TaskCards

How do I provide well-structured learning materials, and how can I organize them digitally so that students can quickly find their way around? Help is provided by the online platform TaskCards, which can be used to sort and clearly display learning content, information, or deadlines.

Published on 10. October 2022

FACTS

Link: https://www.taskcards.de/#/home/start
License: no license at TH Köln, the free version includes 2 pinboards and unlimited storage, but the upload size is limited to 10 MiB. For members of educational institutions, the basic version, with 6 pinboards, unlimited storage, and 100 MiB upload size, costs 30€ per year. The Pro version, including unlimited pinboards and storage space as well as 250 MiB upload size, is available for 60€ per year.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

– Internet connection
– Laptop, tablet, or smartphone

TaskCards is a digital pinboard. With the help of TaskCards, you can structure learning materials and provide them to your students in a clear way. At the same time, TaskCards is also suitable for collaborative work. A TaskCard can consist of text, images, links, and various file attachments. The pinboards are private or can be made publicly available via a link. The TaskCards’ comment function provides the option of rating and giving feedback on content.

Data Protection & Accessibility

TaskCards runs on German servers and thus conforms to the DSGVO (European General Data Protection Regulation). Therefore, TaskCards can be recommended in terms of data protection (compared to the US software Padlet, which offers similar features). Find detailed information about the data protection of TaskCards here. In terms of accessibility, the platform still has room for improvement. Albeit the multimedia application options offer scope for accessible design, blind people have so far only been able to capture posts with the screen reader and not create them themselves. You can find a detailed analysis here.

Range of Features

Collaborative work
Organization of learning units
Securing and documenting results digitally
Securing foreknowledge

Uses

Lecture
Seminar
Group work
Exams
Consultation hours

Step by Step

You can register for TaskCards here. Find more information on the TaskCards homepage.

After registration, you can (depending on the version) immediately create varying numbers of pinboards.

Select Layout

You can choose between the following layout options: Pinboard, Blackboard, World Map, Timeline, or Blog.

For creative processes such as the creation of mind maps during a brainstorming session, the Blackboard layout format is ideal. With the column view of the layout format Pinboard, you can structure learning content. The layout format Timeline is used to display time sequences. With the World Map layout format, you can place pins at locations around the world and add materials, such as videos or links to them.

Adding elements

On TaskCards you can equip your pinboard with the so-called TaskCards. For these cards, you can choose between the elements of video conference, contact cards, and text fields. Students can reach you via text message using the contact card. A video conference can quickly be started only by clicking on the element. The text field element offers several design options. You can either upload images, videos, GIFs, PDFs, or audio recordings. At the same time, it can also be used for ratings and comments. In addition, text formatting and linking options are available in the text field element.

Managing shares

TaskCards has the advantage of sharing access permissions for a pinboard or just individual cards. This can be used, for example, for group work or the successive release of learning materials. In addition, you can manage read and write permissions individually. Further, pinboard access could be generated via QR codes and links.