team after the conclusion of my internship. My progress in this area can be measured by my performance evaluations and my team’s continued success.
B. Internship Agreement: This internship is offered for the duration of my remaining course of study, which is 1 and a half years, with expected graduation date of June 2011. It grants me a special status Student Intern GS 4 (General Selection) position. It’s a part time position, 24 hours per week. I work three full days and attend school on the remaining 2 days. As a part time position the GS status does not include the usual benefits but as a student intern I can raise several steps at a time within the GS4 rank. As a GS4 level I earn an hourly rate. I get quarterly performance reviews where my steps may increase with favorable evaluations. My immediate supervisor is Phil, Tom is my Department Director and Mary Anne is my Administrative Officer. Together they are my supervisors, but Phil oversees my day to day responsibilities.
C. Description of Organization: the center for Educational Design, Development & Distribution works to develop course work for distributed learning. Unique learning systems and web based courses are created with web development tools and video recording equipment. We are a branch of the Naval Postgraduate School and rely on Government and private funding.
CED3’s goal is to develop and provide support for graduate level educational products. Our customers are the students and faculty of NPS. Major decisions are made by committee, a panel exists to guide the department’s achievements and set directives. On a day to day basis decisions are made by group meetings between department members, visiting educators, faculty and staff. Even I take part in lower level decision making processes.
This job provides an appropriate direction of experience for students studying Information Technology and Communication Design. It is a “perfect fit” for those such as myself who are interested in working in the interactive design field. An internship in interactive multimedia development is a natural extension to my Bachelor of Science program. It is an opportunity to gain invaluable hands-on experience that directly complements my course of study.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Perks
My work environment, conditions and equipment are all to my liking.
In addition to getting to learn great skills while working alongside experienced professionals, I get a very comfortable chair, dual monitors, a wood cubicle and a new(ish) computer.
I get all the software I need, and a person that helps me with it or any technical issues, instantly.
I work in a clean new library, with a formal and polite air. There is a snack bar right outside with Real coffee and good food. There is an employee break room with a full kitchen and good water. There are all the books I want to read (it's a library).
My work is assigned by Phil my supervisor, it's always clearly presented in a spreadsheet with expectations and time frame well defined. Although it's crucial that I do a great and timely job, there is little pressure and I never feel like I have to bring my work home with me.
My office mates are very nice and supportive. We all behave professionally, but not too rigid. It's a calm and relaxed atmosphere, but we clearly get a lot of top notch work done.
It's about time I got a job like this.
In addition to getting to learn great skills while working alongside experienced professionals, I get a very comfortable chair, dual monitors, a wood cubicle and a new(ish) computer.
I get all the software I need, and a person that helps me with it or any technical issues, instantly.
I work in a clean new library, with a formal and polite air. There is a snack bar right outside with Real coffee and good food. There is an employee break room with a full kitchen and good water. There are all the books I want to read (it's a library).
My work is assigned by Phil my supervisor, it's always clearly presented in a spreadsheet with expectations and time frame well defined. Although it's crucial that I do a great and timely job, there is little pressure and I never feel like I have to bring my work home with me.
My office mates are very nice and supportive. We all behave professionally, but not too rigid. It's a calm and relaxed atmosphere, but we clearly get a lot of top notch work done.
It's about time I got a job like this.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Internship
About the job: I work as a interactive multimedia assistant at CED3. We are a medium size department (by my standards). CED3 is structured as follows: there are 3 Instructional Designers who work directly with Professors to come up with designs for coursework or special tools. The Instructional Designers work as project leads or producers and pass work on to the Media Developers, of which there are 2. The Media Developers build modules or programs to fill the needs of the instructional designers. They do a lot of the construction and planning of websites and software tools. When they need something drawn or created they may pass it on to the Graphic Designers, of which there are three. This is a very formal look at the hierarchy, as most everyone helps in various capacities, and roles are not so concrete. I support all these groups as needed, and will help any department in fixing or editing or constructing different parts. For instance, this is my third week there and so far I have been called to edit audio clips in Soundbooth and Premiere, edit articulate presentations for content and typos, fix the edits in articulate and Powerpoint, assist in the making of and appear in instructional videos, take part in script read-throughs, test new software, and my main job is migrating coursework from the old platform Blackboard into the new one Sakai, which involves actually building a whole new website for each course.
In addition to the positions described above CED3 has 2 people working in student services, 1 person in IT support, 2 people in administrative support, an administrative officer head and a department director. We all work together to accomplish the goal of producing excellent educational media. I've gotten to know these people and everyone is exceptionally nice and supportive. There are couple more employees whom I have not met as they live across the country and tele-commute in.
A curious thing about the workplace is the division of employee catagories. The majority of positions I described above are independent W2 contractors. They officially work for a government contracting company. Everyone working in the actual office I wok in are contractors except me, I am a GS Government employee. There are only a few government employees in the entire department and they are the administrative people, the IT guy and the department heads. This is only a curiosity as we all work together toward our common goal.
The culture around the workplace is a fine one, but I'm still very new and learning about the systems.
