I have taken a lot away from studying the OSMO. Looking at how many different types of tangible object based coding projects have existed before, it is clear that they have created a an effective and more modern version while maintaining the focus on teaching kids how to code. One major takeaway for me is how to make a product so efficient that it can be a low-cost addition to existing technology and serve many different learning purposes for a wide range of students. It was necessary that their team exist at the intersections of language, computer technology, human interface design, psychology and pedagogy in order to create a product so effective at teaching and exciting for learners of all ages. If I was to complete this assignment again, I would reach out to the OSMO team earlier and attempt to set up an interview so that I could ask questions directly to someone from their team. That would have helped connect the dots in terms of their process in taking it from a lab at MIT to the consumer market. I would also spend a bit more time looking at the numbers side of the business rather than the academic research. While both are important, in this case I leaned too heavily on the side that I was more familiar with when I should have treaded into less familiar territory to get outside my comfort zone and learn more about the business/marketing side of things.
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Critical Analysis: | Reflections... |