In makerspaces, the sheer array of tools and materials available can inspire imaginative wondering about making of so many possible projects. Some makers may find it challenging to dive in and to commit to a project, knowing that this means that it may be impossible to make everything one dreamed up.
During the first week of the DMLCommons, we noticed that the new distributed online course format relies quite a bit on savvy use of social media tools and a certain level of confidence and comfort with the feeling of not being able to catch it all. At the same time, the Professional Pathways and the Design-Based Research strand are mainly aimed towards graduate students who are often highly ambitious people and frequently approach coursework by doing everything and more.
The wonderful responsiveness of the DML Hub and the growing DML Commons community as well as the Blog Talk Garage sessions are two very helpful ways for increasing comfort with only joining parts of the course offering. They are confidence boosters, encouraging participants to find and follow their own path of engaging with the courses.
We think that another way to lower the learning curve and ease people into embracing the distributed and loosely connected structure of the DML Commons would be to share engagement stories and experiences.
How have you been engaging with the course? What sessions are you planning on joining? What challenges have you had (technical and learning practice)? What do you like about the course? What would you encourage others to try?
It would be wonderful to hear stories and experiences of how you engaged in the courses throughout. Please share them as comments directly underneath this post, or on Twitter using the DML Common hashtag (#DMLcommons). Sharing these stories can help others feel more comfortable and confident exploring their own ways of engaging. We are looking forward to hearing your ideas!
– Anna and Kylie
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