Technology for Classroom Orchestration

We use different criteria to judge teaching methods and learning environments as researchers and teachers. As researchers, we tend to rely on learning gains measured in controlled conditions. As teachers and designers, the skilled management of classroom constraints results in the impression that a design “works well.” We argue that the generalizability of educational research requires that we take into account curriculum, assessment, time, energy, space and safety constraints when designing methods and environments. We systematically describe 14 design factors related to the notions of classroom orchestration and learning ecosystems and illustrate their embodiment in three learning environments from our own research. The design factors provide a teacher-centric, integrated view of educational technology design for face-to-face classroom activities which “work well.”