Reflecting on my DIDP and the readings from this past week, I am starting to understand how to better develop digital learning spaces and how to be a better educator. The readings also brought up several questions that I will be reflecting on throughout this unit and course. Anderson and Dron (2014) describe good educators as ones who challenge their learners to “explore, integrate and apply knowledge generated by the group” (p. 112). How can I better challenge my students to apply the knowledge generated by the group in online environments? In shop class it is easy. I can give the students a hands-on exercise that will challenge them. How can I design the same challenge into digital spaces that may be synchronous or asynchronous? This will require further research and reflection. The most impactful reading for me this week was Veletsianos (2016) chapter Digital Learning Environments. He noted that “technologies are rarely neutral,” which are created with developer biases built into them (p. 253). This made me question: is there a way that I can ensure my biases don’t affect the learners in the spaces I develop? What checks and balances can I establish to prevent this? Again, this question will require more research and reflection. I enjoyed the readings this week, and I am looking forward to researching the questions they have brought up.

References:

 Anderson, T., & Dron, J. (2014). Teaching Crowds: Learning and Social Media. In Teaching Crowds: Learning and Social Media. Athabasca University Press. https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781927356807.01

Veletsianos, G. (2016). Digital Learning Environments. In The Wiley Handbook of Learning Technology (pp. 242–260). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118736494.ch14