About Me
My name is Elle Nakamura. I am a master's student in the Learning Design and Technology Department (LTEC) in the College of Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH Manoa). I have a bachelors in Organismal Biology and Ecology from Colorado College and a minor in Education.
I currently work as a Graduate Assistant in the Multimedia Instructional Design Team (MIDT) in the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene at the UH at Manoa.
I'm interested in visual and web design, virtual reality learning environments and distance learning. After completing the LTEC master's program, I look forward to developing online learning for corporate training.
I became interested in the professional benefits of social media because of the LTEC master's program. The program has taught me about current learning technologies and how to apply them from an instructional designer perspective. I strongly believe that social media is great online learning environment to stay updated and continuously learn about emerging tech trends and educational teaching methods. This is especially true during this pandemic where most organizations have transitioned online. Social media connects people and ideas around the world!
Currently, the LTEC Department offers one undergraduate course that graduates can choose to take as an elective called “LTEC 448: Social Media: Links to Lifelong Learning,” which analyzes and evaluates the impacts of social media and ethical implications. This course focuses on the use of social media within a learning environment or a course context but does not expand on the potential professional development opportunities of social media that specifically impact professionals in the learning design field. The LTEC department lacks resources and courses that cover the importance of building an online presence and little support on how to create and maintain online connections within the LTEC Department. There is even less information about how and why expanding a network outside the department can broaden perspective and create opportunities. Moreover, building a solid social network outside the department can strengthen the credibility and visibility of the LTEC program and department at UH Mānoa. The use of social media could be used to build a sense of community to collaborate, network, and continuously learn even after graduation.
I decided to develop this online course about the social media for professional purposes and professional development in order for other LTEC graduate students and alumni to realize the significance and importance of utilizing social media to enhance their professional life.