Activity/experience Description:
Activity 1, Workshop 1 lessons were informative because it gave me ideas on the essence of a blog. I learnt how to start one by making calculated moves. Having looked at people who started blogs and turned them into businesses, I was ready to start. I spent time working on some ideas from class work and entrepreneurship in order to understand the market needs. The application of learning applications from the onset set the pace for me to focus on the kind of blog I wanted. I chose an interactive blog for offering solutions to professionals.
The experience from this went further to deepen my understanding of knowledge. Obviously, there is no end to learning and improving. After all, ideas keep changing and it is up to me as a learner and professional to keep advancing myself through academic and applied learning. We live in a global world where opportunities are available at our fingertips. The activity unveiled practical tips on how to use creativity to solve world problems. Innovating through ideas is extraordinary and individualistic. This process explained DT principles in short for me to understand clearly (Koohang & Paliszkiewicz, 2013).
Thoughts and Feelings DURING the activity:
In this activity, I was unsure of different expectations. I could not tell how to interact with my ideas for a productive outcome in an online platform. I had used digital media before but this was a new experience. It required sobriety and focus. I felt ready and confident for group work. I was uncertain about so many things. Lack of proper skills meant I did not know how to integrate professional tactics and personal strengths for a perfect product. I decide to start from where I could and progress while making mistakes so that I could learn.
Thoughts and Feelings AFTER the activity:
In the process of interacting with group members, I gained more confidence. I was able to observe others doing similar things and making mistakes. This made me realize that we all have a starting point. It was not easy to merge ideas from self-assessment and group assessment but I had to develop an open mind. This was the best way I was going to incorporate ideas from other people. I appreciated the creativity from others and instructions from our leaders including our teachers. This was the first step towards polishing on my weaknesses.
What can you learn from this activity?
Design thinking is about prototyping. Nothing is perfect and nothing should be permanent. I realized that there is no dead end for a creative mind because the more I think; the more I receive new ideas for new moves. I could go on for ages juts drafting and mapping ideas on a piece of paper. I could write, use pictures or crate stories with limitless themes. Developing concepts was not as difficult as I thought. The process of imagining starts from one-step and grows to myriads of ideas across different levels. Therefore, it is important to start from somewhere and keep improving.
What can you do to develop yourself further in the context of this activity?
I have already taken steps towards attaining academic qualifications. Therefore, I need to polish on my professional skills because this has multiple benefits. It helps me to identify a focus for my career development. I also need to engage in entrepreneurship ideas because it is more fulfilling in life. When I create ideas that make sense to people and bring change to the world, this is satisfying. My intention is to add value through DT. I do not want to keep ideas to myself but to spread them to the world. I have the advantage of social media, which allows me to use images, photography, and content.
Academic Reference to link this to theory
References
Koohang, A., & Paliszkiewicz, J. (2013). Knowledge construction in e-learning: An empirical validation of an active learning model. Journal of computer Information Systems, 53(3), 109-114.
The computer age provides effective learning experiences for DT. Knowledge construction through an active learning model is engaging, and it allows learners to own the process across each stage, especially in DT.
