A Little
Hello, I'm Dayna!
I am currently an Instructional Designer and eLearning Developer at a University. I use my background in education and skills in building online courses to inform my mindful approach to course design. I get lost in searching for new ways to deliver information and I strive to build courses that reach participants on a new level.
I began my masters degree in eLearning Design and Implementation with the University of Colorado in 2019. When I’m not building courses or preparing for them, you can find me woodworking, hiking with my two pups, skiing, traveling, renovating my home, or chasing our newest addition to the family around the home. You may be able to see these hobbies represented in my logo. The shaggy little dog in my logo and headers is mostly a nod to my mother who owned her own dog grooming business. Dogs will forever be a part of my life and will forever remind me of her. The forest and mountains are where I find peace. You’ll notice “a little” theme throughout the headers as homage to all the short jokes and nicknames I’ve collected throughout the years. Some may find the log and headers a “bit much”, but for now, I’m okay with that.
I created this site specifically to showcase skills learned during the University of Colorado Learning Design and Technology Graduate Program.
eLearning Philosophy
I believe that all people have the right to a high quality education that is affordable, and inclusive. As many institutions struggle to decrease the graduation gap, offering quality eLearning and open educational resources are a start to becoming more inclusive and allowing all students access to the education they may not have had the privilege to complete previously. Thinking of the learner, their needs, their experiences, and how those will impact their consumption of the material is a key aspect in creating instructional materials. This also includes intentionally building learning experiences with accessibility in mind. By not doing so, entire populations of learners are denied access to learning.
I commit to:
- continue to learn from and listen to learners in marginalized groups
- build learning experiences with accessibility in mind
- build learning experiences that include and uplift voices from marginalized groups and groups that hold different identities from my own
- acknowledge and apologize when I am wrong and when my impact is harmful then add procedures to my life and work to learn from the experience
- continue to name and challenge my unconscious biases
- honor and include experiences from people who hold identities different from my own
Land Acknowledgment
As someone who works and lives in Denver, CO and it’s surrounding areas, I want to acknowledge that the land I live and work on has been forcibly taken from the Arapahoe and Ute Tribes through violence and broken treaties. I acknowledge this as a step in honoring the original occupants of this place and the continued attempted genocide of those mentioned people. Systemic and institutional systems have oppressed Indigenous people among other marginalized people. These systems have historically influenced the ways in which non-Indigenous people interact with and perceive Indigenous peoples and other marginalized peoples. These systems still prevail in today’s cultural, societal, and political norms and I hope this is one small step in acknowledging that and a call to action to change these systems and include these mentioned voices at the table when creating replacement systems. I encourage you to consider contributing to an “honor tax” or “land tax” to your local Tribal Nations and supporting local efforts for land reparations such as the Land Campaign. Other forms of support to consider:
- Do the deconstruction on colonization prework. Here is a website that has resources available to get you started.
- If you use social media, I encourage you to follow and engage with indigenous people’s content.
- Research your local tribal nations. If they have websites, they will often state how non-indigenous folks can help support them.
- Offer your services to Indigenous-owned companies
- Offer your time to tribal councils
- Respect when your time and your services are not welcome