Teaching and Instruction by Design

Elizabeth and I worked on developing a course concerning Creative Course design and Multimedia. Sometimes "group" projects can be frustrating and one sided, but we made a great team and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. At the onset we used Zoom to develop our blueprint plan of the course and deliverables. Once this skeleton was in place, the design process flowed smoothly.  One of our goals involved not only highlighting tools not yet used in class, but also to spotlight how "old" tools could be used with a fresh vision. For instance, sharing a slide deck among the learners versus everyone creating their own presentation. The design offered a platform for creative thinking and provided a collaborative environment for further learning.  As Elizabeth and I worked through the development of the course, we were able to share new tips and tricks and best practices from our own experiences. We also learned new features within Canvas and used those during the build...

Missing the Cake Do you ever go to the store to buy a cake, but end up with a pie instead? They are both desserts and delicious. The pie was really tasty and satisfied that sweet tooth craving, but you still want cake. I created an online resource for teachers to develop an understanding of personalized pathways. I ended up with a great repository of information with opportunities for reinforcing practice, but I wanted the course to become a community of learners sharing and growing. So what is missing? As I looked back through the course, I built in many places for teachers to research and understand the elements of personalizing learning for their studens. However, there is no instructor involvement or interactive opportunites for teachers within the course. As the cake became a pie, the course evolved into more of a training manual for reference purposes. At this point I would like to modify the course form its original purpose to become a more dynamic learning envir...

I think most people agree to the idea of communication being a critical aspect of learning as we discuss and explore new ideas. However, when learning moves from a face to face environment into the online elearning arena, the type of communication to insure effective learning needs to be addressed. Should learning be driven online as a timed and structured event where everyone is moving at the same pace and schedule with real-time chat rooms (synchronous) or do students learn effectively in a more self-paced environment (asynchronous)? Or should the two be blended to create the ultimate elearning experience? In a blog post addressing the pros and cons of synchronous versus asynchronous, the author describes the two types of learning facilitation. (Paula, 2018) She details some of the positive qualities of real-time synchronous learning as more of a social interaction with immediate feedback and answers and the down side of synchronous learning is timing constraints, lack of on...

How many times have you purchased a clothing item with an OSFA tag?  You know - One Size Fits All . If life were only so simple!  Andriotis emphasizes the importance of course content being designed with the audience in mind, speaking to all of their differences, needs, and “sizes”. (Andriotis, 2016) As stated in his smart guide article, the course content must speak to the motivation of a learner to want to succeed. As a digital learning facilitator, I work with high school teachers providing professional development and support in the effective integration of technology in the classroom. So my direct audience is my teacher group; however, indirectly, I also work to tailor the audience-specific needs of the student population. So, as I pondered this process of knowing my audience, I realized my ultimate goal would be emphasizing to teachers how they should go beyond the basic student statistics to gain a deeper understanding of their students and how to enga...

https://pixabay.com/en/board-blackboard-success-business-2434016/ A few days ago, I watched a newly released movie with my family – Crazy Rich Asians. Mom and I had read the book (well, I actually did not have a chance to finish it) and were excited to see the movie. Not too far into the movie, there was a scene where a woman walked by some other people to her right. She was holding her phone at an angle in the air. Obviously, she was taking a selfie to get a shot of the other people in the background. Then ensued the texting frenzy and so on and so on. Now, I realized what had transpired along with my niece, my son, and others in the room. I was totally engaged in the moment of watching the picture fly around from device to device. However, my 83-year-old mother was totally lost and had no idea what was happening. Not only was she lost in the movie, I later discovered she was also lost in the book and could not figure out what was going on. You know how you get an AHA moment...

What exactly is digital literacy? There seem to be quite a few variations on the exact definition of this term. However, doesn’t digital literacy boil down to people effectively using various forms of technology (hardware and software) to convey their thoughts. Simple, right? Unfortunately, digital literacy is not a simple topic. The exponential growth in the capabilities of technology and available apps took everyone by surprise and far outpaced the ability for education to keep up. But we are getting there.  Educational leaders realised the need for response to support future ready students. Students and teachers are at various levels of understanding when we look at this literacy. As defined by a 2016 Pew Research Center’s study, the digital divide was once defined by the ownership of technology, but now the divide is marked by the individual’s fluency in using the technology and the multitude of available apps. (Alexander, Adams, & Cummins, 2016) The research continue...