Name: Amy Diehl
Title: ESL Computer Teacher and Freelance Web Designer
Website/Blog: Under Construction – how lame!
Location: Northampton, MA

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
I studied English and Film as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan and my work trajectory has always been directed by my love of narrative. I received my Masters in Digital Rhetoric and Professional Writing at Michigan State University in 2006, and while studying at MSU I worked as a digital writing consultant at the Michigan State University Writing Center and then later as a Research Assistant at WIDE (Writing in Digital Environments) and at the MSU Usability and Accessibility Center.

While I work with computers both as a teacher and a designer, it was not the technology that attracted me to the work, but the ways in which as someone who loves to write, one could write in a such a diverse and exciting way with computer technology – whether it be on a website, digital video, digital photography, animation, or writing and printing a story or paper. Through my work at WIDE, I became a passionate advocate for ensuring access and training for digital composition to everyone. The sheer power of digital composition should not be squirreled away by those with the resources and power to use it. It should be open and available to each of us to use if we wish to – and I think many of us would if we really knew what it was capable of.

Tell us about your current job.
I work at a local non-profit teaching basic and advanced computer skills to English as a Second Language speakers from a wide variety of countries. My class instruction is student-centered, so my students set the pace and influence the curriculum. In a given week I may teach basic mouse skills, how to make a resume, how to attach a file to an email, and how to manipulate a digital photograph. My main purview is Microsoft Word, Excel, and basic internet and email but I am willing to go anywhere my students want and have been known to help fix iPods and install anti-virus software for students. I absolutely love my job, and it has been truly eye-opening. So much of what I as a computer user took for granted as intuitive, even though I should have known better from my time as a website usability researcher, is not really intuitive when seen through the eyes of a brand new computer user from a different culture. I think my students are incredible learners and they want to learn everything. I get bored easily, but this job is never boring.

I also do freelance web design for small businesses, non-profits, or personal use and I am also doing some of my own writing, though I wouldn’t call it freelance since nobody has paid me with anything more than gift cards yet.

What does a typical day look like for you?
I wake up at 7 and do two hours of my own writing. I go to work and teach – each day is different, but it averages out to about four hours of teaching a day. After teaching I go to the gym because until I get one of those cool computers attached to a treadmill then my current career needs to be accented with something less sedentary. After dinner I usually work an hour or two on my web design. This really depends on my deadlines – sometimes I have no design work to do, other times I have two projects going at once. You can’t control that aspect of the schedule and when things get busy then I just substitute my morning writing with the web design.

What kinds of documents do you produce?
I produce all kinds of documents for my work. At my teaching job I create exercises for the computer, as well as handouts, worksheets, and forms and computer logs for the students and myself to keep track of our progress. I also write the occasional proposal and documents for staff about how to use different technologies that they might find useful or that we use in our administrative capacities. I recently assisted in the creation of a new brochure for our non-profit and I also assist with the quarterly newsletter. Also, in the near future I will be working on a long-term proposal for developing our technology labs – there are three labs at three different sites and we want to start building and maintaining our technologies with our eyes toward the long-term goals and not just fixing the immediate problems.

For my web design work I write web design proposals, I produce web pages and complete websites, I write and edit content as needed. I also occasionally produce graphic design documents such as banners and logos.

What communication skills are needed for your job?
Every form of communication skill is required, which is too bad because I am terrible at talking on the phone. I need to be comfortable communicating in person, by email, or by phone, as well as in large groups when I teach of attend meetings. I also need to be able to communicate through my writing, such as the handouts and documents I make for class or my students won’t understand their assignments.

How did you prepare for your job?
I learn by doing. Teaching is really challenging, and as I teach more I continue to have the urge to phone every teacher I ever had and thank them for not strangling me when I acted like they should be perfect. I can’t believe I used to think teaching was easy! Because my curriculum is so influenced by the needs of my students I prepare for my classes by asking them constantly what they want to learn and what they feel they need more of. I also work very closely with them, and can get a sense of emotionally how they feel. I don’t ever want to overwhelm them, an emotion I think we have all felt when faced with a new technology. People aren’t good at hiding their emotions about technology, and I think one of my biggest roles as a computer teacher is to teach my students that they have nothing to fear and that English speakers like myself are also always learning about computers. Learning about computers is a state of being.

I learn by doing with web design as well. Each site I build is better than the last, and I find I can experiment and deviate more as I become more confident and comfortable with the process.

List three of your favorite professional resources/references/tools and tell us why they’re your favorite.
Google – As the computer teacher I am also the de facto tech person and my students and our staff are amazing at breaking the strangest things on the computer. I use Google to find tech forums that help me solve almost any error I find on a computer. I also use Google for finding assignments, sample documents, and websites dedicated to talking with other teachers like myself. I don’t believe in starting from scratch with anything but making pies.

TechSoup – A great resource for non-profits with technology needs. They make the future seem possible for small organizations like us.

SABES – System for Adult Basic Education promotes quality adult education through training, resources and support. I attend their Western Massachusetts technology roundtables and network with other teachers like myself, sharing resources and learning about new technologies or teaching methods.

How do you stay up-to-date in your field?
I don’t know if I am up-to-date. I struggle with this all the time. My job gives me paid time for professional development, which is really helpful, but things change so rapidly in this field that it is dizzying. I worry about not fully equipping my students with what they need. Sometimes I just tell myself that there is so much happening at once that nobody is really up-to-date, we are all just skin of our teething it, and that helps me with the momentum to just keep trying. I do attend technology roundtables, read up on as much as I can, volunteer to try new things, and of course I use technology myself everyday, so again I am learning by doing. Am I up-to-date though? I don’t text message, so I already feel antiquated. But if a student wanted to learn how to text message, then I would learn.

How would you define professional writing?
Any writing you get paid to do!

Do you have any tips to share with other professional designers/writers/editors?
As a web designer I would say that even though you are working alone most of the time, never, never stop communicating with your client. Always be open to them about the work and consider keeping them abreast as an essential element of the job. Don’t condescend. And don’t undersell yourself when you quote your rate. I struggle with this still, being new to the professional world. It seems silly to give advice I struggle to take, but maybe I can be a cautionary tale. For writing specifically, my only piece of advice is never underestimate the power and necessity of revision. As for teaching, my advice would be give up on the idea of perfection and be willing to laugh at yourself often. Actually that’s just good advice, period.

Tags: In the Workplace

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