Author name: Kelsy Smania

Design & Theory

Technology Distraction: A Design Solution

In this project for my Current Topics and Trends in Learning Design course, I worked with two frameworks: Liberatory Design and the ADDIE model. The process moved through phases of observing the system, engaging with stakeholders like students and fellow teachers, and acting to create a solution identified by my 6th graders: technology is a […]

Leadership & Strategy

Evaluating the Adaptive Growth Platform for Knowledge Transfer

This project began as a blurry vision to transform professional development (PD) and shift away from the current passive, one-size-fits-all compliance requirement to an adaptive growth platform that directly meets the individual needs of our K-12 teachers. This project links skills such as literacy strategies and data interpretation to a new salary incentive, ideally creating

Leadership & Strategy

Ethical Innovations Principles and Practice

I value and integrate all voices for the greater good of the whole.  I recognize that solutions built without input – especially from marginalized or non-traditional groups – are inherently incomplete and prone to causing unintended harm. In practice: I uphold learner trust through absolute transparency, never coercion. I will honor the vulnerability required for

Design & Theory

Design in Mind: Human vs. AI

For the Remix Design Approach activity, I started with existing Instructional Design frameworks, like ADDIE and SAM, to think about what my framework for design is. I also considered the MALXD framework and how it has shaped the courses in my graduate program so far. For better or worse, I kept landing on creating a

Design & Theory

Vision for Learning Design

Final Global Vision My initial vision for learning design, particularly as it relates to public education, had some great ideas about adaptive learning and community integration, but it was a vague proposal destined for failure. I checked my vision against Kotter’s 8 Steps for Leading Change to create a compelling final product. To genuinely create

Leadership & Strategy

Organizational Profile

Creating an organizational profile for the middle school that I teach at was a rewarding challenge. While the content itself was a major focus, the design process was a learning experience all its own. For this assignment, I focused on using the Morph transition feature in PowerPoint to make the presentation dynamic and visually compelling.

Leadership & Strategy

School Community Canvas

Community of focus: This canvas is for the restructuring of a middle school (6th-8th grade) of about 750 students. Purpose Our organization’s reason for being is to provide the highest quality education to 6th through 8th grade students. This work is meaningful as it offers a direct impact on the next generation, with the ultimate

EdTech & Innovation

Learning Experience Design Timeline

Implications and Impact Infographic The design below was human-created using a Canva template by user Maddy Lyons. This link will take you to the full infographic with screen-reader capabilities on Canva. The following design is an AI-created Timeline of Learning Experience Design in Venngage. I prompted the AI model to create an infographic based on

Leadership & Strategy

Personal Leadership Philosophy

My leadership philosophy is a direct result of my experience working in public K-12 education and in the private real estate sector. I have worked for too many leaders who were only okay or mediocre, and too few who were truly exceptional. My purpose in sharing this philosophy with you is to clearly communicate what

Design & Theory

Ancient Realms: The Podcast

The following blog post references an assessment titled Ancient Realms: The Podcast. Links for quick access to documents can be found here: The design for my 6th-grade ELA end-of-unit assessment began with the core belief: If you do not know what you are assessing, then you do not know what you are teaching. Anchoring my

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