Reflective synopsis on digital technolgogy within education!

The introduction and globalisation of a wide range of digital technologies has had an immense impact on the world of education. The children that are entering today’s classrooms are a new generation of learners that have new and diverse learning styles. These students are representative of a generation of students that have been raised around this new technology (Prensky, 2001). These students are often referred to as ‘Digital Natives’ as they are have been surrounded by technology throughout their life and as such find they are able to communicate quite freely using the language that is required to converse within these technologies. As a result of digital technology being so prevalent within our society educators need to recognise the potential of this new resource and integrate them within the classroom. Introducing technologies such as Wikis, Blogs or Prezis into an educational setting appropriately improves the learning experience of students (Waterhouse, 2005). Some of the benefits that are evident from incorporating digital technology within the classroom are connectivism, constructivism and cognitivism. These benefits however, will not be reaped by just embedding the technology within the classroom. These tools need to be implemented appropriately and highly scaffolded to ensure the maximum rewards. Successful and effective teaching needs to understand the subtle interplay required between technology, content and pedagogy (Mishra, & Koehler, 2006). For a more inclusive look at how the intertwining of technology, pedagogy and content within a classroom setting can provide an advantage for students read the blog titled ‘What TPCK can do for us?’. Some teachers might wonder what this new technology has to offer for their students that is not already achieved by their more traditional methods. The reason the new technology has the potential to be advantageous is that today’s students find the language and tools found within 21^st century literacy far more engaging and are able to relate to them in a way that is not achieved with older pedagogical approaches (The New Media Consortium, 2005).

Wikis and De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats:

By including the critical analysis tool of De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats this wiki’s academic standard was dramatically increased. The Six Thinking Hats activity provides not only a platform for the viewer to voice their opinion but also encourages them to view a topic from all perspectives. Ensuring that learners are viewing a topic from all sides not only increases higher order thinking but also extends their learning as it would be very rare to hold in-depth knowledge about a topic from all angles (Frangenheim, 2010). Fragenheim also suggests that by providing the Six Thinking Hats activity students will be more comfortable in sharing their opinion and will therefore garner more out of the activity. By providing this scaffolding the teacher increased the chance that each student would develop their knowledge and understanding (McInerney & McInerney, 2006).  Another advantage of implementing this wiki is it ensures that students experience social constructivism. As evident in the sheer number of group activities implemented by teachers and lectures worldwide there are distinct advantages that students experience when learning and interaction with their peers are combined. This topic will be addressed further within the synopsis. Both the Wiki and De Bono’s thinking routine are examples of successful pedagogy that increase the learning outcomes achieved by students. These resources could be embedded into any Key Learning Area (KLA) or topic and are extremely beneficial tools within the classroom. These tools will prove to be advantageous when implemented within future practices. When used appropriately there are a variety of technology that enriches social constructivism within students (Snowman, Dobozy, Scevak, Brer, Bartlett & Biehler, 2009) and one such technological tool that does just that are Wikis.

Group One Tools – Wiki:

Throughout the research of Wikis, Blogs and Websites numerous advantages were discovered for each tool; however Wikis were determined to be the most beneficial due to several reasons. The first being the ability of Wikis to provide an interactive, creative and higher-order thinking tool and the second being the social constructivism associated with Wikis. Wikis are an online interactive resource that is constructed by the designer. This allows students to exercise high levels of creativity. As they have artistic licence to design the site how they would like generally the product will be of higher quality than had they been told what to do. By creating their own product students are not only displaying their knowledge and understand of a topic, they are also taking risks, experimenting and becoming fluent in the technology being utilised (The New Media Consortium, 2005).Wikis support the concept that “21^st century literacy is multi-modal” (The New Media Consortium, 2005)as they involve the use you written vocabulary, videos, audio and images. The way in which a Wiki is implemented would determine the level of social constructivism experienced by the students. Designing this activity as a group project that required all students to contribute to the Wiki would increase the learning outcomes derived from this activity. Social constructivism involves students constructing their knowledge through peer collaboration which extends their learning further then would have been individually (Snowman et al., 2009). Providing students the opportunity to share their knowledge with their peers and therefore develop and extend their own knowledge ensures that learning is undertaken at a high level. From the experimentation with the above four resources it was conclusively found that Wikis hold the most potential for social constructivism. Another factor that would impact the decision of which tool to implement would be the learning manager’s level of comfort and self-confidence with each tool. To view a more in depth look at Wikis and the list of benefits as well as a brief look at websites associated please visit ‘Whether Wikis Work’. To view an evaluation on the use of blogs within education please visit ‘To blog or not to blog’.   

