Module 5 Introduction

Hello and welcome to the Technology module! By now, your learning design muscles will be a lot stronger than they were at the start of the bootcamp, and I’d just like to congratulate you on your grit and determination for making it this far.

As we move through module 5 and investigate technology in learning design, try and keep in mind the key things you’ve learned about empathy, curriculum, inclusivity and facilitation. As learning designers, we need to use the knowledge from these areas to guide our choice of technology. When we’re designing learning, we should always think about learning first, then technology, and not the other way round. I’m going to restate that because it’s so important: learning comes first, then technology. This is a key principle of great learning design, and it’s the kind of lightbulb moment that our wonderful machine, the Ding-O-Meter, always detects. We’ll return to the idea of a learning-first approach to technology as we move through the module.

Before we go any further, it’s important to clarify two things. The first thing is that learning design is not the same as instructional design. If you search on Google for learning design vs instructional design, you’ll find a lot of debate about the similarities and differences between both terms. There are also regional differences: in the US, instructional design is often the preferred term whereas in the UK, learning design is more commonly talked about. My view is this: instructional design focuses on the curriculum and the learning materials, and learning design focuses on learning activities and learners’ needs. You could also say that instructional design is more teacher-centred, while learning design is more learner-centred. Now I’m sure there will be instructional designers out there who would disagree with me, but having read a lot of research around the subject this is my best attempt at a distinction between the two terms.

And the second thing is that this module won’t train you on how to use a specific digital technology. This is because digital technologies are constantly evolving and developing, and also because there are already a ton of instructional videos available on sites such as YouTube and LinkedIn learning. Instead, the module focuses on some core principles you can use to guide you in comparing, selecting and using specific digital technologies appropriately and effectively. 

While this Bootcamp incorporates aspects of both instructional and learning design, its main aim is to help you learn by engaging in meaningful activities. The purpose of doing this is to make learning visible so myself and the Ding team can see clearly what you’ve learned in each module. This approach is underpinned by one of the largest pieces of educational research ever undertaken, which is a project called Visible Learning by Professor John Hattie. If you’d like to find out more about this, I’ve put a link below the video.

The reason I’m telling you all this is because I believe that ‘making learning visible’ is one of the primary factors that should guide how we use technology in learning design. We are fortunate to live in an age where the range of digital tools we can use to support learning has never been greater. But this choice can often be overwhelming, and so as we go through this module of the Bootcamp we’re going to explore ways of using technology pragmatically. I’ll introduce you to Ding’s technology shape sorter, which is a handy gadget for simplifying decisions about technology. We’ll also look at some principles we can use to help us focus our attention on learning first, and technology second. At the end of the module, you’ll have a go at designing a short course and planning how you could use digital tools to engage learners and underpin the learning experience. 

Are you ready? Then let’s get going!