Models Used
Backwards Design
Meaningful Inquiry
Open Pedagogy
Empathy Based Pedagogy
TILT
Instructional Design philosophy
Things can be pretty and function too. They also don’t have to take eons to be created, perfection is a whim not a reality. No matter when or what form of Instructional Design, I take to heart the argument of the user. It isn’t always we get the users voice in projects, if anything I’ve found it’s rare, or if we do, it’s such a small portion of the population that it’s not representable, and so this heavy burden falls to me. I put myself in the seat of advocate, in usability, accessibility, and consideration of their time and mental wellbeing. It is my job to lead a user to the end goal, being transparent why the actions they are taking will lead them there, and even if they’ve not chosen the goal themselves, why it is valuable to them.
Technology Philosophy
Just because a software, app, or technology is new and shiny, does not mean that it’s the best for a scenario. Although innovation can be alluring, I believe usability and utility reign supreme. A digital tool, no matter how dazzling, is only as valuable as its accessibility and ability to empower learning.
When tasked with an instructional goal, be it an object intended to be embedded in an LMS or a standalone digital learning object, I first take in mind the ease of use for the potential users. I take it seriously that the right tool for the objectives is being utilized, paving the most transparent path to learning. Bells and whistles? Only if they harmonize with learning goals, not distract from the orchestra of assessment and knowledge acquisition.
Mental power needs to be extended on learning the content or showing assessable skills, not on learning the quirks of an application, dealing with a clunky interface or overzealous bots. That being said, AI has it’s place but only when the ethical, environmental, and privacy implication can be considered and weighed. It isn’t going away and students who are soon to be entering the workforce need to know how to consider all of these, and know when and how to appropriately utilize generative AI.
Digital Object Applications
Adobe Express
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Premiere
Adobe Rush
Canva
Canvas
Camtasia
Clips
H5P
Libwizard
General Generative AI