Destined for Design

Design has been the last topic of discussion for us CI597Cers. My focus has primarily been consumed by identity and community, but as I turn my thoughts to this concept, I feel that the three are inextricably linked. I see design as the greatest catalyst, in that design impacts community creation, which in turn impacts identity construction.

In a post, Steve comments on design issues in teaching and learning, saying that curriculum should be constructed first and technology should be matched second. I wonder which one Cole and McEd considered first: curriculum or technology, when they designed the course. When I consider the design of our class, I believe that to some extent there was a method to their madness and to some extent their method evolved over time as a result of their madness. Brandon posted a thought on his blog regarding this topic when discussing Cole's intentions regarding the expanse of disruptive technologies through change agents, implying that we, as CI597Cers, might be such gatekeepers. Only time will tell if Cole is really Paul Revere.

My post entitled "Nobody Likes Me..." created some interesting dialogue on Pligg. I truly believe that this grand experiment was designed to investigate how the "design" of this course would impact the notions of community and identity both on a group and individual level. Using this class as a model, it confirms my theory regarding design as the instigator. Our personal designs for our own identities, communities, and lives and those designs we create for others in our communities and those who are members-in-waiting have an impact. To get philosophical (and possibly inspirational), we control our lives by how we design them and how we maneuver, negotiate, and interact with the designs others have created for us. Despite its importance, design can be taken for granted due to its invisible nature, yet design determines destiny. What is success? No matter how we define it, could we say that those who are "successful" have designed their lives in such a way to create success? Effort and careful attention needs to be paid to design in order to maximize the potential of success for those people whose lives we touch.