You are required to enhance your peer support activity from Module 2 with technology.
Think of a tool that you wish to use to enhance your online peer support activity and evaluate the tool using the SECTIONS model.
Map your chosen tool to the SECTIONS model through the exercise below. Download the template given below and enter your answers into the blank spaces.

Technology Selection Template
Name the tool you wish to integrate in your peer support activity.

Answer the following questions to evaluate the tool.

Tool:

S=Students

Do students have access to the chosen technology?

How will students be supported by the institution in their use of the technology?

Will students have access to this technology whether they are at school, home or work?

What digital skills would students need to have to use the technology?

If students are expected to purchase the technology, are you able to provide a teaching experience that justifies this expense?

E = Ease of Use

How intuitively easy to use is the technology?

How reliable and how easy it is to maintain?

Is the provider of the technology stable?

What contingency plans would you need to consider to ensure any digital teaching materials you create are not lost if the provider ceases to exist?
Is there any technical support available?

C = Cost

Will use of the technology (or creation of media) take time to develop? Can you do it quicky and easily?

Does your institution have any funding available for innovative use of technologies in teaching?

Can you get any instructional design or digital media professional support from your institution?

What Open Educational Resources (OER) could be used to support your teaching and use of technology?

T = Teaching and other Pedagogical Factors

Does the use of this technology support the desired learning outcomes?

What unique pedagogical characteristics does this technology represent for your teaching and learning in terms of content presentation and skill development?

I = Interaction

Does the technology facilitate any interactions that might be useful in terms of the skills you are trying to develop?

Does the technology effectively support a good balance of instructor interaction time and student comprehension/skills development?

O = Organisational Issues

What help does your institution provide in choosing and using technology for teaching?

Is it valuable, accessible and current?

Would your institution provide release time for a term and/or other resource support to help you in your technology-enabled design plans?

To what extent will you have to follow ā€˜standardā€™ technologies, practices and procedures, such as using a learning management system, or lecture capture system, or will you be encouraged and supported to try something new?
N = Networking

How important is it to enable learners to network with others beyond the course?

Does the technology support this?

If this is important, does the technology support appropriate social media sharing and collaboration?

S = Security and Privacy

What student information are you obliged to keep private and secure?

What are your institutionā€™s policies on this?

What is the risk that by using a particular technology my institutionā€™s policies concerning privacy could easily be breached?

Who in my institution could advise you on this?
Are there any areas of teaching and learning that you need to make available only to students registered in you course?

Which technologies will best allow you to do this?

*Click here to download the above template in MS Word

You can upload your technology selection plan to the LS4ODFL Moodle site and earn a badge.

If you’re not sure about any aspect of the learning challenge, please post them to the LS4ODFL Moodle site. [Moodle Enrolment key: ppodl (all lowercase)]

LS4ODFL Technology Selection Badge