Towards that I am open and eager to learn from everyone I work with. I am afraid of being found disingenuous as I am wide eyed and jubilant and eager to please, yet I am 37 YO and look the way I do. Soon enough people will learn that this is my real personality and I am genuinely excited to work in this department and I go about life with a jubilant air.
Let me discuss some things I hope to learn in this internship:
Software: I have commercial experience with Adobe Illustrator and working knowledge of MS Office, but I see that I am soon to become Expert with these plus several other software programs. I've already had to jump into a few programs that were new to me and actually produce output that will be used in course material for the Navy. These programs were: Camtasia, Articulate, WebDav, Blackboard, Soundbooth, Sakai, Elluminate and Premiere.
Before long I will have these mastered as they're used daily in our operations (except blackboard, which is being phased out)
In addition to those I expect to obtain professional level experience with Dreamweaver, PowerPoint, Excel, After Effects and the whole Adobe Suite.
I intend to improve my collaboration skills as we are all called on to work as a team and we are small enough that each member has responsibilities. We are also small enough that I will be meeting with faculty and clients to discuss their media needs and will one day represent the department and lead projects. This will help me become a professional art director, project manager, instructional designer, media developer and interactive designer. Although our department has the divisions I've described, we are of a size that everyone does most things, and so I will fill all roles eventually. I am just so happy with my new job!
In addition to the positions described above CED3 has 2 people working in student services, 1 person in IT support, 2 people in administrative support, an administrative officer head and a department director. We all work together to accomplish the goal of producing excellent educational media. I've gotten to know these people and everyone is exceptionally nice and supportive. There are couple more employees whom I have not met as they live across the country and tele-commute in.
A curious thing about the workplace is the division of employee catagories. The majority of positions I described above are independent W2 contractors. They officially work for a government contracting company. Everyone working in the actual office I wok in are contractors except me, I am a GS Government employee. There are only a few government employees in the entire department and they are the administrative people, the IT guy and the department heads. This is only a curiosity as we all work together toward our common goal.
The culture around the workplace is a fine one, but I'm still very new and learning about the systems.
Towards that I am open and eager to learn from everyone I work with. I am afraid of being found disingenuous as I am wide eyed and jubilant and eager to please, yet I am 37 YO and look the way I do. Soon enough people will learn that this is my real personality and I am genuinely excited to work in this department and I go about life with a jubilant air.
Let me discuss some things I hope to learn in this internship:
Software: I have commercial experience with Adobe Illustrator and working knowledge of MS Office, but I see that I am soon to become Expert with these plus several other software programs. I've already had to jump into a few programs that were new to me and actually produce output that will be used in course material for the Navy. These programs were: Camtasia, Articulate, WebDav, Blackboard, Soundbooth, Sakai, Elluminate and Premiere.
Before long I will have these mastered as they're used daily in our operations (except blackboard, which is being phased out)
In addition to those I expect to obtain professional level experience with Dreamweaver, PowerPoint, Excel, After Effects and the whole Adobe Suite.
I intend to improve my collaboration skills as we are all called on to work as a team and we are small enough that each member has responsibilities. We are also small enough that I will be meeting with faculty and clients to discuss their media needs and will one day represent the department and lead projects. This will help me become a professional art director, project manager, instructional designer, media developer and interactive designer. Although our department has the divisions I've described, we are of a size that everyone does most things, and so I will fill all roles eventually. I am just so happy with my new job!
Hired!
Well someone from Human Resources at NPS called me the next day because CED3 wanted to hire me! I was a little shocked and extremely excited. This was right before Christmas time and due to the break I would not be able to start for 3 weeks. I was unwilling to really hope or believe in the job until I actually started, and those three weeks difficult as I was on vacation from school and eager to move ahead with my life.
Well I did start and I am so happy about the job! All my training and work have paid off because I now work in a technically advanced department that uses web technology to develop learning material! All the "Distributed Learning" courses for the Navy are created at CED3, from online classes to special learning tools and software. It is a field that's exciting to me because new methods of instruction are currently evolving rapidly! This is somewhere that I one day may be able to create new interactive media. This is somewhere that I can develop my web development skills, videography skills and professional communication skills. Graphic design, instructional design, interactive media and computer programming are all used in our work, and we are small enough and flexible enough that my position will surely call on me to utilize and develop these skills! It is a well funded government agency and the other employees are on career paths. It is out in front of current technology and on the cutting edge of interactive web design. It is a great place to have an internship as the skills I will learn will catapult me into higher levels of technology and employability!
The position is an internship, 24 hours a week, that dovetails perfectly with my classes. It is a GS4 position, the General Selection program is the civillian arm of government employees, and it is a valuable program to be in as there is a system where you rise in rank with performance reviews, much like the military.
As a civilian I'm working for the Department of Defense in a Naval facility! This is a serious step up, everyone is very formal and polite, extremely polite, it will take some getting used to as all the jobs I've had in the past have been a little rough and tumble. I feel like I've stepped up into the big leagues. As part of my application process I swore an oath to uphold the constitution. I wear pressed slacks and button down shirts, as does everyone else. I pass armed guards to get in, and use a security ID badge. I salute the flag at 8 am (if I'm caught outside in colors), I speak in hushed tones in complete sentences, and have a sense that what I'm working on is important.
