How do we select the right digital tools to serve the pedagogical purpose? What support becomes a necessity with the integration of technology in learning and teaching?
To fully benefit from automation and access to educational resources, we need to invest additional effort in supporting learning technologies. Note the kinds of support required to maintain quality access in each example of pedagogy-driven technology integration:
Improving learner engagement by making learning more memorable and engaging (e.g., using interactive simulations to illustrate complex subjects) may require technical support for maintaining digital objects locally or account management support for instructors and students (sign-up and login).
Providing personalized learning experiences by adjusting task difficulty based on individual student performance may require professional development for teachers to adapt their teaching strategies, particularly regarding communication and feedback for specific tasks.
Improving accessibility to support all learners with diverse abilities, bridge geographic distances, and provide content rich in data and visual representations may require training for instructors on accessibility standards.
An overarching requirement includes ongoing centralized technical support at the institutional level to address network, hardware, and software-related operational, implementation, and security issues, as well as continuous technical support for software updates and maintenance.
Now let’s practice identifying the necessary support for implementation of a digital resource for pedagogical purposes.
Select a digital resource or a tool, which you have been using of plan to use in teaching or for learning. This could be a content repository platform, a digital simulation, or a design learning tool.
Identify the pedagogical benefits – the reasons for implementing the resource. Consider, for example, whether its implementation enhances engagement or motivation, better supports personalized learning and diverse needs, improves accessibility, facilitates collaboration and communication, or improves feedback to learners.
Identify the necessary support for implementing the resource in your organizational setting. For example, consider the practice time and tech support users would need, the accessibility and affordability of the resource, and the privacy and security conditions, specifically whether users must release personally identifiable information to gain access.
Share a brief summary of your decision-making, include the resource URL, outline the pedagogical reasons, and required support.
Resources:
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