Does the tool connect content to real world examples? Students need to know how to apply what they learn to their daily lives.
I have noticed during my schooling that having real-world applicability stressed in lessons is very important. Children enjoy work more when they care about what they are doing, which is hard when the lesson seems irrelevant or like a waste of time.
Table 2.
The section in the table that says "students may experience profound stress and fear of failing when faced with technology issues during testing" really resonates with me. I have had technological issues during Blackboard and Moodle assignments that have given me serious stress and fear of bad grades, along professors who are unforgiving of technological errors. This must be even more harmful to children, who should not be experiencing such stress due to factors out of their control.
strive to effect a beneficial impact beyond the intended beneficiary of the design.
This is a huge part of ethics in general - having a positive impact overall, not just for the small subsection of people who your design targets. Stylish new purses might benefit those who purchase, wear, and appreciate them - but not those who labor for unlivable wages in poor conditions. An overall beneficial impact would involve ethical working conditions AND great consumer products. This is of course pretty different from teaching and digital tools - but the comparison is still relevant.
3D printers have the “wow” factor that engages and motivates students in learning
I have seen this first-hand: 3D printing gets so many people excited about technology. It is important for teachers to harness this "wow"-factor and introduce otherwise disinterested students to hobbies and carreer paths they wouldn't have otherwise encountered.
But teachers at the schools where students were less affluent and predominately came from communities of color, saw these same digital activities in different lights.
It is very unfortunate the teachers can sometimes infer bad intentions from non-white students, while white students' same actions are brushed aside. Jumping to conclusions about children's morality and potential based on their digital activities is such a harsh, unfair way to treat someone.
All students will become expert learners if barriers are removed and they are given opportunities to self-differentiate.
This really reminds me of 'growth mindset,' which I think is incredibly important for teachers to have. Believing that some kids are inherently and thus permanently unskilled or unintelligent is so harmful. Everyone can work towards improvement and become 'expert learners.'
Metacognitive Knowledge - awareness of one’s own cognition
I find metacognitive knowledge to be incredibly important in student learning - especially with young children. They need to be aware of how they are doing, what they are proud of academically, and where they can improve. Online classrooms with portfolio or file-keeping systems can allow children this chance for reflection, while older students can view their learning 'trends' and use online tools to strategize about their future learning.
The sensitive data collected on students, whether from management systems, school devices, or classroom apps/tools, can put students in a vulnerable position if the data collected are not adequately protected.
This is always a possibility when students are using the internet: one's data is never really fully secure and data breaches pose a real risk. As a result, teachers should inspect what kinds of data a website collects before requiring students use that website, minimizing potential harm in the case of unprotected data.
The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.
This is a very important aspect of usability/accessibiliy. Minimizing the need for adaptaion reduces the barrier for entry, so that more people are able to easily access products/environments.
Do spaces you visit push and challenge your thinking as an educator?
I find it very important to constantly be challenged and pushed, no matter what you are doing. This allows you to grow, which is necessary in being a great educator. It can be easy to view technology and online places like social media, blogs, forums, etc. as being unacademic and uninformative - but this does not need to be the case.