Image by Darren Wilson via Midjourney
As I embark on this last chapter in my MALAT journey, I am considering my work in a larger context – what is the new knowledge I wish to create, and where will it take me?
My goal coming into the program was to explore possible avenues to move my career beyond the classroom, into a more strategic role within (and beyond) the post-secondary learning context. Those roles may be within an individual institution, in government, in a non-governmental body, or possibly in the private sector.
Therefore, my ARP is intended to kick off the career I wish to be in, with this being an in-depth piece of research and writing that acts as a portfolio piece, demonstrating my capabilities to thought leaders, academics, and prospective employers. I am planning a multi-layered approach to disseminating my final work:
MALAT student blog
This will be the main vehicle I will use in the coming months to document my process and key project milestones.
Standalone website
I plan on building a standalone website to act as a repository for my final project, as my MALAT blog will not continue after graduation. I have already done this with a previous project, and intend to build something similar for my ARP.
Over my time in the MALAT program, I have spent considerable amount of time building my network on LinkedIn, connecting, engaging, and commenting on posts. This has been a tremendous confidence boost as I look to move into new and unfamiliar territory. My LinkedIn network will be one of the primary channels of disseminating my work as it progresses.
Journal
I am very interested in publishing my work in an academic journal as a way of building my credibility in this space. Journals I have investigated which might be appropriate for the kind of work I plan to do include The Journal of Educational Informatics, The Journal of Futures Studies, and Foresight.
YouTube
As part of reaching a broader audience, I also plan to produce a short “TED talk” style video outlining my research process, findings, and development of my speculative future narrative(s).
OER
Lastly, if a toolkit for producing this kind of work ends up being a part of my final deliverables, I will consider publishing this as an Open Educational Resource to promote further development of futures-based practices in digital learning.
| Channel | Audience | Content |
|---|---|---|
| MALAT student blog | Classmates Professors Other academics | Process, literature review, final speculative future narrative(s) + final research report |
| Standalone website | Classmates Professors Other academics Broader public | Process, narratives, research outcomes, toolkit |
| Thought leaders Academics Private consultants Prospective employers | Articles of interest, thoughts on readings as I conduct my literature review, final speculative future narrative(s) + final research report | |
| Journal | Thought leaders Academics Peers | Final speculative future narrative(s) + research report |
| YouTube | Thought leaders Academics Students Peers Prospective employers | A “TED talk” style summary video where I describe my research process, findings, and development of my speculative future narrative(s) |
| OER | Peers Professors Academics Students | If a toolkit is developed to help others develop similar works following this process, I will consider publishing it as an OER |
An exceptional plan for dissemination Darren. Honestly, there is nothing that I can add that would be of value that you haven’t already thought of here. Good choices on the journals, and the alternative methods – YouTube, blog, OER, etc. – are all well thought through.