Group Two Tools – Digital Images:

Images are an amazingly powerful tool. They can be interpreted differently from one person to the next; however they all carry information or a meaning. Recent technological advances have made creating, sharing and using images much easier. This freedom that comes with new technology still has some restrictions. All learning managers should ensure that they have comprehensively taught students about legal, safe and ethical use of images and that they themselves follow the same guidelines. When using images certain considerations need to be thought of. Checking for copyright of an image is essential. Images with a Creative Commons license are able to be copied and distributed. To research creative commons click here. The following website also provides a more holistic view on copyright in general. Another consideration when using or uploading images is that permission must be granted by the subjects of the images. Once these steps have been followed images are an amazing resource within education, especially for the new generation of learners. 21^st literacy includes the ability to use imagery to transcend cultural barriers and evoke emotional and academic responses (The New Media Consortium, 2005). Students and teachers are able to create, reflect, inquire and explain facilitated by images. The process of incorporating images within an educational setting will need extensive scaffolding for students as it is not just enough that they use or view images, they need to be able to critically analyse the image to understand the message and ensure higher-order thinking (Giorgis, Johnson, Bonomo, Colbert, & al, 1999 as cited in Bamford). Further information on this topic as well as the concepts of videos and podcasting is available on the blog titled ‘Video, Audio or Images?’  

     

Group Three Tools – Prezi:

Although all three tools, Power Point, Prezi and Golgster have the possibility to be highly beneficial, after exploration and research of all three the advantages that a Prezi could bring to students outweighed those of the other tools. Prezi is a great multi-modal resource that allows students to personalise their presentation by uploading images and videos. Constructing presentations using Prezi allows students to practice their skills of recognising and utilising the power that images and sounds have, manipulating digital media and publishing presentations to a wider audience (The New Media Consortium, 2005). Students could use this technology in conjunction with any KLA to present information and convey meaning.  Communication for today’s students is “multi-dimensional, engaging, and increasingly unbound to text” (The New Media Consortium, 2005). Further information on all three tools outlined about can be found at ‘Power points, Prezis and Glogsters – what are we talking about?’   

Group Four Tools - Google Earth

The concepts for most of the resources investigated in this group were developed quite recently. Programs such as Google Maps or digital story books are relatively new yet it was Google Earth that was examined further due to its potential. This resource is innovative and serves to connect students to not only a wide range of information but also essentially the entire world. Connectivism is epitomised in this tool as it connects students to people, places and things around the globe. Providing students with the opportunity to experience connectivsm is vital as, forging connections with people and information sources is how 21^st century learners derive their knowledge and understanding (Siemens, 2004).   For a 21^st century look at connectivism click here. Not only does Google Earth provide opportunities for learners but it has also provided a resource for teachers to access to gain the most out of this resource as possible. For a list of how this resource could be implemented within the classroom please consult ‘Group Four Tools’.    

The safe, legal, ethical and appropriate implementation of information and communications technology (ICTs) within classrooms has been found to have profound benefits on the learning experienced by students. For a list of resources on legal, safe and ethical practices please consult ‘Let’s be legal, safe and ethical’. The world around us is rapidly changing and the advances of science and technology immense. Learning managers need to ensure that they are lifelong learners and that they are continually developing their knowledge and understanding of digital resources and implemented them appropriately within the classroom (The New Media Consortium, 2005). Tools such as Wikis, images, Prezis and Golgsters, as well as the many other technology resources outlines within this synopsis can provided a variety of benefits for all involved. They provide a platform for students to enhance their knowledge through connection and engagement as well as ensure that they are conversant with the language that 21^st century literacy consists of.   

