Look at Lake Michigan from atop a dune with Stairs

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.

 
Lake Michigan viewed from a dune, with a sandy path dead ending into grasses

Technology Philosophy

Just because a software, app, or technology is new and shiny, does not mean that it’s the best for a scenario. 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 stand alone 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.

Digital Object Applications

Adobe Express

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Premiere

Adobe Rush

Canva

Canvas

Camtasia

Clips

Libwizard