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From Tech-Timid to Tech-Savvy: My EC&I 834 Journey

Today, I’m proud to share the Summary of Learning video I created for EC&I 834—a course that completely transformed my perspective on teaching in the digital world.

When I started, I had very little experience with educational technology. The thought of creating interactive content felt overwhelming. But step by step, I pushed past my fears, embraced new tools, and discovered how powerful and purposeful online and blended learning can be.

In this video, I showcase the course I designed for kindergarten students learning to count from 1 to 20. Using the ADDIE model, I built engaging lessons with interactive tools like Lumi, H5P, and Canvas—bringing playfulness, structure, and creativity into each learning moment.

More than just learning new tools, this journey taught me the true meaning of designing with intention—focusing on accessibility, student engagement, and real connection, even in virtual spaces.

I also experienced the power of community through platforms like Discord, where support and collaboration with Dr Katia and classmates made this experience even more meaningful.

👉 You can watch my full Summary of Learning video below, embedded right here in this blog post.

This video is not just a final project—it’s a celebration of growth, discovery, and what’s possible when we step out of our comfort zone.

Yeah! I’ve Reached the Final Step of My Online Blended Course! 🎉

“Every great journey begins with a single step, and every successful course begins with a passionate idea.” The project initiated as a vision before becoming an interactive educational experience for young students. My final project submission brings me great enthusiasm to share.

Final Overview of My Course Prototype

Overview of the Course Prototype

The instructional design teaches pre-school children number counting from one through twenty. Through this course learners receive an interactive experience that employs digital tools along with hands-on activities to build their basic numeracy understanding. The instructional process combines developmentally suitable learning methods through games and videos along with worksheets to help students develop their counting and number recognition abilities.

Course Profile

For a detailed breakdown of the course profile, please refer to my previous blog post [insert link here]. This post outlines the target audience, learning objectives, instructional strategies, and assessment methods employed in the course.

Overview of the Creation Process

 A cyclic development design method guided this course development to merge student requirements with teaching methods and technological solutions.

Key steps included:

1. Research & Planning: Exploring best practices for early numeracy development and interactive learning for kindergarten students.
2. A combination of educational activities was designed for number tracing while counting objects and playing number recognition games.
3. Students learn through interactive lessons that use the digital tools Canvas, Lumi, YouTube and Live worksheets for better comprehension.
4. The assessment plan includes informal testing methods such as counting together with students in addition to number matching activities and interactive quiz assignments.
5. Evaluation with educators will lead to course adjustments through continuous testing sessions with students.

This project also marked my first-time use of several digital tools, including:

• Canvas: Used for organizing course content and facilitating student interaction.
• Lumi: Integrated to create interactive H5P activities for student engagement.
• YouTube: Used to curate educational videos and develop my own instructional content.
• Live worksheets: Implemented to provide interactive, self-paced numeracy exercises for students.

My exploration into these tools provided essential learning about creating an enhanced and easy-to-use multimedia course for new learner audiences. Additional details about development steps appear in my related blog posts .

Course Walkthrough Video

 The walkthrough video serves to deliver comprehensive course details about structures and activities and assessment breakdown. The complete walkthrough video is accessible at this link.

Final Thoughts

Building the course prototype has brought joy through the integration of my education passion with modern teaching approaches. I aim to build young learners’ numeracy base through a course that features interactive technology together with hands-on approaches supported by exciting educational activities. All comments and ideas to advance this course are welcome. I want to express my gratitude to those who have followed my process in developing this prototype.

Engaging and Interactive Learning Experience for Kindergarten

Introduction

In today’s digital world, to make your learning effective, it is necessary to create an interactive and enjoyable way. So, for the reviewed course I have designed for kindergarten students, I integrated interactive methods to create a fun and enjoyable educational experience. I try to make a well-structured format and engaging activities; this course proves a strong foundation for young minds to learn basic and essential concepts like numbers. This was my first time creating an interactive course, and I was a little nervous too. However, as Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Keeping this in mind, I tried my best to design an interactive and engaging learning experience for kindergarten. Moreover, I strongly believe in the words of Benjamin Franklin: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.” This philosophy guided me in making the course as interactive as possible.  Below is a review of its strengths and areas where I need to improve.

Strengths of the Course

One of the strengths of this course is its simplicity and ease of understanding, which proves it is highly suitable for kindergarten students. The interactive video, “Fun with Numbers,” is colorful and enjoyable, with animated cartoon characters that effectively capture children’s attention.
Additionally, the course structure is well organized and simple to understand. Students can easily learn by watching the video and answering quiz questions, ensuring a smooth learning experience. Several tests within the system give automatic responses so students can learn new ideas and revise wrong answers right after completing the tests. The method supports better understanding and increases self-confidence levels for young students.

The program design offers flexibility through which it can fit both blended learning and strictly online methods. During their learning process, students get involved with interactive elements instead of simply memorizing information without comprehension.

Areas for Improvement

Several areas of this course excel, but there exist elements that could be enhanced to achieve maximum potential.

