#5 – Task 12: Speculative Futures
Author: Tom Skinner
Link: https://sites.google.com/view/etec540-tomskinner/assignments-and-activities?authuser=0
Tom’s response to task 9 caught my attention as he shared several of the same sentiments that I did in regard to this assignment. We both found that the data presented in the Palladio visualization tool was lacking in several important aspects, the key one being, the “why”. The tool presents the ability to see connections between users and the songs they have chosen, however, this is just the beginning of what would be interesting and insightful data. Discovering, as Tom points out, what ‘shared characteristics’ the users have in common, such as music preference, or decision making processes, is the next step in being able to use this data in a deep and meaningful way. This tool offers a starting point, but the rest of the data has not been collected and therefore cannot be explored. A more robust question set would be helpful in making this dataset more insightful.
Tom’s statement around the applications of this tool and data in other context’s was one that surprised me. I had not thought of being able to use a tool like Palladio for pedagogical analysis, collaborative learning, educational policy, or digital literacy. While it would take a lot of work, time, and energy to build a data collection method and analyze the outcomes in a way that then can impact decision making and direction forward for a school, it is our duty to ensure we are capturing and using useful data to improve learning for students. Similar to Tom’s comment “what do you think the designer of this MET course was thinking when they created this discussion prompt showcasing the Palladio app?”, I am curious about what reflective practice has been done by the MET course developers on these kinds of assignments, how often do they revise the course materials and tasks? What does this process look like? How are students engaged in the process? What data beyond course evaluations is collected and how does the university communicate what has been changed based on the data to the students? This has spiked my interest and made me curious about the other possible ways that this tool could be used and just how in depth one might be able to go with this tool. I feel that we have just scratched the surface of what is possible and that more time and experience with the tool might change my initial thoughts around its usefulness.
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