{"id":55168,"date":"2022-05-09T12:13:54","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T16:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edtechteacher.org\/?p=55168"},"modified":"2022-05-09T15:16:42","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T19:16:42","slug":"domains-of-digital-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edtechteacher.org\/domains-of-digital-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Domains of Digital Learning\ufffc\ufffc"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

EdTechTeacher is so thrilled to welcome Jed Stefanowicz to our team of summer instructors. Jed Stefanowicz is a Digital Learning Coach in Walpole, MA, providing job-embedded professional learning and coaching for academic technology. Through conferences and workshops, Jed aims to engage and build staff\/student digital learning capacity, keeping the focus on practice over product. As a 25 year elementary educator, speaker, blogger, and MA Teach Plus Policy Fellow, Jed shares his passion for effective tech integration to transform teaching and learning, and to design experiences that activate, innovate, and motivate digital learning. He is the Author of Take AIM at Digital Learning: Activate, Innovate, Motivate.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following article was originally published on Jed’s blog, Take AIM<\/a><\/em>, on May 7, 2022 and is posted here with permission from the author. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a digital learning coach, one of my goals is to support and enhance the instructional capacity of educators I work with. If we remember to stick to the ABCs – Always Build Capacity (thanks @jeantower), we can do a bit of backwards planning to flip that acronym and find out why: CBA – Capacity Builds Agency. If you think teachers like acronyms, try a reversible one!! Yes, capacity builds agency. My view of agency in digital learning is the intersection and application of three domains of digital learning: Wellness, Competency, and Creativity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wellness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wellness in digital learning is more complex and comprehensive than an outdated coverage of digital citizenship. In fact, digital citizenship is often viewed  by classroom teachers and families within a framework of internet safety and behavior. Wellness builds upon and expand digital citizenship while encompassing and including families, society, social emotional learning and mental health in a more holistic view of digital literacy. See the links at the end of this post to dig deeper into digital wellness components (physical, cognitive, emotional, community) through Kerry Gallagher\u2019s Connect Safely blog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competency<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This domain spans the skills learners acquire and the opportunities we provide to measure their capacity and growth. In a competency approach, learning shifts to the application of concepts in intentional and meaningful modes.  Competency in digital learning measures learners\u2019 ability to accomplish tasks and apply authentic skills across content areas, rather than navigating a scope and sequence of technology-based tasks surrounding the operation of products and devices. Competency keeps the focus shifted toward practices over products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creativity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we want to empower a generation of content-creators, we need to prioritize digital design and creativity as critical classroom competencies. We need to update what it means for students to publish their work through methods like  digital media, blogs, podcasts, and presentations. Shifting students from consuming to creating is a gradual process that has suffered a backslide through the pandemic, and is that much more important in reestablishing and reengaging our kids with effective tech integration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applying a post-pandemic lens to digital learning coaching, focusing on specific domains to target with the teachers I work with provides a professional learning lens that keeps our work focused on educator-growth and student-learning, rather than tool-training, or specific lesson-planning.  This is the way I\u2019ve reshaped my vision and framework for coaching duriung this difficult year . It\u2019s too much to expect classroom teachers to do the necessary work of rebuilding students\u2019 connection to school and learning while reclaiming their own. Teachers have identified this year as their hardest yet, and that leaves little room for professional growth beyond essentials. Focusing on digital wellness, competency, or creativity domains in isolation reduces the cognitive load on educators and shifts the expectation to more targeted capacity-building efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considering these three domains of wellness, competency, and creativity is also a way for administrators to focus their gaze toward the ways in which teachers are engaging students with technology.  We are past tech-integration, and ready to elevate the application of academic technology to enhance teaching and learning to impact student-agency.  We are<\/em> integrated, whether through 1:1 devices, LMS platforms, or tech-enhanced lesson plans.  We are ready to Take AIM to activate content, innovate instruction, and motivate learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interested in learning more?  Join Jed for EdTechTeacher workshops<\/a> this summer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ConnectSafelyBlog Posts<\/p>\n\n\n\n