Journal 2
https://www.powtoon.com/embed/dIrrhrd3Gnc/
This week I finally discovered how long one second is and how short ten seconds can be. While trying to coordinate text with animation, I realized all that goes into the seamless motion of a vibrant creation. Powtoon taught me a patience and resilience that I thought I already knew but have come to understand that there are levels to learning yet to be uncovered.

For decades I described myself as not being creative. I thought that part of me was nonexistent but learning the variety of design tools and concepts, I have discovered that I had not been creatively deficient, but I had inefficient tools for unlocking my creativity. The personas that we create are supposed to be a way to cultivate a sincere relationship with our learners and the content we wish to share with them so that we have empathy (Malamed, 2009). However, I am beginning to realize that as designers the personas we create can also be a way for us to connect with the dormant creative sides of ourselves as we find ways to be more mindful of our learners.
While we are supposed to be careful not to incorporate too much of our own opinions or biases into the personas we create (Boller, 2017), we must realize that the personas emulate a bit of each of us and our own learning challenges. While some people may be experts at certain things, there are so many more things that we still have to learn. Finding outlets and ways to express our own deficiencies is a marvelous way for us to grow and learn as we build blocks to help other people learn.
References
Boller, S. (2017). Why Learner personas and learning design go hand-in-hand. Retrieved from http:// http://www.bottomlineperformance.com/why-learner-personas-learning-design-go-hand-in-hand/
Dirksen, J. (2016). Design for how people learn (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: New Riders, Pearson.
Malamed, C. (2009). Learner personas for instructional design. Retrieved from http:// theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/audience/learner-personas-for-elearning/
Malamed, C. (2009). Learner personas for instructional design. Retrieved from http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/audience/learner-personas-for-elearning/
Glad to hear that the assignment connected with your “dormant” artistic side. The point that I like you brought out was the creator’s own bias in design. As such there is no bias free design until the designer makes a conscious effort at overcoming stereotypes.