I have been creating learning content for the past few years, in one form or another, for very different audiences. Along the way I learnt several lessons that I always wanted to document in writing. I never got to it, because I doubted my ability to make strong connections between theory and experience.
When I took up T127, I was excited about the possibility of creating my first portfolio and setting it up in a way that would let me present to a wider audience. I remember spending hours thinking about my first reflective post. The title, the structure, the tone, the concepts. I wanted to make it perfect.
Each post connected a course concept to my life as a student, a teacher, and a designer.
Looking back at my journal entries from the last three months, I am surprised by the posts I've written, mostly by the way I structured them and the different angles I took on each topic. Every post tried to write about a concept from T127 by connecting it to my experience as a student, teacher, or learning designer, to ideas from other courses, to conversations with my peers, or just to thoughts that popped up as we discussed something in class. It may not be perfect, but I believe it is a testament to my ability to create content rooted in both experience and theory.
This course was the perfect balance of theory and application, and it was beautifully scaffolded. Several parts of the course added up to a holistic learning experience, where each piece was vital and connected to the others. In the infographic below, I've tried to map my experience taking this class, and the many ways each part supported my learning.
In the beginning, after the discovery module, I outlined several skills I expected to develop through this course. Revisiting my portfolio posts now, I can see clear evidence of the skills I have actually built. As I close this final reflection, I have nothing but gratitude for Professor Bill, Mary, Haejung, and all my peers for the rich learning experience I've had.