Anna's Blog

  This is a slideshow I made in Google Slides. I'm a big fan of Google Drive and all of its components - Slides included. I find the interface easier to work with than Powerpoint, because it's less busy and less scattered - the buttons are the same size, there's orderly sections that help direct you to what you're looking for, and the process of moving your text and building blocks around is much easier than it is in Powerpoint. I firmly believe that Google's workspaces are better than Microsoft's, and I'll die on that hill - but let me get off my soapbox. All in all, I enjoyed this mini project and hope this slideshow could help those who have never made an instructional slideshow before!

  This is the screenshot I took using Techsmith Capture - it complements my how-to on basic file organization within Google Drive. As stated in my previous post, I believe this would help someone whose class or company uses Google interfaces. The picture could be especially useful to hang onto if someone didn't have time to look back on a video, as it outlines the most important button that displays several options and the rest is likely self explanatory from there.

  Here is my screencast video - I used Techsmith Capture to demonstrate and explain a bit about how to organize files and folders in Google Drive. I believe this would help someone whose class or company uses Google interfaces - it would be the first step of many designed to explain how Google Drive works. 

 What stood out to me most in Chapters 7 and 8 was the emphasis both authors place on how designers learn to think, not just what they learn to do. The discussions around developing design expertise made me reflect on my own path and where I want to go - whether that’s teaching in academia or moving into a UX research or instructional design role. Both Fortney and Tracey highlight that becoming a designer is an ongoing process of reflection, experience, and identity-building, which resonates with me at this point in my life. Fortney’s ideas about exposing novice designers to authentic, complex problems early on made a lot of sense. I’ve noticed in my own learning that the most comprehensive understanding comes from struggling through problems, testing ideas, and figuring out what works in context. Tracey’s focus on designer identity added another layer to that. She talks about how being a designer also means understanding your own perspective, values, and how you approach problem s...

  As I read through Chs. 5 and 6, I was really interested in how Molenda and Branch look at both the value and the limits of systematic models like ISD. Molenda makes a good case for the systems approach, like ADDIE, as a helpful guide. It gives structure, helps designers think things through, and provides a clear process for beginners to follow. But Branch balances the scale by pointing out that if we rely too much on models, we risk losing creativity and flexibility. He reminds us that real instructional design requires judgment, reflection, and the ability to adapt to what is actually happening. What stood out to me most was the balance between structure and flexibility. Having a framework can help us stay organized and cover all the important steps, but real learning environments are unpredictable. Especially in hands-on settings like labs, things rarely go exactly as planned. Branch’s idea that good design comes from adapting and making thoughtful choices really connects with ...

This is my google doc where I collaborated with a classmate - i shared it with my friend Seanna, and we had a brief conversation. Since my embedded content seems to not be displaying in the most ideal way, I've linked the document below as well: Week 6 Google Docs Assignment

  Here's an example map for my Road Trip assignment.

Using Google Maps, I decided to make a road trip project where students could design a journey through their home state or country. They’ll pick some cities, use the description box to tell me about each city, then design a trip on Google Maps that includes all of those cities. Here’s what the directions would look like:  ______________________________________________________________________________ Road Trip Map Project: Assignment Overview In this project, you’ll create your own virtual road trip through your home state or country using Google Maps. You’ll explore different cities and towns, learn what makes them special, and plan a route that connects them all into one awesome road trip adventure! By completing this project, you will: Learn more about cities and landmarks in your state Practice using digital mapping tools Write short, descriptive summaries Design a creative, realistic travel route Instructions Step 1: Open Google Maps Go to Google Maps Make sure you’re signed in...

Reading Brent Wilson’s idea of “Guerrilla Design” really made me think about my approach as a new lab instructor. He talks about how we don’t need to wait for permission or big changes to improve learning; we can start by making small, thoughtful adjustments right where we are. In his rejoinder, Wilson explains that guerrilla design isn’t about being reckless, but about being responsive and creative within real-world limits. In the lab, I’ve already seen how small tweaks - like changing the way I explain a process or setting up a more hands-on activity - can make a real difference in how students engage. Wilson’s idea makes me feel more confident experimenting and finding what works, even if it’s not the traditional way. Brad Hokanson’s thoughts on “content” also connected with what I’ve been noticing. He argues that too often, education focuses on delivering information instead of helping students use it. That’s especially true in labs, where the goal isn’t just to memorize facts but ...

Here's the link to a very insightful and scholarly podcast. I'm not sure if we were supposed to actually record and upload a podcast episode or not...or what topic we should cover...but I recorded a little episode just in case. This was fun!! https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/anna-m-langpodcast

Chapters 1 and 2 of our book really pushed me to think differently about instructional design. In Chapter 1, Parrish frames it as more than just an engineering or step-by-step process, comparing it to other design fields where creativity and judgment are essential. That stood out to me because I’ve often treated design like following a cut-and-dry set of instructions, when in reality it probably calls for more fluid, creative thinking. In Chapter 2, Bannan dives into how hard it is to really pin down the nature of design, since in practice it’s never neat or linear. That clicked with me too, because I’ve had plenty of times where my carefully laid designs didn’t give me the expected end result or go the way I wanted them to and I had to pivot - and many of these times relate to my experiences as a teacher and while using instructional technology. What I liked most about both chapters is the reminder that design is just as much about flexibility and context as it is about structure. Tha...

  This is the address of my favorite coffee shop in the world.

  This is a youtube video of piano jazz music. This is my favorite video to have running in the background while i'm working or studying :)

 here is an image of my family :)

For my BYOD activity, I decided to create a short beginner Spanish quiz. I imagined myself teaching an intro lesson where students are just starting to pick up greetings and simple everyday phrases. I used Socrative for this quiz, and my room # is LANG2242. The quiz included four questions: multiple choice, short answer and true/false; inquiring about easy words and sayings like “I love you”, “How are you?”, etc. In a real classroom, I could see myself using this as a warm-up activity to get students engaged and thinking in both languages right away. As for my reflections this week, I’m finding the blog format to be an interesting change of pace. It feels strange knowing I’m writing to an audience of classmates instead of just turning in a private assignment. I think that makes me consider tone and clarity differently. Using Socrative was surprisingly easy and kind of fun - it didn’t take too long to set up a quiz and launch it, and I liked how simple it was to imagine students logging...