Manners and Gibsonian Affordances

Look around at some of the things in your classroom.  You automatically know how to use most of them just based on how they are designed: for example a pencil has one pointed end and middle part that is covered in wood that makes it easy to hold in your hand.  Traits like these are called Gibsonian affordances, which are design features that allow a user to understand how to use the object.  The problem that many users of digital tools run into is that designers don’t take these affordances into account or employ ones that are counterproductive to the purpose of the tool.  It will take some overhauling of design principles and the digital device etiquette that has been developing before incorporating technology will be as seamless and painless as asking students to take out a pencil and piece of paper.  Read here to find out more.