Model Behavior

Why Every Instructional Designer Should Be Blogging

If you’ve ever stared at a project and thought, “Should I go full ADDIE or flex my Agile muscles?”—you’re not alone. One of the biggest shifts for new instructional designers isn’t just learning the names of frameworks like ADDIE, Agile, or Kirkpatrick’s Evaluation Model… it’s learning when—and why—to actually use them.

That’s where blogging can become your secret weapon.

Instead of letting these models live in your head (or worse, buried in a course textbook), blogging gives you a space to think out loud. You can document your design decisions, reflect on what worked (or didn’t), and show the evolution of your thinking over time. It’s not just a writing exercise—it’s a thinking exercise.

Giacumo and Breman (2020) point out that successful instructional designers don’t just know frameworks—they apply them in real, messy, context-driven environments. Blogging is a perfect way to simulate that. Whether you're writing about using Agile for a tight-turnaround training or reflecting on how Kirkpatrick’s levels helped you evaluate outcomes, you’re building the kind of applied insight that employers actually want.

And let’s be real—those reflections can become part of your portfolio. Hiring managers love seeing how you think, not just what you know.

So, next time you're learning a new model or wrapping up a design project, hit “publish.” Your blog might be the most useful sandbox you have for going from model to mastery.

References

Giacumo, L. A., & Breman, J. (2020). Trends and implications of models, frameworks, and approaches used by instructional designers in workplace learning and performance improvement. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 34(2), 131–170. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.21349

Ritzhaupt, A. D., & Martin, F. (2014). Development and validation of the educational technologist competencies survey (ETCS): Knowledge, skills, and abilities. Educational Technology Research and Development, 62(1), 13–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-013-9325-2