My experience

De .Edu.Co.Wiki
Saltar a: navegación, buscar

Since 1999, when I got my B.Eng., degree, I have been working in the Educational Informatics Research & Development Laboratory (LIDIE), at Uniandes. Right now, I work part time at LIDIE, and part time at the Ministry of Education (MoE), leading the National Project on Use of New Technologies & Methodologies in Higher Education.

In these years, I have been in these positions:

  • MoE Project manager
  • LIDIE's Co-director
  • LIDIE's Director in charge
  • Instructional design coordinator
  • Instructional designer
  • Instructor Professor
  • Software development coordinator
  • Developer

But in practice, I have worked in a lot of different areas: Software development, graphic design, interaction design, information architecture, educational analysis... The good thing about each of these jobs is that I have learned to talk to different disciplines. I have learned to understand (sort of) the way different areas see the world. So, right now I like to think of myself as a bridge-builder (between disciplines).


Professional Experience

I resume my experience in three main areas:

Research & Development Projects

These are the projects I've involved in while working in LIDIE, but they are not the only things the Lab has done. If you want to know more about LIDIE's work, please visit our site.

Virtual Learning Environments as support to face to face education in the University of Los Andes

(2003-present. Project website http://ava.uniandes.edu.co. Funded by University of Los Andes)

The goal of this project is to foster new relationships between students, student-content and student-teacher, through the exploration of the IT potential as support to face to face courses, building blended learning environments. The project started in 2003, and so far we have worked with courses from the 27 undergraduate programs on the University. There's a lot to be said about this project, but that will happen somewhere else.

What did I do?

  • Advised on instructional design issues (current)
  • Led the project's pilot and expansion plan.
  • Led the project's methodological framework development.
  • Advised on the use and possibilities of ICT in 50 undergraduate courses.
  • Coordinated the software development and graphic design team.
  • Coordinated the instructional design team.

Development of a Self-directed Virtual Learning Environment: Course: “Mi Propio Jefe”

(2002, Project website: http://mipropiojefe.uniandes.edu.co. Funded by World Bank's GDLN)

“Mi Propio Jefe” (My Own Boss) is a free online course which aims to the development of entrepreneurship skills in the participants. The environment includes individual and group activities carried out without tutoring, running on a platform developed using PHP/MySQL technologies. The development was funded by the World Bank's Global Development Learning Network.

What did I do?

  • Led the learning environment design team.
  • Coordinated the software development and graphic design team.

IVEN: International Virtual Education Network

(2000-2002, Project website currently down. Funded by the Interamerican Development Bank)

Phase 1 The project's objective was to deliver didactical chemistry, physics and mathematics material to high school students in Latin America and the Caribbean area. A interdisciplinary team composed by content experts, engineers and graphic designers was assembled and sent to training sessions in Brasilia. Returning to Colombia, the team started the production of eleven modules to support the learning of concrete topics. The development team was required to identify, adopt and adapt (or develop) the software platforms needed to implement the learning and instructional design proposed by each content expert.

Phase 2 The modules developed were presented in Washington D.C. After the meeting, the interdisciplinary team was assigned to build the next six learning modules, integrating multiple languages and technologies (Java, Javascript, VRML, Director, Flash).

Funny fact: In this project, without knowing it, we were really developing very sophisticated learning objects.

What did I do?

  • Phase 1
    • Led the software development team.
    • Collaborated in the instructional design of the modules developed.
  • Phase 2
    • Coordinated the software development team.
    • Discussed and designed with the content experts the adequate use of IT in the activities included in the learning modules.

Fantastic City

(2001-2002. Funded by Colciencias and LIDIE)

Fantastic City is a digital multimedia microworld developed by LUDOMATICA. This project won the 1999 issue of the Global Bangemann Challenge, a worldwide competence sponsored by the major of Stockholm. Fantastic City motivates and develops children's fantasy and creativity, by means of riddles and puzzles, seeking to generate cognitive and affective imbalances. This interactive environment moves children to action. It fosters curiosity and experiential learning; it allows speculating, discovering, learning from mistakes; and it awakes the wish to learn both autonomously and collaboratively.

