by Kim Loomis | May 23, 2015 | Online Course Design
When it comes to developing online content we need to take a lesson from the construction industry. Building online content is much like the construction field, pulling raw materials together forming a functional living space with all the necessary requirements (e.g. electricity, plumbing). For teachers who create or curate content the same basic principles apply – pulling raw materials together forming a functional learning space with all the necessary requirements (e.g. standards, assessments). Yet, all too often we see teachers think more like interior designers, who come in after the framework and essential elements are in place and attempt to make the room beautiful by selecting decorative items, such as colors, lighting, and artwork. Like the interior designer who dresses up a single room at a time, many teachers start with a single lesson, without looking at the entire online learning environment. Like the construction worker, teachers need a blueprint of the end product before picking up the hammer and nails. Starting with the end in mind, seeing the entire layout, is much like backward design – beginning with what you want the students to know and be able to do. We understand that picking out the photos and colors of a digital lesson plan are fun and interesting, but if you don’t have a foundation to hang the lesson on, it is doomed to fail – no matter how pretty it may look. Especially as students move within the online environment where the format, styles, and expectations continue to change thus creating a huge cognitive load. Digital content creation starts with the big picture, breaking this further into...
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