This post will be in a question and answer format. The original questions have been modified to better fit the format.
What was the most surprising thing learned by participating in the design thinking process and designing and developing the digital learning resource?
I can’t think of anything that seemed surprising to me. Some people were surprised at the criticism of some of the existing tools out there such as Jane Hart’s Top 200 Tools list. The main criticism is that this list gives people too many options, provides no ability to quickly go from instructional activity such as brainstorming to a tool that handles this, and no ability to quickly test out the tools or quickly learn more information to determine if tools might satisfy the needs of the activities. The list isn’t necessarily any better than Google search results. For example, if you are looking for a tool that allows for online brainstorming, this list is less helpful than a Google search for “online brainstorming”.
What suggestions and improvements were received? Was there any feedback that was not expected? What feedback needs further investigation?
There was appreciation for the live demos of learning technology tools. The live demos allow interested users to jump into the tool and immediately try it out without needing to sign up for an account somewhere. Signing up for accounts, even if they’re free, is a hassle, leads to unwanted marketing emails from the companies, and often has privacy implications (if you sign up with your Google account, the company will have access to your email, name, and possibly other information like your contact list, etc.).
Captioning of videos was recommended for accessibility and there was a question as to whether captioning was possible with the video tool used. The video tool used, Kaltura (aka My Media), does allow adding captions, so captions would probably be added to the final resource.
One question was whether this resource, when hosted on a public site, could still allow feedback. Yes. A form with a captcha could be added to allow submission of feedback that could automatically be emailed to the author. Alternatively, the content could be open but users would need to log in using their RRU account to submit feedback.
It was also asked if Creative Commons licensing had been considered. Yes. The final resource would be licensed as CC BY SA.
What are the next steps to build upon the digital learning resource?
Add more instructional activities and learning technology tools. The current resource only has three, but including about 20 would make it an excellent resource that could handle most instructional design ideas. The existing three also need a bit more polish to be ready for professional use, but it’s a good start.
How might the design thinking process for the design and creation of digital learning resources be utilized in the future for other tasks?
Creation of workshops, resources, or tools would benefit from including some or all steps of the design thinking process. The main downside is that including the design thinking process may also greatly extend how long it takes to complete the task, so the pros and cons of using the design thinking process would need to be considered carefully for each task.
Hello Jason,
I like the Q&A format you used, it presents the information in a different way than in plain text. Not implying that plain text has to be boring, just different as “fresh” to the reader’s eyes.
On a personal note, the speed at which technology moves makes it impossible (at least for me) to keep pace with it. I am challenged every time I have to learn how to use a new tool, and I accept the challenge although at times I run out of time!
Cheers & thaks for your support!