This is an interesting perspective - do students match the vitriol that they saw on the news and, perhaps, at home, or do they still learn the important skills of persuasion and discourse in a more civil manner.

This coding scheme perhaps gets to the idea that students made their cases based on their interests beyond just their interest in a particular topic. They were also able to use a method of persuasion that, I presume, was also aligned with their interests.

I find this idea critical to empowering students, learner agency, and diversity and inclusion. "Engaging in local groups and clubs" comes from a place of privilege where the assumption is that a group of like-minded citizens will be viewed as civically engaged. It's difficult to feel empowered by a system that was not designed for you to engage in.

I was also struck by that number. I first looked at topics by region, but then was curious what were the most important topics across the country. I was amazed and saddened by the fact that gun violence was such a prevalent thought in our youths' minds. It is devastating to consider that today's students don't remember a world where active shooter drills and "Safe-to-Tell" hotlines didn't exist. I realize this is my own bias on the issue, but I was amazed by the volume of students who were against gun control -seeing their gun rights as their only protection against a mass shooting. Our youth are thinking about this issue while trying to learn is baffling to me.

I would love to see a course schedule that includes the reading assignments. I appreciate modules being locked to prevent students from moving too far ahead, but I also would like to be able to budget my time for the next 8 weeks. I feel anxious not knowing what is coming. Even with being able to see the module and page titles, I know that some activities will require more time than others, especially those where I am learning a new technology.

I love the verbs chosen for each page/discussion/assignment. It is a great call to action! The structure is outstanding. The only issue I see with this display is that the image raises an equity issue - students who require screen readers will not be able to access this information unless there is a really long alt tag associated with the image.

The "knowledge necessary to create" is an interesting concept to me. An important design consideration is what are we assessing - the ability to demonstrate what was learned, the ability to use the new technology, or a combination of the two. I personally love learning new technology, but that is not without its growing pains, especially when trying to also master other new concepts.

I am curious about how we define "technology rich." My personal soap box is that "technology rich" is only as good as the pedagogy that accompanies it. I am also excited, looking through the syllabus at seeing a variety of technologies to try. I really appreciate walking the walk while we are talking the talk.

I am interested in the professional training element of this course. Although the TIP program is marketed as a program for K-12 educators and instructional designers, I have found many of the courses more K-12 focused. I am able to connect to that base on my years in education, but I am in this program to hone my skills as an ID practitioner. I appreciate the acknowledgement of professional training environments here.