Models for Usability Evaluation of Web 2.0 Tools.

What is/ are the models for usability evaluation of Web 2.0 tools?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ben Parker on April 24, 2015 at 7:52am

When evaluating the usability of a tool, there are many things that can be taken into consideration. How much each of the following points should be taken into consideration will depend highly upon your specific situation (class size, computer accessibility, age, etc). Here is a breakdown of the different things that I look at when determining whether or not a tool is useful in the classroom:

*Learning curve (How easy is the tool to use? Will this tool take a lot of time for the teacher, students, or both to learn to use?)

*Uses (What all can this tool be used for? Is it multidimensional, being able to be used across many projects or learning activities? Is it extremely good for one thing (if so that might outweigh the 'jack of all trades' features of other tools)?)

*Cost (What is my budget? If free is needed then make sure to be looking for it!)

*Active engagement (Does it encourage and excite the kids to use it? Does it help the students in applying their knowledge or in furthering their understanding? If it can get the kids actively being more engaged with content and learning, then it is worth it!)

*Ease of integration (Can I just share a link and have everyone join? Do I have to create everyone's usernames and passwords?)

*Safety (Can the site be used as a classroom only tool that cannot be viewed by others? Can things be done anonymously? How active are others on the site?)

These are a few things that I take into consideration. As with anything, each of us will take things into a different level of consideration. There are many free educational web tools (or ones that have free options), as well as opensource downloadable ones. I hope this helps, and let me know if you have any questions about other specifics.