Introduction: Developers, Teachers and Users
Prompted by the question of whether/how educational software designers and classroom teachers might have different ideas about educational experience and a worthwhile use of the computer in the classroom, we'll discuss a 1989 paper by Borton and Rossett. The paper contrasts the perspectives of developers, teachers and evaluators in assessing the importance of a variety of edusoft characteristics. Once the differences in perspective are clear, an obvious question for us is how to avoid misperceptions that interfere with the usability of the programs we're making.
Port of Entry and the American Memory Project
We'll look at a program designed to assist teachers and students alike in using the enormous digital archive that is part of the American Memory Project at the Library of Congress. From the perspective of the paper by Borton and Rossett, we might say that good digital design needs to focus the attention of the audience correctly so that the value of the content/approach can be properly appreciated.
"Betty's Brain" and the Learning by Teaching Approach
We'll conclude class today by looking briefly at a paper by Biswas et al, about a program designed for Middle School students (grade 5). In light of the Borton and Rossett, the program manages to avoid some of the traditional evaluation perspective problems by changing the traditional role of the "learner".
For Tuesday: Post a Design Comment on WebCT, about some aspects of the Sesame Street Workshop programs at ctw.org by classtime, and read the paper by Williams et al. Read the Segars and Verhoeven paper by Thursday, and each team should identify 2 research articles relevant to their project by Thursday as well.p