As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m currently working on lesson plans for our instructors. Starting out, I knew I wanted ways for instructors to simplify using digital resources into a writing classroom. However, I didn’t realize how from scratch I’d have to start.
I began this project as I usually do: by searching my documents for a digital lesson template. To my surprise, I found no template. So I did what you do next; I turned to Google. Finding: the internet is rich in excellent stock photos, poor in templates for integrating digital resources.
Now you, a long time DWRL reader, may ask: Why didn’t I just use the old lesson plan site as a template? Well, dear reader, the old site is a good place to find lessons but not a good resource for writing lessons.
In a terribly well-intended and often helpful way, the old site was designed to cater to many different types of lesson plans for many different tools for many different disciplines. As you know, carrying all tools for all occasions makes for a rather clunky instrument. In other words, when it came to writing lesson plans, the site was like Inspector Gadget’s costume: unwieldy.
So this is where I am now: I’m trying to make the Penny of lesson plan templates for the lab. A template that makes it easier to incorporate digital resources into the rhetoric classroom.
But, in order to keep things simple, I’m forgoing the idea of one master template. So rather than an Inspector Gadget cure-all template, I’m working on a few simple tools. A few Pennies and maybe a couple Brians.
Not one template for everything instructors will ever teach, but a few different template options. At this moment, I’m trying to decide between making templates for specific tools or intended products (e.g., a template for Photoshop versus template for making supercuts.) I’ll keep you updated.
Featured image: photo credit.
