Humanizing Learning - Part Three.
Let’s design digital learning environments that support all learners.
This is my third and final report from the Technology and Education Seminar and Showcase (TESS 2020), the annual conference hosted by eCampusOntario. This year’s theme: Humanizing Learning.
TESS 2020 was originally planned as a two-day event, but the organizers decided in September to expand it to three days. My schedule was already booked so I wasn’t able to attend as many of the events as I wanted to; I was especially disappointed about missing the forum soliciting input on eCampusOntario’s strategic plan. But Robert Luke, the organziation’s new CEO, discussed the planning process during the morning session. The tag line he used was Digital by Design, and he underscored the emphasis on inclusion that is built into this concept: “Digital by design is about . . . working together to mindfully and artfully design the digital learning environments to support all learners and we would like to ask [through the strategic planning process] how we can do that.”
We the educators can do the same.
I’d like to highlight one talk from the last day to illustrate how we can design for flexibility and inclusion and, in so doing, change higher education for the better. Jessica O’Reilly from Cambrian College and her students Jessica Decoeur and Danie Uthup talked about a course in indigenous studies. Professor Jessica introduced a flexible model that goes beyond the standard term paper by letting students get creative with podcasts. The students responded with real gusto to this simple change in format. As student Jessica said, being able to share the thoughts and stories of the First Nations people she was talking to allowed her to make real connections with what they were learning in class. The podcast approach also tapped into the rich storytelling traditions of indigenous peoples. (Professor Jessica felt that the podcast idea echoed the words she once heard from an elder: “The Creator gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason.”)
TESS 2020 is full of stories like this - educators willing to challenge themselves and their approaches to learning and teaching. These are people who, to paraphrase Robert Luke, are working mindfully and artfully to design learning environments that can respond to the conditions of today, to be more inclusive at a time when so many feel excluded. They’re doing so much to humanize learning, and we can learn so much by listening to what they have to say.
Have a look at the unofficial Twitter wall of #tess2020 tweets.
For Fall Term 2020 this blog will be exploring issues informing education during a pandemic. It is appearing as part of a graduate seminar on online teaching and learning. You can read more about the seminar or see the other posts.
Post 29/60.