About

iDesign is Instruction by Design

 

I design things so others can see and understand them. It starts with a challenge that needs to be resolved. It can be anything. That’s how iDesign started: a solution to resolving a challenge. The original challenge was how do I showcase my work for potential clients (aka employers).

My interest in North American Indian Cultural Heritage started in fourth grade. Mrs. Dietrich (aka Miss Mullin) told us about an archaeological site in Wisconsin. Conch shells from the Gulf of Mexico, shells from the Atlantic Ocean, and stones that could only come from the mountains out west were found in the mid 1800’s at one specific place near the Sheboygan Marsh. I was curious about the people that brought them and what their lives would have been like. But the most important question, “How did they not get lost?!?!?” was something no one could answer.

Curiosity and a desire to know how things work have always been a driving force in my work. Then in 2000, I was introduced to a site that held the keys to unlocking that question. Since that time, documenting Early North American Indian earthwork monuments for protection and preservation has become my passion project. The process involves field exploration, land record research, creating a site map, and submitting a site for recognition as a historical site. 

Map making required learning to operate survey equipment. It also allowed me an opportunity to use the skills in drawing I acquired pursuing my third teaching license for Art Education. Creating site maps lead to an epiphany. The geometry that appeared to be deeply encoded in the earthwork monuments was there because 3-dimesional geometry is how people knew where they were in time and space. It’s the ‘how’ in how indigenous people didn’t get lost.

So the next question is:

How do I explain that to people?

• Measuring the Earth shows how geometry, geography and astronomy are used to understand the 3 dimensional world. It began as a grant funded project developed for the Nebraska Indian Education Association. It includes a 50 page eBook for learners and a facilitators guide with more than 40 STEM/STEAM lessons that illuminate and expand upon the information presented in the eBook..
• Mapping the Earth (work in progress) is the next step in the process – teaching people how mapping can be done.

This website was originally created as a portfolio to promote my services to businesses that sought training assistance. The core concept of Instructional design for business starts with the challenge of needing well-trained staff with no one to train them. The business model starts with an in-depth analysis to describe current conditions. Together, we explore the desired outcome. iDesign focuses on solutions that meet the need in the most cost efficient manner possible. Budget, time constraints, and other industry specific factors inform which solutions will be the most practical for an employer.

Humor, good visuals, and straight-forward language are just a few ways to encourage lessons to stick with the learner beyond the short-run. Whether activities are designed for absorbing new information, doing something with that knowledge, or applying it to something bigger, the outcomes are measurable and directly align with the objectives. Assessing short-term or long-term gains show the best solutions result in long-term retention and application.