---

Lessons Learned

The use of technology is required in the modern classroom. In the past, I worked on projects with students that included video and photo editing for storytelling purposes. When Covid-19 hit, technology was not only a tool for creating, but became the space for learning. While we were all working from home trying to educate students, I built a Google Site consisting of daily updates. These updates mostly served to bring news, videos, music, and funny clips to students as a distraction to the real-world horrors of the early days of the pandemic. We also started using Google Classroom as a way for students to submit work and asynchronously complete lessons. The use of Google Classroom continued when we all returned in-person and was still in use when I left working in the classroom. It remained just a place for students to submit work and maybe get caught up on content they missed. The use of Google Classroom lacked a real purpose and objectives. If I had the instructional design skills then, I would have been able to build learning opportunities that met students’ needs. Diversifying content to meet all students needs is the role technology plays in instructional design and development. Technology gives educators the power to take the necessary storytelling, objectives, and required knowledge to deliver content for all kinds of learners. Meeting the needs of all learners is the most difficult part of being an educator. Technology gives instructional designers the best chance of meeting all learners where they are by diversifying how content is delivered. Technology gives instructional designers the opportunity to make a classroom anywhere. It does not have to be a physical space, but can exist here on WordPress or Google Classroom. Instructional designers have the opportunity to use technology effectively and impact classrooms anywhere.

Being able to create a classroom anywhere is what I am most proud of as an instructional designer, or at least I will be once I use my skills to educate students. I have become better at visualizing content during this semester. I feel I have become better at combining the use of photos and video to deliver content. I have begun thinking about how to deliver information to students and invested partners in my current role at Syracuse University. I think about, “How can I put all of that information into an easily digestible infographic?” Making content easier to understand is always at the forefront of my thinking when it relates to students. I always want to make the student experience better and more personalized. I believe the projects this semester have given me new skills to make the student experience better.