Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

Ruth Colvin Clark and Chopeta Lyons in their book “Graphics for Learning” look at a taxonomy of graphical elements by Carney and Levin that will help us plan visuals for eLearning courses based on their communication function. According to Clark and Lyons, the seven key communication functions of visuals are decorative, representational, mnemonic, organizational, relational, transformational and interpretive. Let’s have a look at each in detail..

The learning design recipes provide real examples of academic teaching practice within the University and are shared here to inform and inspire practical digital solutions to pedagogical challenges…

In Daniel Christian’s recent article, “Specialists Central to High-Quality, Engaging Online Programming,” the author names two challenges to his own recommendations for embedding instructional designers (aka learning designers or LDs) in course teams for the production of excellent online courses. First, he suggests that course teams can often be unwieldy and inefficient, becoming “a bottleneck to the organization.”[1] Second, he wonders whether faculty members will accept the contributions of LDs (or others) in the creation of learning experiences.

Learning occurs as the result of interaction between learners and their environment. When the learning has a planned outcome, it becomes a purposeful activity that requires the artistry and skill of a learning designer.

21st Century Learning Design (21CLD) for Educators is a collection of 8 courses with 4-6 lessons in each course. This learning path provides teachers with clear and practical ways to develop 21st skills using digital technologies with their students. Through a collection of Office Mix Lessons, 21st Century Learning Design for Educators builds on the research methodology providing a collaborative, practice-based process to help educators transform how they design enriching learning activities for their students.

The complete series of 8 courses consists of 20 hours of Office Mix Lessons, video and self-assessment materials. Educators have the opportunity to actively participate in the course by sharing their materials and by engaging in ongoing discussion as part of a community of learners.