Digital Literacies and Learning Design
I’m currently putting together the sessions for a new Module I am teaching in March for our new cohort of PGDE.
I want to offer something that would link the concepts of Critical Digital Literacies to the design of learning activities. I want this for two reason. First, because I think this is both an area of practice and debate that has been under-explored as part of implementing the Curriculum for Excellence here in Scotland. Second, because I believe that teacher-students should put themselves in the shoes of the learners and engage hands-on with the possibilities and challenges of the web to get a better grasp how to use the web in their practice. As such, I submitted the following Module proposal:
Introduction and Rationale:
The internet and the Social and Participatory Web, as a growing phenomenon in our society, is increasingly influencing the way people work, socialise, bank and shop, to name a few. As it enters our household and workplace, what does it mean to Education? And more concretely, what impact should it have on Learning, Teaching and Assessment?
This module aims to discuss such questions and provide an introduction to learning design methodologies in connection to key digital literacies. In doing so, it places an emphasis on the design of learning contexts rather than of content, “the activity-rich, interaction-rich and culturally rich learning environments that the use of technology is making possible and where new principles and practices apply” (Dias Figueiredo, 2005, p.127).
This module is designed to extend participants’ understanding of learning design in connection with the opportunities and challenges posed by the Social and Participatory Web, and thus equip them with the necessary know-how to harness technologies for the 21st century classroom.
Learning Outcomes:
The main intended outcome is that participants will be able to engage with key literature in the field of Technology Enhanced Learning and effectively apply it to their own practice. Participants will:
- Critically compare their own ideas about Learning and Teaching with the Social and Participatory Web with those of the literature
- Examine the implications of using the Social and Participatory Web in their Teaching practice
- Demonstrate a practical understanding of the use of the Social and Participatory Web for their own Learning, Teaching and Assessment strategies
- Design contexts for Learning
My greatest challenge, as usual, is to find ways to engage students in both the discussions I want them to have and the activities I want them to take part in. I have been putting together a draft of activities for each session … but have now reached a point I need a new pair of eyes to look at it and give me feedback:
- do you think I am adding too much or too little?
- are the topics proposed relevant?
- are the activities too easy or too hard?
- what else should I add?
*please note that at the moment this is only a draft – first thoughts – and your comments are very welcome as usual. 
