A useful technology conversation begins with the work people are trying to do. Use these questions with colleagues before discussing individual products.
1. Name the learning task
Describe a concrete activity. What should a learner notice, understand, or be able to do afterward? Write the intended learning in one sentence.
2. Follow the human work
List the decisions, mistakes, conversations, and revisions that make the task educational. Which parts need to remain visible to the teacher and learner?
3. Ask who can participate
Consider access, language, disability, age, and the support people need. Ask whose experience is missing from the discussion.
4. Make uncertainty visible
Identify what the group knows, what it assumes, and what needs to be checked. Assign a person to each open question instead of treating an assumption as a fact.
5. Choose a small trial
Write down the purpose, participants, duration, support, and observations for a manageable trial. Agree on what would cause the group to stop or change course.
6. Return to the people involved
Collect observations from learners and teachers. Ask what became easier, what became harder, and what they would change. Keep a record of the decision and its reasons.
This is a discussion aid. Review any proposed tool through your institution’s established privacy, accessibility, safeguarding, and procurement processes.