Tools Lab Reflection

The Tools Lab has been one of the most hands-on and practical components of my learning journey. This experience focused on technical proficiency and the strategic application of modern technology to enhance learning, research, and design workflows.

Concept Mapping & Mind Mapping

I used multiple platforms to transform complex topics into clear, visual knowledge structures, enhancing my visual thinking and knowledge representation skills.

Tools Used & Key Learning:

  • Miro: Collaborative brainstorming and dynamic team visualization.
  • FigJam: Smooth, expressive mind mapping and quick ideation.
  • Draw.io: Structured diagrams and formal concept maps.
  • NotebookLM: Automatically generates mind maps from documents using AI, helping extract key ideas and relationships.
Mind Map Example: View Mind Map File

Prototype Design

Figma and Stitch with Google helped me convert early ideas into interactive prototypes and user flows, strengthening my foundation in UI/UX.

Skills Developed:

  • Wireframing and layout design.
  • Applying core UI/UX principles.
  • Creating interactive flows.
  • Designing user-centered learning interfaces.

Design Example: Project on Stitch with Google

Prototype Example: Project on Figma

Prompt Engineering

I practiced structured prompt writing to maximize the usefulness and accuracy of responses from AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, which significantly improved my workflow.

Key Skills Developed:

  • Writing effective and clear prompts.
  • Using structured frameworks for accuracy.
  • Leveraging LLMs for analysis, ideation, and content creation.
  • Applying AI tools to research and design tasks.

Video Creation & Editing

I worked with various free and professional video tools to create educational and demo videos with clear narration, text overlays, and smooth transitions.

Tools Used & Learning Outcomes:

  • Tools: CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, Canva (Free), OpenShot.
  • Outcomes: Editing, trimming, transitions, adding captions, improving audio, and exporting in suitable formats for sharing.

Literature Review

These tools streamlined my research process and helped me organize papers, citations, and summaries more efficiently.

Tools Used & Function:

  • Google Scholar: Academic paper search.
  • Zotero: Reference and citation management.
  • Perplexity: Quick exploration of topics with AI-assisted summaries.

Portfolio Development

I used AI tools and modern web builders to develop, refine, and iterate on my online portfolio.

Tools Used & Skills:

  • Tools: Gemini, ChatGPT, Framer, Lovable, Firebase Studio (for hosting and prototyping).
  • Skills: Layout design, AI-assisted content refinement, and understanding deployment/hosting workflows.

Visualization & Data Analysis

I explored several tools to visualize and analyze learning data, build dashboards, and create ML pipelines.

A. Tableau (Interactive Dashboards)

  • Created interactive dashboards for learning analytics data.
  • Skills: Filters, parameters, dashboard layout, and pattern interpretation.
  • Hands-on: View Tableau Dashboard

B. Orange (Data Mining & Visualization)

  • Used drag-and-drop workflows to build visual data mining pipelines.
  • Generated scatter plots, box plots, clustering visualizations, and more without writing code.
  • Hands-on: View Project

C. Google Colab (Python Visualization)

  • Tools: Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly.
  • Learned to combine ML models and visualization for better insight into student data.

D. MS Excel (Quick Analysis)

  • Used for quick exploration and analysis of small datasets.
  • Created pivot tables, charts, and used conditional formatting for pattern recognition.

Overall Tools Lab Summary

The Tools Lab enhanced my technical proficiency and strengthened my ability to use EdTech tools effectively for learning, teaching, and design. It helped me integrate multiple tools to solve problems and to think visually, analytically, and creatively.