REFERENCES:

Bamford, A. (2003). The visual literacy white paper.Retrieved    from      http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/educati     on/pdfs/visual-literacy-wp.pdf

Frangenheim, E.(2007). Reflections on classroom thinking strategies. Loganholme, Qld: Rodin Educational Publishing

McInerney, D., & McInerney, V. (2006). Educational Psychology:      Constructing Learning (4^th Ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson  Education Australia

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: a framework for teacher knowledge. Retrieved from CQUniversity moodle FAHE11001 Managing E-learning,      http://www.moodle.cqu.edu.au

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.  Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20- %20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Snowman, Dobozy, Scevak, Bryer, Bartlett & Biehler. (2009). Psychology:Applied to teaching. Milton, Queensland: John Wiley & Sons Australia

The New Media Consortium. (2005). A global imperative. Retrieved from CQUniversity moodle FAHE11001 Managing E-learning,      http://www.moodle.cqu.edu.au

Waterhouse, S. (2005). The power of eLearning: the essential guide for teaching in the digital age. Pearson Professional: Australia

Let's be legal, safe and ethical.

Throughout the exploration and experimentation of the content and tools presented throughout the last six weeks one of the common threads that has linked it all is the consideration of legal, safe and ethical practices. Browsing back through my blog now I see that I have only put a caption on some of the images mentioning that the photos were all taken by me and I have the permission from each subject to include them within my blog. This provoked further thought on the issues and the realisation that it is so important that this legal, safe and ethical practices are implemented at all times. I would like to reiterate that ALL images/videos/content that has been included within this blog and its links have been either referenced appropriately or permission has been given for the posting of the content. 

This exercise has re-enforced my opinion that students need to be made aware of the correct legal, ethical and safe practices that are required to participate as a courteous and moral member of the world of technology. As outlined in my previous blog 'Whether wikis work?' there are numerous reliable sources that provide guidance on these matters.

Provided below are several links that will take you to a range of resources, each one aimed at either teachers, students or parents to ensure the legal, safe and ethical interaction with technology.

1. The Department of Education Queensland - this site will provide a series of links that will take you to further research on the topics, as well as Education Queensland's stance on legal, safe and ethical practices within the classroom. .
2. All Right to Copy? is an interactive game teaching students appropriate behaviour in regards to technology. This is also created by Education Queensland.
3. UNESCO has published a document detailing some issues involved with the implementation of ICTs within education.
4. The Children's Partnership is an organisation that has provided a document, primarily aimed at parents, teaching them how to ensure a safer learning environment around technology. This document also provides a range of links to further resources.  
5. Google Documents have sourced a power point from slide share that has interesting ideas on how to teach students internet safety.

Group Four Tools.

Some of the tools that were investigated this week had been implemented in a classroom situation before and others were less familiar, however even during the investigation of the tools that were familiar a lot of information was discovered. As the layers of each tool were pulled back more ideas, resources and insights were discovered. 

The first tool that was investigated this week was Bubbl.us, which is a great mind mapping tool. This tool is easy to use and for those students that would struggle in creating a mind map using Bubbl.us there are tutorials a mere Google search away, such as this Youtube.  Bubbl.us provides students with an instrument which will facilitate brain storming, constructing a concept map or simply taking notes.  Enabling students to use a graphic organiser increases their ability to understand a concept or process (Mazarno & Pickering, 2009). The following image is of the Bubbl.us that I created in response to using the technology explored this week in an educational setting. I am unable to provide a link to observe this more closely as it would only take you to the Bubbl.us home page, however this link will take you to a transcript of this mind map. 

The second resource investigated in this group of tools was Google Earth. This tool is incredible in that is has such variety. The range of KLAs that this can be used in is expensive and the ideas of ways to implement them within these KLAs are plentiful. A small list of ideas if provided below, however this is certainly not an exhaustive list. 

