Assignment 2: Team Pro Initial
Ashley Breton, Katia Maxwell, and Stephanie Messier
MALAT, Royal Roads University
LRNT 521: Digital Learning Environments, Networks,
Communities
Dr. Elizabeth A. Childs
May 14th, 2021

Team Pro Initial

                     Be it resolved that all digital learning environments are equal and can be created and managed as such. Faculty and students are experiencing a swift and unexpected push into digital learning
environments (DLEs). Overnight, COVID-19 and lockdowns sent educators and students to varying platforms on various devices. Universally, teachers and students leverage digital
platforms to deliver quality learning experiences. Through thoughtful design and platform management, DLEs are able to engage, inform and educate learners with varying needs. DLEs
all have the same foundation and are culturally and technologically managed the same way resulting in a streamlined approach to delivering content that supports student success.

COVID-19 aside, the online population was already predicted to reach 5.3 billion users by 2023 (Cisco, 2020). DLEs are being used as a valid tool to create learning experiences in
synchronous or asynchronous environments using a “constellation of technologies and spaces” (Veletsianos, 2011, p. 248). Design, culture, co-creation and collaboration allow educators and
students to share dynamic learning spaces. DLEs have the same components and are culturally and technologically managed similarly resulting in a streamlined approach to delivering content.
Designing platforms for learning includes curriculum design and learning outcomes. Robust designs of DLEs allow for an educational experience where students contribute to and
consume content. Educators and students are able to engage on a level playing field from platform to platform, joining or creating communities, sets, or groups (Dron & Anderson, 2014,
p.82-84). Campbell (2009) goes so far as to say students should create their own “cyberinfrastructure “… to shape their own cognition, learning, expression, and reflection in a
digital age, in a digital medium. Students would frame, curate, share and direct their own engagement streams.” (Campbell, 2009, para. 7). Students also have a higher level of autonomy
because they are active participants in their learning. Further to that, educators are using platforms as DLEs, regardless of whether or not that platform is designed to be a DLE (Veletsianos, 2011).

Moving forward, even if the digital platform is not always meant for education, having the same basic components of hardware, software, and interconnections or networks allows educators and students to manage content on platforms just as if they were managing artwork in a gallery (Dron & Anderson, 2014). Dungy (2010) stated, “Don’t worry about your platform; focus on your impact.” Thus, the technologies provide opportunities for users to decide how to best use the desired platform(s). The common digital foundation of DLEs management is straightforward (i.e. sign up, create a username, password, profile, creating or consuming media). In most learning environments, both digital and face-to-face, Bates (2016) states that culture is regularly underestimated or not acknowledged by students and educators. Furthermore, technology and content require critical thinking and awareness. Given this, administrators should be aware of the values, beliefs, assumptions, and principles they may unconsciously embed into the design.

Digital learning environments will likely continue to be a central part of education for the foreseeable future. We argue that all digital learning environments are equal, sharing common characteristics establishing a core foundation for digital learning. Learning tools and components which adhere to common standards allow digital platforms to be leveraged to deliver quality learning experiences through design and platform management. The design of DLEs allow students and educators to co-create, share information, co-design and actively solve problems. As individuals co-design their collaborative learning environment, there is an emphasis on personalising the learning environment within the community. In this way, adults share both structure and control of the digital space, respecting diverse learning needs and working together to improve performance (vanOostveen, et al., 2016). Students have a first person view of their work because they created it and are invested in
it. Students are also able to work at their own pace allowing them to exhibit competence in their digital space (vanOostveen, et al., 2016).

Managing the user interface and settings is uncomplicated because they all share the same foundation. Tailor-made solutions accommodate different learning styles ensuring a student is successful. Along with that, effective collaborative learning values diversity (vanOostveen, et al., 2016). To ensure learning is culturally diverse, educators are able to objectively monitor the content and reaction to it to ensure they are not communicating or embedding their mission, vision and values. “Together they proceed in a dance (Anderson, 2009), intricately interwoven, mutually affective, and inseparable.” (Dron & Anderson, 2014, p. 23).

                                                                                                                                                  References

Bates, T. (2016, May 15). Culture and effective online learning environments [Blog post].
Retrieved from: https://www.tonybates.ca/2016/05/15/culture-and-effective-online-learning-environments

Campbell, G. (2009). A personal cyberinfrastructure. Educause Review, 44(5), (p. 58-59).

Cisco (2020, March 9). Cisco annual internet report (2018–2023) [White Paper].                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Retrieved from: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/executive-perspectives/annual-internet -report/white-paper-c11-741490.html

Dron, J, & Anderson, T. (2014). Teaching crowds. Athabasca University Press, Chapter 1 – 7.

Dungy, T. (2010). The mentor leader: Secrets to building people and teams that win consistently. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., (p. 101).

Garrison, R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in text based environment:
Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2–3), (p. 87–105).

Sands, K., (2015). The Blackthorn Key. Simon & Schuster, (p. 33).

vanOostveen, R., DiGiuseppe, M., Barber, W., Blayone, T., & Childs, E. (2016). New conceptions for digital technology sandboxes: Developing a Fully Online Learning Communities (FOLC) model. World                                  Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2016, (p. 665-673).

Veletsianos, G. (2016). Digital learning environments. Handbook of Learning Technologies, (p.242-260).