There is a lovely plethora of frameworks in existence which were all masterminded to help folks (such as teachers and instructional designers) in their undertaking to integrate technologies for learning. I selected the SECTIONS framework to assist moi (see Bates 2015 for more details).
What are the affordances and limitations of the framework? Succinct frameworks with shorter acronyms might be simpler to remember, but the SECTIONS framework – with it’s many sections – digs deep, making it a very thorough tool for facilitating successful educational-media integration. One limitation for me is that I would need to refer to my notes for remembering what each letter represents until I used this framework enough that the associated meanings would calcify in the longer-term storage facility located in my skull.
How well does the framework align to your existing educational and pedagogical practices? The SECTIONS framework offers plenty of angles for conscientious planning of tech-adoption. One could adapt it to suit multiple scenarios by thinking of it as a SECTIONS buffet. For example, the Networking section does not apply to my straightforward behaviourist safety-training scenario, so I will simply walk past that dish and fill my plate with more pertinent delectables.
How did the application of the framework impact your decision-making process? It allowed me to broadly skim my problem from many angles, thus helping me to purposefully zero in on what is most important. Without it, I may have been handicapped by my own narrow focus on one aspect of the challenge, obliviously bypassing something else which may have been an essential element. At it’s worst, this may have caused unbearable shame, followed by a lifetime of regret and self-loathing.
Which components of the framework did you find most valuable to your decision-making process? Why? I found the components of Students, Ease of use, and Costs to be the most relevant for my operation. Empathizing with stakeholders in the early stages of the design thinking process unleashed the essential needs which correspond to these quintessential categories.
The eight habits of highly-effective decision-making for choosing and using learning technologies are as follows:
Students
Ease of use
Costs
Teaching functions
Interaction
Organisational issues
Networking
Security and privacy
References
Bates, A. W. (2015). Chapters 6-8. In Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning. Vancouver BC: Tony Bates Associates Ltd.