Tony Bates a récemment animé un webinaire présentant un modèle de prise de décision facilitant le choix des technologies pouvant soutenir le déroulement d’activités pédagogiques, soit le modèle SECTIONS qui décrit les dimensions à considérer pour effectuer des choix judicieux:
Students – What are the demographics of the students in your course? Do they work? Do they live on or near campus? What is their preferred learning style? Are they motivated learners?
Ease of use; portability – There’s nothing more frustrating than technology that doesn’t work like it’s supposed to, so whatever technologies you choose, they must be easy to use, easy to maintain and reliable. Training should be available for anyone who needs it.
Costs – The costs involved could be fixed or variable, and go beyond the actual cost of the product to include instructor time, instructional support, media production, and maintenance.
Teaching – What is your teaching style? Some technologies lend themselves more to didactic or direct teaching; others to student participation. What are the intended learning outcomes? How will students be assessed?
Interaction – What technologies will engage and motivate your students? What technologies will enhance interaction between you and your students, between students, and between the students and the course material?
Organization – Does the institution support the use of learning technologies? Can you and your students get help if you need it? If you try to do something different will you be rewarded or punished?
Novelty – New technologies are a double-edged sword, Bates said. Because they are new, they might attract positive attention and support. However, new technologies also carry more risk because they’re largely untested, and may never reach broad adoption or maturation.
Speed and Security – Security and privacy issues are becoming increasingly important. Is the technology secure or can it be hacked? Is student information protected? Is the data stored on a secure server and is it backed up in case of an emergency?
Ce modèle souligne l’importance d’intégrer la question du choix des outils au processus de planification et de conception d’activités pédagogiques (voire, à l’échelle du programme), ce qui peut éviter les désagréments plus tard. Nous aurons possiblement l’occasion d’en discuter avec M. Bates lors de sa visite prévue l’an prochain.
Source: Bart, Mary, « Determining the best technology for your students, your course and you », Faculty focus, 26 octobre 2011.