1. Additional options for quiz questions as well as multiple-choice questions will improve student critical thinking along with their engagement.

2. The last true/false question in the interactive video needs clearer wording.

3. The current level of engagement in the course can be enhanced by including additional images or animations specialized for students in young age groups.

4. Ensuring that instructions are clear for all students, including English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners, will enhance the learning experience.
5. Students must have improved accessibility features in the course so every learner including those with disabilities can participate effectively. People with visual impairments need audio content accompanied with text transcripts while detailed visual element descriptions should be provided. The quiz design must avoid demanding dragging and clicking elements because students need alternative options with radio buttons or check-all-that-apply questions. The implementation of these features makes the course suitable for any learner to access.

Final Thoughts

In the last, according to my reviewer, this course is a well-structured and engaging platform for kindergarten students to learn foundational concepts in an interactive manner. An enjoyable learning process that delivers effective results stems from using bright videos in combination with quizzes and speed feedback. The course needs minor adjustments to quiz options and instructions to become a more powerful educational tool for students. Digital learning becomes accessible, interactive, and enjoyable for young learners through this excellent example.

The development of an interactive course represents my first attempt at the creation of such educational software. My nerves were present at first, but I understand my areas for growth, so I plan to enhance my strategy. The program starts with remarkable momentum, which will grow stronger through additional adjustments for delivering enriching learning to children. A significant amount of effort has been dedicated to formulating this course since it shows great promise to become an excellent resource for early childhood education.

Here is the link to my course:https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/BJ6PKD

Enhancing Student Interaction for meaningful Learning

The development of student skills together with their self-assurance depends heavily on having a captivating learning environment. Mutual student-instructor engagement creates advanced understanding in addition to resulting in improved collaborative work along with enhanced academic achievement. The incorporation of diverse interactive procedures allows students to interact with educational content through preferred approaches to learning. The course employs real-time as well as self-paced methods to guarantee accessible interactions that create meaningful learning experiences for all students. The educational methods enable learner involvement and mutual student education through instructor evaluation so students can achieve better results in their studies.

Forms of Student/Student-Instructor Interaction

1. LMS Forums (Google Classroom Discussion Boards)

The course will implement Google Classroom’s discussion boards to enable asynchronous student discussions. Under this platform, students can interact with other students by sharing their thoughts about readings while reflecting on reading content. In a relaxed environment, students can reply to peer ideas through structured prompts, which promotes their written expression achievements.

The LMS discussion boards allow students to express their ideas through critical thinking while granting them flexible time to compose their thoughts. These student discussions provide structured support for lower-literacy students through which they develop their written communication skills step by step.

2. Flipgrid for Video Reflections

Students will leverage Flipgrid to create video recordings about Indigenous stories as well as their individual experiences through provided prompts.

The video-based interaction approach enables students to use verbal communication while respecting different communication styles even if they have challenges with writing. The strategy harmonizes with the traditions of Indigenous spoken narratives and enables culturally responsive participation. Video by Michael Wesch, a professor of (digital) cultural anthropology and content creator who has done a great deal of research into digital spaces and online learning Online teaching video production becomes simpler through the guidance provided in this resource

• Hashtags for Social Learning (#LiteracyLand on Padlet)
  
  Students can contribute their reflections and creative works about literacy activities through the designated Padlet hashtags, including #IndigenousStories, #OutdoorLearning, and #MyReflection, on a designated class Padlet board.

  Hashtags serve as a methodical system that students can use for content classification, thus allowing thematic tracking and re-examining of discussions. The method promotes collective learning as well as community building between students.

  4. Video Chats (Zoom Sessions for Collaborative Learning)

• The platform provides weekly Zoom meetings where students can join real-time discussions as well as storytelling exercises and group-supported reading activities. The instructor leads the sessions by creating breakout rooms to enable group work activities. Another video by Michael Wesch, examines the teaching strategies of YouTubers through which educators can develop better online student engagement methods

  Students benefit from real-time feedback along with relationship building together with immediate support because of live interaction. Small group discussions create an excellent environment for students who need literacy support to work with their peers.

  Guidelines for Meaningful and Supportive Interaction

  The following guidelines will help produce productive and engaging interactions for the course:

  1. Students will receive guidance to give beneficial comments through openers such as “I appreciate your perspective because…” or “Have you considered…?”

  2. Students will possess a safe space to share personal experiences because Indigenous perspectives maintain respect while participants receive encouragement.

  3. All students will feel welcome to participate through structured discussion methods aimed at creating minimal pressure regardless of their reading abilities.

  4. Instructors will maintain their presence throughout class activities by participating and helping students develop more advanced understanding.

  Assessment Practices
  
  The educational value of interactions among students will be judged through their level of commitment as well as their thoughtful inquiry and their influence on community learning rather than just their writing skills. Assessment tools will include:

  1) Rubrics for Discussion Participation

•      Evaluating depth of engagement
•      Thoughtfulness, and
•      Respectful communication.

  The assessment method includes reflection journals to help students express their educational growth and linkages to classroom materials.