In short I love the job, it is a wonderful opportunity. I respect what I do and value the people I work with. I'm glad that I didn't take any of the earlier internships and jobs I'd applied for as this one is the best I could hope for.
Well I did start and I am so happy about the job! All my training and work have paid off because I now work in a technically advanced department that uses web technology to develop learning material! All the "Distributed Learning" courses for the Navy are created at CED3, from online classes to special learning tools and software. It is a field that's exciting to me because new methods of instruction are currently evolving rapidly! This is somewhere that I one day may be able to create new interactive media. This is somewhere that I can develop my web development skills, videography skills and professional communication skills. Graphic design, instructional design, interactive media and computer programming are all used in our work, and we are small enough and flexible enough that my position will surely call on me to utilize and develop these skills! It is a well funded government agency and the other employees are on career paths. It is out in front of current technology and on the cutting edge of interactive web design. It is a great place to have an internship as the skills I will learn will catapult me into higher levels of technology and employability!
The position is an internship, 24 hours a week, that dovetails perfectly with my classes. It is a GS4 position, the General Selection program is the civillian arm of government employees, and it is a valuable program to be in as there is a system where you rise in rank with performance reviews, much like the military.
As a civilian I'm working for the Department of Defense in a Naval facility! This is a serious step up, everyone is very formal and polite, extremely polite, it will take some getting used to as all the jobs I've had in the past have been a little rough and tumble. I feel like I've stepped up into the big leagues. As part of my application process I swore an oath to uphold the constitution. I wear pressed slacks and button down shirts, as does everyone else. I pass armed guards to get in, and use a security ID badge. I salute the flag at 8 am (if I'm caught outside in colors), I speak in hushed tones in complete sentences, and have a sense that what I'm working on is important.
In short I love the job, it is a wonderful opportunity. I respect what I do and value the people I work with. I'm glad that I didn't take any of the earlier internships and jobs I'd applied for as this one is the best I could hope for.
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Beginning
I had been searching for a job for months, poring over the major job boards daily. I had some hopeful leads, and went all out for a few applications and interviews for creative positions. I applied to be a print production specialist with the University Advancement Dept. at CSUMB, I applied to be a graphic designer and display technician at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and I applied for a position as production editor for the Otter Realm, the CSUMB newspaper. These were the positions that I went all out for, specially preparing documents, obtaining and conducting interviews, and supplying all the associated professional applicant correspondence.
Each of these I had my hopes up about, and these were just my big pushes, I'm not mentioning all the jobs I went after. Lets just say I was scraping bottom, considering labor positions, or anything that would help me pay for school but not interfere with my class schedule.
It was at this time, when I was beginning to lose hope, that I discovered a posting on the Otterjobs board for a Multimedia Assistant internship at the Naval Postgraduate School. This was just the kind of thing I was looking for and I quickly assembled my documents and portfolio. I didn't send them off though. I went and consulted every one of my professors and my newly appointed employment/internship counselor about this position. I explained that I had been not accepted for jobs that I felt I should have gotten considering my experience and interviews that seemed to go well. I asked them all what I should do to make sure I get this job. I got various advice, warnings, suggestions for amending my resume etc. All the advice was sage, germane and helpful. I'm not sure I was looking for adjustments to my approach as much as backup and support from the faculty. I really wanted to make my best effort in the job application. So i spent a few days rallying support, but was then warned that these jobs go fast at NPS so I quickly tapped off my specialized resume and cover letter and hoped for the best.
I was called the next day by Phil McCullick, who was to be my new supervisor, and we set up an interview for the fastest possible date, the following Monday. Due to my past experiences I was nervous about the interview. Nonetheless I wore a suit and had answers prepared. I did my best, as I always do, but I was really not sure how my performance was received.
Each of these I had my hopes up about, and these were just my big pushes, I'm not mentioning all the jobs I went after. Lets just say I was scraping bottom, considering labor positions, or anything that would help me pay for school but not interfere with my class schedule.
It was at this time, when I was beginning to lose hope, that I discovered a posting on the Otterjobs board for a Multimedia Assistant internship at the Naval Postgraduate School. This was just the kind of thing I was looking for and I quickly assembled my documents and portfolio. I didn't send them off though. I went and consulted every one of my professors and my newly appointed employment/internship counselor about this position. I explained that I had been not accepted for jobs that I felt I should have gotten considering my experience and interviews that seemed to go well. I asked them all what I should do to make sure I get this job. I got various advice, warnings, suggestions for amending my resume etc. All the advice was sage, germane and helpful. I'm not sure I was looking for adjustments to my approach as much as backup and support from the faculty. I really wanted to make my best effort in the job application. So i spent a few days rallying support, but was then warned that these jobs go fast at NPS so I quickly tapped off my specialized resume and cover letter and hoped for the best.
I was called the next day by Phil McCullick, who was to be my new supervisor, and we set up an interview for the fastest possible date, the following Monday. Due to my past experiences I was nervous about the interview. Nonetheless I wore a suit and had answers prepared. I did my best, as I always do, but I was really not sure how my performance was received.
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