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How to Use the Exten.(D.T.)² Guidelines [v1.3]
Step 0: Start with the Quick-Start Overview (Section 0 in the guidelines)
- Why: This gives you a high-level road map for combining Design Thinking (DT) and Emerging Technologies (ET).
- What: A short bullet list of recommended steps (defining project goals, checking environment, scheduling PD, etc.) to kick off your planning.
Step 1: Consider the Actor Component (Section 1.1)
- Focus: Who are the key participants (teachers, students, parents, community partners, EdTech developers, etc.)?
- Action: Define responsibilities, lines of communication (formal permissions, data consent), and conflict resolution methods.
Step 2: Review the Learning Environment (Section 1.2)
- Focus: Decide if your DT activities will be face-to-face, online, or blended.
- Action: Verify accessibility (device availability, physical space adaptations) and address possible barriers (e.g., bandwidth constraints).
Step 3: Check Materials & Resources (Section 1.3)
- Focus: Outline everything you need (budget, open-source content, AI-based materials, etc.) and ensure cultural appropriateness.
- Action: Fill any resource gaps (e.g., tutorials, spreadsheets) and confirm alignment with local curriculum or moral/legal standards.
Step 4: Address Platform & Infrastructure (Section 1.4)
- Focus: Choose or adapt a user-friendly, secure platform to host design thinking tasks, analytics, or collaborative tools.
- Action: Assign someone to maintain platform updates, manage data privacy, and gather feedback. Provide offline or low-bandwidth options if needed.
Step 5: Plan Teacher Professional Development (Section 1.5)
- Focus: Prepare teachers for design thinking facilitation, emerging technologies usage, and emotional well-being under new roles.
- Action: Allocate PD hours, offer short tutorial videos or micro-trainings, and encourage reflective practices (e.g., peer observation, diaries).
Step 6: Dive into Teaching & Learning (Section 1.6)
- Focus: Integrate the design thinking phases into your lessons.
- Action: Budget time for each phase, schedule group formation strategies, manage emotional climate, and ensure alignment with learning goals or curriculum standards.
Step 7: Consult the Perspectives (Section 2)
- Focus: Five perspectives that “breathe air” into every aspect of DT with ET: Student, Teacher, Educational Stakeholder, Technology, and Sustainability.
- Action: Skim each perspective to ensure inclusivity (students), teacher well-being, broad stakeholder collaboration, ethical/green technology usage, and real-world sustainability challenges.
Step 8: Review Competencies (Section 3)
- Focus: Confirm that all participants (students, teachers, and other stakeholders) have or can develop the Digital, Professional, Pedagogical, and Personal-Ethical competencies needed for DT with ET.
- Action: If you find competency gaps (e.g., teachers lacking AI basics or students needing digital skill boot camps), add short, targeted building sessions.
Step 9: Look at Evaluation (Section 1.7)
- Focus: Assess tool usability (especially AI or advanced features), measure 21st-century skills or design thinking outcomes, and gather feedback from teachers, students, or other stakeholders.
- Action: Use multiple data sources (logs, rubrics, surveys, reflection journals) to refine your next iteration, e.g., adding teacher PD, adjusting group sizes, or tweaking platform functionalities.
Step 10: Use the Checklist as a final pass
- Once you’re comfortable with the guidelines, refer to the Quick-Reference Checklist to ensure no critical element is missed.
