Tyler McDowell-Blanken

(I'm a Wildcat and Sun Devil) Short-term goal : Identify and research two BIPOC learning designers who contributed to the field. Significance : Although listed as my short-term goal, this one is truly as important to me as any of the three listed. I have really enjoyed my time in the learning design and technologies program thus far. I have considered the idea of pursuing a master’s, but I did not foresee that I would be able to begin a program so soon. I left my high school teaching job to begin a role as a student recruiter at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College here at Arizona State University. One of my motivating factors for pursuing this opportunity was the ability to pursue a master’s degree, especially at a reduced cost. Simply, I do not think I would be able to be here without that tuition discount.  I really enjoyed my most recent class, LDT 501. Our professors were incredibly communicative and tailored the class in a way that felt very meaningful. Our discussion format, ass...

  Step 1 Admittedly, I was an absolute novice as it relates to the concept of learning design and technologies prior to starting the master’s program here at ASU. I have six years of secondary classroom experience, so I definitely have experience creating lessons and utilizing technologies. However, even after cursory internet searches, I still truthfully entered the program feeling unsure of what exactly this is. When I would try explaining the program to inquiring friends and family, I felt much like the person from the “woman in the park” scenario from this week’s reading who had trouble coming up with a concise, interesting definition. However, these past three weeks of our class have provided me with more experience and confidence to give it a try. Learning design is the process by which someone (or multiple people) consider essential factors such as diversity of learners, how to activate prior knowledge, and desired learning outcomes to create the most efficient, engaging mod...

  Hi, my name is Tyler. Welcome to my blog!  Thank you for taking the time to be here. I hope this site will spotlight who I am, the work I've done, and the goals I aspire to reach. I attended the University of Arizona for my undergraduate degree. I am a proud of Wildcat and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. However, I developed a persistent urge to teach. I spent six years as a high school English teacher here in my home state of Arizona. My time in the classroom was personally and professionally transformative. I am indebted with gratitude to the colleagues who challenged me, students who showed up each day, and families that supported our school along the way. I currently work as a student recruitment coordinator for the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Pursuing a master's degree has been a goal of mine for several reasons. I feel grateful to the universe, my application references, and anyone who reminded me that yes, I could act...