I have, to be honest, when I read the article on affordance analysis, I wasn't sure I fully understood it. I had a basic idea but didn’t feel confident enough to write my own affordance analysis, so I googled it. After looking at the different searches I didn't feel any better. I spoke with some colleagues because I thought I needed to “talk it out”. When I had a handle on it I wrote an affordance for Google Classroom. Thank goodness for class! When I spoke u and said I wasn’t clear yet on what an affordance was Priscilla gave an example of trying to hand a nail with a knife, you can try and might succeed but it's not the best tool for the job. A hammer will be the better tool. It made perfect sense! After our class discussion and then creating our own affordances on the Ozobot and the Osmo I realize I did my Google classroom affordance wrong. I didn't consider the learning goal in mind, I wrote a review more or less of Google classroom and its features.
What I took most was how important affordances are in designing. I need to think of my learning goal before I pick my technology tools instead of trying to make it work. Just because something is cool and new does not mean we need to immediately use it. We need to constantly ask what is the goal in mind and how does this allow me to reach it.
One thing we discussed was how affordance was about utility and not usability. Utility is considering a tools possibilities and constraints, while usability is how well does it work. This I took to heart, often we get distracted by the “shiny, new technology” that we immediately try to find a way to make it work without considering the benefits to our learning goal.
When I got to work on Friday my colleagues, who were listening to me panic about affordances, were eager to know what it was. I was excited to share my knowledge and examples. Then we discussed how easy it was to get sidetracked and confuse the newest technology integration with our main learning goals.
We shouldn't be trying to fit new technology into our designs but instead working to find those pieces that complement our design and goals.
Hey Mel! I have to completely agree with you on your misunderstanding of affordances; I was just as confused. I Googled examples also and my confusion got even worse. I always feel better after class because Priscilla explains things and they make perfect sense. I’m glad you were able to get your questions answered as well. It's also a relief to hear that I am not the only one that sometimes struggles with the concepts (:
ReplyDeleteSpot on! It's also awesome that you could share what you learned with your colleagues. Affordance analysis was a tough concept...I'm pretty sure everyone struggled, myself included! We've been so ingrained with the idea that technology integration = learning/engagement that that's where most of us started instead of from the other side (i.e. our learning goals).
ReplyDeleteI was likewise, mystified by the article we read but understood it so much better after we did one. I also feel I'm better at matching tech to my learning goals and have changed several of the things I use in the last two weeks.
ReplyDeleteI was likewise, mystified by the article we read but understood it so much better after we did one. I also feel I'm better at matching tech to my learning goals and have changed several of the things I use in the last two weeks.
ReplyDelete