Ways in which Google Earth can be used within the classroom.

* Tracking animals, migrations.

* Looking a various environments ie deserts, rain forests, swamps.

* Looking at global warming issues.

* Investigating natural disasters eg areas with volcanoes.

* Becoming globally aware - looking at memorials, where other people live, the living conditions of the less fortunate.

* Witnessing historically important areas.

* Maths - such as latitude, longitude, distances etc

* Natural disaster, city planning and growth

As is evident through this list Google Earth could be used within Maths, Science, SoSE, English, History the list goes on.

As illustrated by the following image (It is not television anymore: Designing digital video for learning and assessment, p. 7)learning through digital technologies incorperates a wide range of actions, feelings and knowledge. It highlights that when students are engaged and 'doing' the learning, they are interacting with a range of vital experiences they would miss out on had they not been so involved. Google Earth is a prime example of a digital resource the assists student say, see, do and engage with content and as a result provides a vital tool in which to increase the learning outcomes achieved by students.

This resource is also scaffolded extensively and provides a high level of support through its publication 'Google Earth for Educators'. Providing educators with this resource will encourage them to implement Google Earth within their classroom and will increase the amount of teachers that feel comfortable to use this technology. Before interacting with this software is it essential to first read the following statement about the legalities of using Google Earth.

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (with Arrendondo, D. E., Paynter, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. D., … Whistler, J. S.). (2009). Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual (2^nd ed.). Moorabbin, VIC: Hawker Brownlow Education.

Power points, Prezis and Glogsters - What are we talking about?

This week saw the exploration of a range of tools, some familiar and some very foreign, however through further research and exploration the potential for all three tools has been evident.

The first to be reviewed was power point. To be honest at the beginning I was bored at the prospect of reflecting on a tool that I know fairly well and find generally boring. Since reading, researching and exploring however my opinion has changed. The idea of creating quizzes etc on power point has been an idea that I have implemented before to great success, yet the website detailing the various quizzes and games that can be designed was fabulous and provided some great ideas. The main resource that I thought was the best, in regards to power point, was the mouse mischief software. I thought that this idea was fantastic as it allows for student interaction, sharing and even a little bit of competition. This software would facilitate social constructivism within the classroom. With regards to time constraints I must admit that I created one of those boring power points that doesn't really engage, however I did insert music - which I had never done before, and tried to create the animated movie with images in power point - unfortunately this was unsuccessful and this skill will need some practice before it can be implemented successfully. To enable viewing of this power point I signed up to slide share and uploaded it there.

Getting ready for Christmas on Prezi

The above is the Prezi that was created in the spirit of Christmas. I decided to construct a Prezi that didn't detail why it was a good resource or make it educational in any way. The reason for this was so that the scope of Prezi could be viewed. This is an example of how students could construct a step by step process, for example what happened and what they learnt on an excursion and then present it. This digital resource is AMAZING!!!! There is so much potential in relation to embedding Prezi within the classroom. This resource could be used within ANY KLA and could be the medium for any type of work from reflective, creative, instructional or evaluative. The tutorials, layout and tabs make Prezi a very easy tool to use and the zooming and options make this a very engaging tool that would put no restrictions on students creativity. This will be a resource that I will definitely implement within my classroom.

I'm not sure if the following Glogster poster will work, as once embedding it was completed it still didn't look right so click here to be taken to my Glogster. This tool provides the opportunity for students and teachers to create posters for the school and the community to view. Similar to the Prezi, the topic of a Glogster could be anything and it is up to the editor as to the extent of creativity involved. These posters could be embedded into the schools website and inform parents as to the goings on within the school. Say for example that the drama class creates a poster advertising their play or the class creates a poster about the opening of the school herb garden. The fact that images and audio can be added allows for these posters to be personalised and engaging. 

Ps. Yeah it worked, even the music button on the top right hand side worked, technology is a brilliant thing.

Video, Audio or Images????