What did I do?

  • Coordinated the software development team, on the test and functional adjustments stage.

Incorporation of IT for the strengthening of basic competences in Bogotá's public education schools

(2001. Funded by the Secretary of Education of Bogotá)

33 public educational institutions were trained in a methodology for diagnosis of educational needs and formulation of institutional educational informatics plans on the short, medium and long term. The results obtained in the process were continuously socialized between all the participants. At the end of the project, every institution presented the outcomes of the implementation of a short-term project formulated as part of the institutional plan.

What did I do?

  • Advised the participant institutions about the use of ICT in institutional and classroom activities.

Educational Informatics Showroom: 10 successful ICT experiences

(1999-2000. Funded by the Pedagogic Development and Educational Research Institute, Bogotá.)

Working together with EAFIT University (from Medellìn, Colombia), LIDIE produced a multimedia CD-ROM which presents ten successful experiences around the world that innovate educational practices by using information and communication technologies. The CD-ROM was produced for the Educational Research and Pedagogical Development Institute (IDEP), and delivered to public schools in Bogotá, as a starting guide in the exploration of the IT potential.

What did I do?

  • Collaborated in the design of the CD-ROM's information architecture.
  • Participated in the software development team.

LUDOMATICA: Playful, creative, collaborative and interactive environments

(1999-2000. Funded by Colciencias and ICBF)

Ludomática seeks to integrate IT resources to renewed learning environments for children (ages 7-12), generating changes in their institutions and teachers. This is achieved through the design, creation and development of playful, creative and collaborative environments which allow the children to grow up as individuals and members of a society; developing life-long useful skills and values, such as creativity, self-esteem, communication, participation and problem solving. Ludomática won in 1999 the Stockholm's Global Bangemann Challenge Award.

What did I do?

  • Collaborated in the conceptualization of several information support systems.
  • Built several information support systems (including the Laboratory Web Site), using PHP / SQLServer technologies.
  • Worked as technical support to participant institutions.



Management

Project Manager

(National Ministry of Education, October 2005- present)

What do I do?

  • I lead the design and implementation of the National Project on Use of New Technologies & Methodologies in Higher Education. If you want to know more about this project, please follow this link.
  • I advise the Viceminister of Higher Education on the definition of ICT integration and use policies.

Director in charge

(LIDIE, July - September 2003)

What did I do?

  • I managed and monitored the current laboratory projects.
  • I participated in activities of divulgation of the work in progress.

Co-Director

(LIDIE, August 2001– August 2005)

What did I do?

  • I supervised diverse research and development projects (as described in the Research & Development Projects section).
  • I participated in the elaboration of different research proposals.

Instructional design coordinator

(LIDIE, November 2004– August 2006)

What did I do?

  • I led the LIDIE's instructional design team, coordinating and advising on the construction of different virtual learning environments.

Technical director

(LIDIE, January 2001– January 2005)

What did I do?

  • I led the LIDIE's graphic design and software development teams, coordinating and advising on the construction of different information systems.
  • I managed and coordinated diverse software development projects, based on the integration of different technologies (Java, C++, PHP, VRML)

Software Engineer

(LIDIE, February 1999– December 2000)

What did I do?

  • I worked on the development of information systems using languages like Java and PHP.



Faculty

Instructor

August 2001 - August 2005
Systems and Computing Engineering Department
University of Los Andes

Please note, that in August 2003, I became an instructor at University of Los Andes.

What did I do?

  • Taught basic courses in Algorithmic and Object Oriented Programming, aimed to Computing Engineering students.
  • Coordinated the course Introduction to Programming, aimed to non-computing engineering students.
  • Participated in the Department's curriculum revision (2003).
  • Advised several undergraduate projects on e-Learning systems and educational software development.

Online facilitator

August 2001 – July 2003
Metacursos.com

What did I do?

  • Moderated the online seminar Virtual Learning Environments Construction (CAVA).
  • Moderated the online seminar Interactive Learning Environments Moderation (MAIA).