The Digital Pedagogy Lab, hosted by the University of Mary Washington, engages a community of learners and teachers to inspire educational approaches based on pedagogies, policies, and critical practices that support agency, creativity, and inquiry.

The Digital Pedagogy Lab, which was first offered in 2015, is an annual learning and teaching event that provides in-depth dialogue and practical experience to educators working in under-theorized digital learning spaces. The Lab was an immersive learning and development experience with an abundance of lunches, workshops, special receptions, keynotes, outings, and time to reflect.

Sessions ranged from experimenting with a particular genre of tool -- data and text analysis, digital media production, or tools for dynamic online learning -- to a deep-dive look at access and privacy issues related to digital scholarship.

The majority of my time was spent in a workshop that examined digital storytelling or “meaning making,” using conventional as well as non-conventional digital tools for creating narratives. This workshop alternated information sharing by the facilitator, Martha Burtis, with full group discussion of related topics and time to experiment with a rich collection of equipment and tool choices. Another useful resource was the collection of assignments Martha built for her online course, Digital Humanities 106.

Keynote speakers included Anya Kamenetz, the lead digital education correspondent for NPR, who shared thoughts on artificial intelligence and its role in education. Jade E. Davis, a second keynote speaker, spoke about “frugal innovation” and ways to ensure that the digital work brought into the classroom works for the goals of both the student and instructor.

I look forward to ways to use all these best practices, tips, and techniques in my work with multimedia assignments in the coming semester!