For my project with Wilder Academy of Virtual Education, an online school serving students across Idaho, I was tasked with developing two new-student orientation courses to help students and their learning coach understand what it takes to be successful in an online school environment. I started with courses provided by Accelerate and worked to transform them into something more engaging, organized, and useful for WAVE students. I spent a significant amount of time analyzing the existing content, deciding what needed to be removed, added, reorganized, or expanded, and thinking about what students would actually need as they worked through the course. One of the biggest pieces I developed was a student guide that follows the course from beginning to end. Students use the guide to record important information and complete tasks as they move through the orientation, and the completed guide is then shared with their teacher, creating a connection between the student, the course, and the teacher. I also designed the guides, visuals, videos, and other course materials myself using Canva, including translating the materials I created. From a STEM perspective, this project gave me the opportunity to use technology, creativity, problem-solving, and design to take an existing learning experience and build something more purposeful and student-centered.

This project also pushed me to grow my skills with technology in ways I genuinely enjoyed. Canva became a major part of my work, and I quickly realized that I had only scratched the surface of what the program could do. As I worked on the project, I became much more confident using its design tools, video features, visual elements, translation capabilities, and newer AI tools to create materials that were not only visually appealing but connected to the learning experience. This experience has shown me how valuable it is to have time to explore a program deeply, experiment with its tools, and discover new ways it can support teaching and learning. Before this project, Canva was a program I used; now it is a tool I feel much more confident using. Having the opportunity to spend so much time creating, experimenting, and learning within the program showed me just how much it can offer. I really appreciate that this program and this project gave me an experience where I could develop a skill I can continue using and growing long after the project is finished.