As I read through the readings this week, I came across many points that I found interesting but I found An Urgency of Teachers: The Work of Digital Pedagogy by Morris, S.M and Stommel, J. particularly interesting, especially the chapter about going beyond learning management systems in education. 

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are online systems that support administration and online course delivery in education (Mardinger R. 2021). As university switched to online studies during the pandemic, I was introduced to learning management systems immediately and they quickly became a major part of my online learning experience. Brightspace was the system where I did most of my learning, where I would watch lectures, find my readings, and do my quizzes. I also uploaded and submitted my work, and received my grades via Brightspace. Until I read the chapter: Beyond the LMS, I always thought Brightspace was very organized, efficient, and an easy system to use for online learning. I now realize that although Brightspace does make teaching organized, efficient, and easy for professors and teachers, it doesn’t mean that it is a good system for teaching and educating students. As it states in the reading, LMS create a structure that is limiting and take away teachers’ control and ability to be creative and mindful with their teaching (Morris, S.M & Stommel, J, 2018). This chapter has changed my mind about learning management systems. These systems are created for assessing students and making it easier for teachers to assess them. I don’t think this is how education should happen. Far too often, schools and teachers equate teaching with grades and using learning management systems makes this easy to do. As teachers, we need to create learning environments that are student centred, not learning environments that make it easier for teachers to assess their students. 

The quote: “Imagine assessment mechanisms that encourage discovery, not designed for assessing learning but designed for learning through assessment” (Morris, S.M & Stommel, J, 2018) shows the direction that teachers should be taking with their online teaching. Teachers should be critically examining learning management systems to see how limiting they might be for their students’ learning experience before actually using them.

Mardinger, R. (2021, June 04). What is an LMS?: Choosing the Right Learning Management System. Retrieved from https://www.docebo.com/learning-network/blog/what-is-learning-management-system/

Morris, S. M., & Stommel, J. (2018). An urgency of teachers: The work of critical digital pedagogy. Hybrid Pedagogy.