One thing I wish I did in my first course, INF530 Concepts and Practices for a Digital Age, was to fo a pre-reflective post about my current understandings and knowledge in regards to the learning I am about to undertake. Hopefully, this will help me find a baseline and make my future learning reflections with more authenticity. It is coming a bit late as we are 2 weeks in (thanks to lack of Wifi connection in the Philippines) however, better late than never 🙂
My 2nd course for this degree is INF536 Designing Spaces for Learning. This is an area the hugely interests me, the physical learning space and the impact it has on individual learners and the way that learning is occurring in the classroom. My knowledge and expertise in the area of the digital learning space is what I am trying to develop, hence undertaking this degree (Knowledge Networks & Digital Innovation).
As a first grade teacher, I have always tried to involve and include my students in designing their learning space, their classroom. Whether this be by helping me plan the physical movement of furniture or by moving the furniture themselves! I strongly believe that there is power in the students taking ownership of the space.
A colleague of mine from my first year of teaching gave me a better insight into setting up the classroom in a more holistic way. She told me it shouldn’t just be about tables, chairs, what’s on the walls etc. Teachers should be mindful of important things such as light (natural vs artificial and finding a balance), sound and smells. Having natural things, quiet spaces of solitude, collaborative areas, spaces for play (early childhood/learning-oriented) and so much more. The bottom line is my classroom will never be the same 2 years in a row because my learners will not be the same! Honestly, it doesn’t even stay the same for an entire term.
A big factor of physical/digital learning spaces is the safety aspect. As an Australian teacher working at an American school in Korea, interestingly, there is a gap in this area between Australian standards and Korean standards. There is definitely more rigour that I have experienced in safety laws in regards to physical learning spaces/ play spaces (e.g. playgrounds) in Australian public schools than in South Korea.
Speaking digitally now, one term which I recently learned of and have used a lot is ‘user-friendly’. My understanding of ‘user-friendliness’ is how platforms, websites etc. function in order to be intuitive and easy to use for the individuals who come to use them. I see how this is a big area of the digital learning environment that has a direct impact on learners.
Finally, I hope this course can challenge and expand my thinking in ways I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I hope that I can take on board where discussions and questioning can lead me and be able to put things into practice in real-time in my own classroom and future classrooms, also digital learning environments, that I might have.