Thoughts on how mobile technology can help increase access, inclusion, and belonging in the classroom.
More and more products and services are starting to showcase where they were designed, not just made. The element and process of design is a bit romantic because it connects us to a special place or group of people. "Designed by Apple in California," for example, connects the average user to the hallowed-ground of Silicon Valley and Cupertino. This undoubtedly adds value, and a mistique, to the product or service.
What if we did the same for our courses? Before we focus on delivery or what our students experience, we need to think deeply about the design of our courses. Our students should feel that the course is specifically designed for them, to meet their needs, to celebrate them, and to help them achieve their goals. We can spark this feeling if we explicitly design for accessibility and inclusivity, if we give voice to the historically voiceless, if we give the power back to the students through mobile technology, backed by critique and set forward by creativity. The efforts to make our courses accessible and inclusive may seem overwhelming or intimidating, but we can bake in acccessibility and inclusivity in the very design of our courses. Especially if we make use of mobile tech.
We now have an entire generation of students who have gone through remote, blended, and hybrid learning with a mobile device in their home and school. And they are coming to our doorstep, about to enroll in our courses. Many already have. These students are coming with devices in hand or in pocket that are perpetually connected to the cloud, have more powerful processing power, cameras, and apps than ever, and bring a wealth of information, connectivity, and creativity to the student experience.
Making use of mobile technology in the classroom is no longer an option; the students we are about to enroll expect it and are ready for it. Now is the time to consider how we can not only embrace the mobile tech, but also design our courses in a way that they are inherently accessible and inclusive. It is time to (re)design access in our courses, for our students, and for the future of education that is now our reality.