This week has involved the explorations of various worlds out there that until now I have known very little about. If there was to be one word applied to the tools that were evaluated this week it would be .... POTENTIAL. Whilst completing the readings and investigating the resources there were endless amounts of possibilities presented for students within the classroom. 

IMAGES:

Images are a powerful tool, they are able to provoke powerful emotional responses and convey meaning to the viewer (The New Media Consortium, 2005). The above images were quickly taken   around my house as I wanted to illustrate that images used in educational settings don't need to be formal representations of topics. Some might view these images and wonder what value they will have within a classroom setting. To me I see endless possibilities, whether they be used as a stimulus to write a poem, the opening scene for a story or the hook for an agricultural unit. They might not be a picture of Hitler, the Beijing Olympics or a World War One plane but they can still elicit deep and meaningful responses from students.

These images were uploaded using Picnik and then posted to my Flickr account and as I took them I know that they are allowed to be upload and distributed. It is vital that all images that are use or uploaded  by obtained legally, such as through creative commons, and all subjects of the photos have given permisson. Without these two factors images must NOT be used.  

VIDEO:

Even though Movie Maker is classed as one of the lower quality video creating and editing products I still believe that large amounts of information, meaning and emotion can be conveyed through a production constructed using Movie Maker. Please excuse that this was a personal video, the video I had planned to upload was an educational one I had designed for university, unfortunately it was stored on a laptop that is currently not working. By using this personal video instead of an educational one however it has highlighted the broad range of possibilities that these technologies represent. Students can use these resources in any KLA for a variety of process from creating, to evaluating in both group work and individual situations. Through asking students to create pieces using this technology, students get to practice their technological skills as well as exercise their creativity. This tool would need to be scaffolded to ensure students feel supported and understand what is required of them, yet the activity still needs to retain a certain degree of freedom so that students need to assess what is required of them. An example of this would be to ask students to create a short movie to illustrate what they had learned over throughout their agricultural unit of work. Instead of just asking for that it would be important that the teacher implement an evaluation activity such as a Y Chart or an Extent Barometer to assist students to engage in the topic at a higher-order thinking level instead of merely reciting events that happened.   

AUDIO:

There are numerous ways the audio resources can be utilised with in the classroom, videos, audio files, voki and power points just to name a few. One interesting audio teaching tool are podcasts. A quick search on the internet results in an extensive list of podcasts that have been uploaded. The following podcast is of the Great Speeches in History. 

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

The successful implementation of multimedia tools within the classroom will increase learning outcomes achieved and will reap abundant benefits for all involved. Purely placing these resources within the classroom is not enough. These tools need to be scaffolded and implemented appropriately. Students need to be educated in the ways of critical literacy. They need to be aware how to critically analyse and interpret images, video and audio to ascertain key messages and information, put them into the relevant context and then decided whether they are valid or not (Thibault & Walbert). The following images is a thinking routine that students can be taught to assist them to participate in higher order thinking. This image is brought to you By Thibault and Walbert's article 'Reading images: an introduction to visual literacy'. providing tools such as these provides appropriate scaffolding for students to critically analysis andinterpret images to ensure the are participating at a higher acedemic level.

I have implemented video clips, audio and Youtube clips into lessons and the results have been astounding. Students are more engaged, relate to the content more so then they would have had it been presented in a more traditional way and have enjoyed themselves. During a lesson on Chemistry and the atom I played a youtube clip as the hook and every student in the class went from an expression of horror or boredom once hearing the topic to being engaged and actively participating throughout the entire lesson. "21st century literacy has the potential to transform the way we learn" (The New Media Consortium, 2005) and as such needs to be brought to the forefront of curriculum and pedagogy. To ensure the safe,legal and ethical production of images, video and audio in any digital resource highlighted throughout this entire blog please visit this website created by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Victoria.

The New Media Consortium. (2005). Global imperative. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/pdf/Global_Imperative.pdf   

Thibault, M,. and Walbert, D. (n.d). Reading images: an introduction to visual literacy. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/675

Whether Wikis Work?

