Michaela's Designing Digital Learning Journey

After I read The Information Diet , I wasn’t really sure what to think. Was I reading too much? But then how do I stay “in the know”? How do I help learners become global citizens in order to respect and appreciate different perspectives? How do I relax without watching my favorite show on Netflix?!  Somehow, news gets spread to us. In terms of mental health, I think there does need to be a limit to our news consumption. However, in terms of building our opinions and beliefs, I do believe that we must do our research. I loved the analogy of The Information Diet . If we always digest junk, then our opinions and beliefs could be shaped around or impacted by that junk. If we digest whole information that is not harmed by outside thoughts and proved by sound and reliable facts or data, then our opinions and beliefs will be healthier.  In a world where we are so consumed by what’s happening around us and within our communities (local and global), how do ...

The sixth principle consists of Students as Designers. What I love most about this principle is the skills that it teaches: Structure Process Organization Time management Collaboration ...and the list goes on. In class, we simulated this design principle by designing our own video on the DDLS Principles. While Dawn taught us concepts, we had to go through "designing" a product and implementing those concepts (plus explaining them in our videos, too!). The lesson was structured just enough to guide us, but it wasn't too structured that it limited our creativity. The process of designing isn't just for educators but for learners, too! It fosters creativity and allows learners to truly synthesize and implement what they have learned in a project that takes them outside of the "traditional classroom" format. What I know I will struggle with the most as a designer is having the learners create "meaningful outcomes." When I design, I always ...

Last week, we focused on the fifth design principle: The Means Principle. It is defined as the following: Good learning designs reflect technologies chosen after mindful consideration of the cognitive and societal consequences as well as a clear and appropriate connection with content and learning activities.  The Means Principle goes hand in hand with affordance analysis. In short, affordance analysis is the assessment of how a tool can be used and the purpose of the tool. For example, a hammer is not the proper tool to use to drink water. You could use a cup, ladle (although not very convenient) or jar. All of those tools are options to achieve the goal of drinking water.  My biggest struggle this week is where to start. Do I start with the goal in mind and then look at the tools? Or can the tools provide inspiration towards a goal? It’s like which came first: the chicken or the egg? I’ve definitely guilty of having moments where I looked at a tool and said “this wo...

After reading The Victorian Internet , I  learned a key lesson that I often forget: Technology is a new tool invented for the efficiency of daily life - it doesn’t have to be associated with electricity, wifi, or touch screens. As humans, we learn to determine whether or not it is beneficial for our race and adapt to our lifestyle. When I think about items that make my life more “efficient”, I oftentimes forget (or don’t even know) about the history behind the invention. Where did it come from? How did it evolve? Who was involved? Just like the story of the telegraph, there is so much that goes into the technology we have in our hands today.  I work at a cloud computing company, and I often forget that the work of the developers and engineers is innovative and does lead to new processes and applications that make our country run more effectively and efficiently. Even something small as creating an application nowadays can make our lives easier...and i...

There once was a man named Vygotsky Whose thoughts were outside of the box-y  Knowing knowledge will stay When kids get to play Away on his horse he did trotsky Everything about the poem activity above embodies Vygotsky (well, maybe not everything). We collaborated, socialized, and used our independent tools to come up with a product that represents our understanding. Vygotsky believes that the development of processing information is due to understanding the tools that surround us and how to use them in processing the information. That’s a vague overview as he also goes into ZPD and other elements; Vygotsky breaks it down a lot more. I’d like to focus on two smaller topics that Vygotsky presented: language and socializing.  Language is a tool to communicate and collaborate with others, but it’s also a tool that we can use independently to organize our own thoughts. Vygotsky saw that children’s “speech and action are part of one and the same complex psychol...

Last Thursday, Dawn had us complete an activity where we were given a topic that is not related to our content area (I had Economics), and she asked us to identify the SPD’s and ABCS. The activity was incredibly impactful for me as I reflected a lot about how I learn and how I design. Below, I’ve shared those reflections with all of you:  I need a visual outline to help me think . I always thought I could make sense of my stream-of-consciousness notes that I take, but in completing this activity, I realized that I need structure - specifically in the way information is presented visually. My partner and I created a table ; the left side included the topic and the right side included elements that belonged to that topic. It’s nothing fancy, but I needed the organization for my brain to process the activity and information.  You can create a design even if you’re not the SME (Subject Matter Expert) . This was my...