Today kicks off Week Three of our June module. At this point, you should be feeling like you are about halfway through the module materials. I know some folks have gotten a slow start though and diving in when you’re behind can feel overwhelming. For today’s dispatch, I’m going to lay out a more specific plan you can use to try and get yourself (re)oriented. While I’ve organized the below by the days of the week, you should feel free to modify that schedule to fit whatever is going on for you this week:
- Monday: Start by spending some time reviewing one of the two topics of this module. Two weeks ago, I recommended folks Choosing Technology with Intention. If you’ve already worked through that one, you could switch your attention to The Technology/Pedagogy Dance. Looking over a topic should only take about 10 minutes. Read over the description and watch the video. Then look through the short slide deck that accompanies the topic. As you read, listen, and review take note of any questions or concerns that come to mind.
Bonus: If you want, hop over to your portfolio and add a Written Reflection about the topic. Share your questions, concerns, or insights! (Note: While each module has it’s own set of activities, including written reflections, you can always add additional content to your portfolio!)
- Tuesday: Today, focus on at least one of the resources from the module. I would suggest spending some time in Learning Environments. This is an older piece, but it’s a wonderful launch pad for thinking about the environments that underpin teaching and learning, both physical and digital. As you read, we always encourage you to share your thoughts through Hypothesis annotations.
Bonus Tip: If turning on the Hypothesis panel and seeing all of the highlighted past comments feels overwhelming, you can click the “eye” icon in the panel to hide them. Read for yourself until a thought, idea, or questions occurs. Then, you can turn the annotation highlights back on and join the conversation!
- Wednesday: Focus on diving in the conversation through the module questions today. You can scroll through the list of questions and find ones that strikc your fancy, but I might suggest these two:
- Identify and describe a time when learning about and incorporating a new technology showed you a new way of teaching something. (lol. Techincally that isn’t a question, I guess!)
- How do you invite students to collaborate and decide which technology is integrated into their learning?
Bonus: If a particular question came up for you as you reviewed the topic on Monday or read a resource on Tuesday, add it to the module. There is a form at the bottom of the Questions page to do so.
- Thursday: Today, you want to pick at least one activity from the module to complete. I’m going to recommend Technology’s Hidden Curriculum. The point of this activity is to really unpack what is hidden in the technologies we use: Who made them? Who benefits from them? Who might be harmed. Every piece of technology we choose is designed to serve some kind of purpose, but baked into it are human choices that impact our use of and engagement with it. Becoming more discerning users of technology is one way we can become more intentional educators.
Bonus: On each activity page, you can see submissions from others who have already completed it. Take some time reading and commenting on others’ work.
- Friday: Spend today on whatever strikes your fancy. Dive into another reading, join a few more question conversations, or tackle another activity.
Other things you can try:
- Share your own Design Bite. These are special portfolio submissions where you tell us a little about a design choice you’ve made or are planning on making. The button to add them is visible when you view your own portfolio.
- Highlight some things. As you work through Design Forward, you will see links titled “Highlight This” on discussion questions and activities. This is an easy way for you to “save” something you read or see that you want to come back to later.
- Jump into one of the other modules and see what’s going on. You always have access to all of the DF modules, and you’re welcome to explore!
- Edit your profile and upload an avatar for yourself. The panel for doing both of these things is visible when you’re logged in and looking at your own portfolio. A new feature allows you to add “Areas of Interest and Expertise” to your portfolio. Every topic that is added creates a landing page where you can have a conversation with others about that topic.
As always, reach out on Teams if something goes astray on the website or you can’t find something you’re looking for — and feel free to contact me by email if you feel like you need to talk one-on-one!