My name is Wren McDonald, an educator and expert Learning Designer in the making. I see myself as a change-maker who is effectively removing barriers in the learning environment. I have worked as a teacher in elementary school, a faculty member at a college, taught abroad, been a dean for 4 th -12 th grade, and worked in a University as an administrator. With over 10 years of experience holding various roles within the educational system, I am always looking to learn new skills or strengthen the ones I have. Regardless of the position that I have held, I have always been passionate about the learners and meeting them where they are at, viewing them as a holistic being with a complex story which shapes how they learn. Given this, I recognize that technology is ever-evolving, and in order to best serve students, educators must evolve with it. That said, I have never considered technology to be a strength of mine. To give a frame of reference, I cried while learning Excel from m...
My Communication Plan as a Learning Designer I recognize that active listening is a skill that I really shine in. I have a high desire to due well and high expectations of myself. However, that is couple with ADHD, and I can easily “check-out” of conversations. To prevent that, I have found that taking notes on what someone is telling me about is very helpful. I will then repeat back to them what they told me but in my own words to check for understanding. I will also make note of things that I may have questions on and require more clarity to ensure that we are on the same page. Before leaving the conversation, I will usually give a recap of any action items or key take aways relevant to both parties. Through these actions, I am engaging in providing feedback to the sender which is identified as both the acknowledgment and a reiteration of the conversation to confirm understanding of the message (Tennant et. al 2023). I have found that this is very helpful in making sure th...