Affordance Analysis and Educational Technologies

  I enjoyed getting to learn about and use different educational technologies that can be used in the classroom.  One of my favorite educational technologies that I’ve had the pleasure to have and use in my classroom are the Lego Spike kits.  This is a favorite of mine because it uses a toy students play with and turns it into a tool they can use to show their learning.  Lego Spike kits allow students to build something and code it to show their understanding of a skill or standard.  For example, we have used Lego Spike kits for students to show their understanding of habitats.  Students built an animal and its habitat and coded it to do things such as pretend to eat things in its habitat, how it finds shelter in its habitat, etc.  Students can not only code their Legos to move, they can also code it to say things that they’ve recorded.  This is a great tool for students to describe and explain their thinking.  Lego Spike kits have a specific lesson on habitats but teachers are free to create their own lesson.  Though some lessons are available for students to follow, they are also able to use their critical thinking skills to create their own projects to show understanding of what they’re learning.  This allows students to take ownership of their work.  With Lego Spike kits, students work in groups and this allows them to communicate with their group members and collaborate to complete their project.  Though Lego Spike kits are an amazing resource to have, there are limitations and constraints to them, just as any technology does.  

Some constraints Lego Spike kits have are that their lessons are only geared towards science.  This limits being able to use the technology with other content areas.  Another limitation and constraint is cost.  Lego Spike kits are costly and not all schools have access to these tools, which means not all students will have access to them.  Even if your school may have one, it could be scarce and your students may not have an opportunity to use them.  A common limitation we have in classrooms is time--we don't have enough of it.  We need to consider that using these kits requires time to introduce it then use it.  Teachers may be hesitant to use the kits because they don't want to lose instructional time to introduce it and use it.  Knowing what these limitations and constraints are with an educational technology, allows us to think about the affordances that come with using it.  

In connection to affordance analysis, educators must consider the affordances with any educational technologies.  We must think about the limitations and benefits to any educational technology we use in our classrooms.  Just as we do with designing lessons, we must consider our goals and outcomes, tools we need, activities to implement, and the limitations and benefits when implementing that educational tool.  Knowing about affordance analysis will allow me to be intentional with the educational technologies I use in the classroom.  I need to think about the limitations and benefits the technology has and determine if it is something that will support my students’ learning.