What’s New with Version 2?

1. On Discern Stage:

5Ds Framework v2 shifts and makes evident the importance of “Discern” in the learning process. Although it was already stated before that Discern is never stuck between Do and Distribute, version 2 pushes the role of Discern in the learning process into a more encompassing one. Discern focuses on using tech tools as means of giving feedback effectively and efficiently to a learner throughout the learning process, from the beginning of the lesson until the end, which is ultimately, the showcase of one’s learning to a global audience. This acknowledges the essential role of giving timely and task-oriented feedback to the learner. Consequently and ideally, as feedback-giving is deeply and purposefully embedded in the process, learning becomes a continuous activity for the learner and a loop is created to ensure that feedback is given to the learner.

2. From Passive Consumption to Critical Interaction to Active Creation

The use of technology in the classroom often starts from passive consumption, when the user or the learner passively takes in content or information from various tech sources, such as from web 2.0 websites, mobile apps, social media, etc. However, using tech tools for this purpose defeats the purpose of tech employment in the classroom. This act is almost, if not, purely similar, to how traditional teaching and learning spoon-feeds information to the learner. The learning process should move beyond this stage. The learning designer should ensure that the learner takes an active role in the learning process. In short, let the learner take the lead in searching, building, and creating knowledge.

This leads us to acknowledge that learners need to interact with the information, content, or topic at hand using his or her critical-thinking skills. Critical-thinking helps and ensures that the learner evaluates and interacts with what is being learned from a perspective that enables him or her to see everything in various angle, context, or understanding. Whether individually or collaboratively, learners have to use tech tools to examine what is being learned. Hence, the teacher should design learning activities in the Dip or Deepen stages that give learners differentiated tasks or opportunities to examine a problem and explore different means to solving it. The use of tech tools can be leveraged so that they can help the teacher bring these opportunities into the classroom.

Last, tech tools can help provide the learner freedom to choose the medium through which they can showcase what they have learned in class. In the Do and Distribute stage, learners look for and provide solutions to real-life problems through applying what they have learned in class. Authentic tasks or assessments are given to them. This process leads them to become active creators of information or knowledge. Learners go beyond mere repetition of the concepts or skills they have learned. They use their creative and collaborative skills to create original products that can become artefacts of their learning.

Using their communication skills, learners showcase their original products or creations to the global audience. While this is a momentous and successful event in the learning process, and by the way, the learner deserves to be commended for reaching this part, this, however, does not mean that the learning process has stopped. As they share their learnings to the world, the created products can be eventually examined by a wider audience. More feedback could be given, which can help improve the learning product. Moreover, the shared product of learning can also become a potential “source” of information for other learners across the world.

Hence, in the end, the 5Ds Framework guides educators to create a connected and meaningful tech-integrated learning process for students. If taken further, it could also lend itself to become a cycle of learning, where the final product of learning becomes a potential source of knowledge that other learners can critically interact with. Moreover, the learning process is transformed from a passive way of learning, which reflects traditional teaching, into a more active, critical, and creative act that successfully transcends the four walls of the classroom.