  2) Oral Storytelling Evaluation

• Focusing on expression,
• Clarity, and
• Engagement rather than grammatical accuracy.

  The course integrates interactive components that lead students to meaningful, culturally sensitive learning that develops their skills and establishes community connections. According to Michael Wesch, meaningful learning brings together relationships along with curiosity and engagement. Student achievement depends on the establishment of an interactive environment that offers student support.

Engaging Early Learners: “A course profile for kindergarten counting”

Course Profile

The course profile I designed for kindergarten students with interactive foundational learning opportunities to develop both counting and number recognition skills while promoting learning through fun activities. The details of concerning tools for teaching along with lesson content and design rationale follow below.

Target Student Population and Demographics

This course profile is designed for kindergarten students, who are aged 4 to 6 years old, and in the stage to recognize numbers and develop mathematical skills. This proves beneficial to make them familiar with numbers in a flexible way, accommodating a range of abilities. The purpose is to enhance counting skills among them. Incorporating teaching experience in backcountry India during COVID-19, I have designed this course to be accessible in the limited internet access and digital resources

Course Format

This course profile follows a blended learning approach, which includes synchronous and asynchronous learning to fulfill various learning needs and access limitations.

Synchronous Learning:

Live lessons via Zoom, which consist of interactive activities and asking questions.

Activities like screen sharing, whiteboarding, and reaction buttons.

Asynchronous Learning:

activities on Google Classroom.

Video tutorials, counting games, and worksheets.

Flexible learning materials.

In rural areas, especially those I taught in during COVID-19, I would provide alternative methods such as downloadable PDFs, worksheets, and video lessons that can be shared via WhatsApp or basic phone access.

Course Toolset

I will use a variety of tools to enhance learning which are given below:

Course Content and Learning Objectives

 Zoom – For live interactive sessions.

Kahoot – To create quizzes and games.

Google Drive – For worksheets and resources.

WhatsApp (if needed)– for parental feedback

This course profile major goal is to focus on   fundamental counting skills to build strong foundation in mathematics. Topics include:

• Learn numbers 1 to 10.
• Count objects up to 10.
• Match numbers with their quantities

Assessment Strategies

Strategies include:

Kahoot Quizzes (like: Fun, game-based quizzes), Zoom Observations (Real-time monitoring of student participation), Google Classroom Assignments(Worksheets and counting activities for tracking progress),Parent Feedback (Encouraging parents to observe their child’s progress and provide informal feedback).

In my backcountry India, where digital assessments were not always feasible, I relied on oral assessments, parent feedback, and hands-on activities. These methods will also be integrated for students in similar situations.

 Considerations for Common Concerns

To ensure accessibility, I have planned solutions for potential challenges:

Low Bandwidth: Short Zoom sessions (20 minutes) with downloadable materials for offline access.

Access to Devices: Providing alternative ways to engage, such as phone-based learning via WhatsApp.

English as an Additional Language (EAL): Using visual aids, subtitles, and simple language in lessons.

Attendance and Scheduling: Recording sessions and offering flexible assignment deadlines.

Cultural Considerations: Incorporating diverse examples and materials reflecting different cultural backgrounds.

Rationale for Design Choices

This course profile is designed with flexibility, interactivity in mind. My experience teaching in rural areas during COVID-19 taught me the importance of various instructional methods.

Blended Learning Approach: Ensures engagement through both live lessons and self-paced activities.

Interactive Tools: Zoom and Kahoot make learning fun and engaging.

Alternative Access Strategies: Google Classroom and WhatsApp ensure students with different access levels can still participate.

Hands-on Learning: Incorporating household items into lessons makes learning tangible and accessible to all students.

I am excited to see how my kindergarten students engage with this course and develop their counting skills in a playful, interactive way!

Click and find ADDIE framework.

                                                                                      I  remember when I started my career as a teacher, I mainly focused on traditional classroom designs. However, during the pandemic, this completely transformed into a technological format. As I read in one of the books, these transitions can be seen as old wine in new bottles where traditional teaching methods were simply adapted into digital formats. This shift began with practices like online classes and recorded sessions, which increased access and flexibility for students.

Initially, I had technophobia and always avoided using digital gadgets. However, COVID-19 forced me out of my comfort zone to adapt to technology and make my teaching more effective. During this time, I learned how to use blended learning methods, which completely changed my teaching style. This not only enhanced the quality of education but also made classrooms more interactive, fascinating, and engaging.

If I talk about challenges, in the beginning, I faced issues such as unfamiliarity with digital tools, network glitches, and the time-consuming nature of preparing online activities. It required extra effort and patience to overcome these hurdles.

Once I got past these challenges, I realized the immense opportunities technology offers. It became the easiest way to teach students, allowing for more flexible and interactive classrooms. It made education more effective and impactful, especially for students pursuing remote studies. As it is mentioned in the given video too.

Thus, this integration of technology not only enhanced my teaching but also helped me move beyond traditional methods. Thanks to these advancements, I am now confident in using technological tools and can continue to improve my teaching practices.

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