I confess, I’m a shortcut platform junkie. I have used most of the ones mentioned in the Hink article at least once. They have helped me in my work and in my personal life but I can see the limitations.
As the article explains, these platforms have become just another way for students to try to ‘get
the right answer.’ They are haunted by the ghosts of education past that say that students should be filled with facts and figures. Those facts are then regurgitated onto a worksheet or standardized test. This model of education continues to permeate our system and many of the tools we use to try to extend beyond it continue to limit students within the context of rules and boundaries. The Powtoon below both describes this idea and is also an example of the limiting features of these types of platforms. Just check out this Powtoon by another student in a different class to see how limiting they can be – we created something very similar and we don’t even know each other (somehow I think we even sound the same!)
I do want to challenge the article in one way. Many of these platforms can act as a scaffolding tool to something bigger and better. Especially in the junior years I believe they definitely have a place in getting students creating digital content, even if it is within certain parameters. One of Hinks criticisms of shortcut platforms is students believe they are “guaranteed [a] working product at the end with little risk of failure.” Students need to learn to take risks but sometimes they need an opportunity to create something with a small risk. Once they are comfortable in an area, they are more likely to move beyond it to something more challenging. And believe me, there is no guarantee even on a platform like Powtoon that everything will turn out they way you want it to. I was ready to give up on mine more than once!
So, my ‘take-away’ is to be careful. Be careful of the message we are sending to our students with each platform we use. We need to be sure to celebrate failures and show them how we are limited within the frameworks. Creativity takes a lot of risk and we should provide our students with as many open-ended opportunities as possible.