Design Jam: Educational Technology

In a short period the team and I were able to put together a learning platform focused on helping student teams develop solutions to problems within their community, that teachers could use to connect community based projects to standards in their class. Listening to the stakeholders present, I focused on the need for a platform to be a hub for all aspects, eliminating the need for students to constantly switch platforms throughout a learning experience. My team focused on connecting students with real problems they could engage with, allowing them to accomplish learning goals and ownership of a real tangible solution. The ultimate design allowed community problems to be crowdsourced and uploaded to the app. They then went through a review board comprised of students and adult community members to ensure that the projects were achievable and appropriate. Once approved, a teacher could add projects to a "classroom" by a teacher based on what standard the project could cover. Within the class, students could then select from various projects based on what interested them. The app would continue supporting teacher and student groups by providing project management tools and keeping the students on target for their projects. Once the project was completed, the students put together a report showing the impact they made in their community which lives in the app's "Hall of Fame," allowing the students' hard work to be displayed for all.

This was the first design jam in which I participated; I really enjoyed working closely with the stakeholders and listening to what they wanted and needed to have a better experience.  It was powerful knowing that my work could provide a more meaningful and engaging learning experience for students and teachers. This was also a unique opportunity to work with individuals from various backgrounds. Communicating effectively and learning from someone who approaches problems differently ultimately resulted in a product design that met the stakeholders' needs.