By provide various methods to scaffold how to build a wiki, such as a video, written instructions – or for those kinaesthetic learners just letting them play with the resource, all learning styles are covered. All students should feel supported in the process of constructing their own wiki or blog. If students feel unsupported or overwhelmed, in any way, then they are far less likely to achieve all the learning outcomes and extend their knowledge as much as would have been possible had they had sufficient support. Teachers need to remember how it felt for them to being experimentation with these technologies and even though their students are called ‘digital natives’ it is very likely that there will be numerous students within their class that have never interacted with these types of technologies before. Adequate scaffolding is the key to providing an environment where students feel that they can achieve. The process of students constructing their own knowledge on a topic is vital, as is their active interaction with the world around them (Piaget as cited in McInerney and McInerney, 2006). Implementing a wiki within the classroom has the potential to reap numerous benefits for both the students and the teacher. These benefits are numerous so I have not provided a synopsis of each, however I have outlined just a few of the positives and provided links for those people that would like to carry out further research:

·         Social constructivism – learner’s constructing meaning in a social context – McInerney and McInerney

·         Students will be exposed to a wide variety of perspectives on a particular topic – this can be extended to incorperate higher order thinking and maintaining an open mind using tools such as De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats – Frangenheim

·         Wikis provide an opportunity for students to engage in collaborative learning –for example a jigsaw type assessment where students have to work as a team to complete an assignment. This also links to Connectivism  which involves extending students’ knowledge through seeing and reflecting on other peoples work, having access to a wider range of resources and understanding concepts and content as they have had to interact with it. Connectivism.

·         Opportunity to provide real life context problems – providing students with authentic meaningful task increases engagement as well as assisting students’ retention of knowledge. (Good and Brophy, 1990 as cited Mergel, 1998)

·         Wikis also provide students with the chance to practice certain skills. Having to edit and adapt all the time students will undertake a lot of practice and will therefore become familiar with not only the content or the resource they are using but the process or evaluation, reflection and adaption.  Mergel, B. 1998, Instructional design and learning theory.

·         A wiki reduces the risks that are associated with students interacting on line as there is no facility within the wiki that provides a ‘chat area’. All interactions that students will have with a Wiki are not ‘live’, whilst editing their Wiki no one outside of the allocated editors can be on the website interacting with the editors. Also, all contributions made can be seen by everyone so if the teacher conducts regular viewing of wikis then they will be able to see anything inappropriate. Netsafe. 

·         Implementing clear scaffolding of this process before beginning, including internet etiquette and outlining that cyber bullying will not be accepted, with the students will also reduce the dangers that technologies within the classroom can present.

·         Although students are presenting information in a space that is accessible to anyone in the world, Wikis still provide a certain level of privacy as students decide was is posted and what remains private. To increase privacy levels teacher could facilitate the construction of students’ profiles to insure limited personal information is provided. Children's privacy. 

Most of Wikis will provide a novel tool in which students can reflect on and be proud of the work that they have produced. Seeing the creation of a product might also encourage students to become more involved and put a greater amount of effort in.

The wiki I created could be used as an example to demonstrate to students how to use a wiki. Instead of providing them with a wiki to work through I believe it would be interesting and beneficial to see the students create their own wiki, including the content required for the assignment and therefore learning by doing.

Tell me, and I will forget,

Show me and I may remember,

Involve me, and I will understand

                                Confucius, 450 BC

Click here to visit my wiki, 'E-learning for all'. 

Clicking on the hyperlinks after each dot point will take you to websites containing further research on the topic. The two books cited are referenced below. These are just one place to look there is an ocean of research on these topics (the beauty of the internet and technology - being able to access it all!!!)


I have also created a website using Weebly, called 'Let's go travelling'. This technology is very similar to a Wiki in that it provides a space on the internet to post information. The layout on this space and using this website was very familiar to me as the layout is remarkably alike that of the Wiki website. It provides the potential of numerous benefits when implemented within the classroom, however unlike Wiki there is only one editor. This removes the social constructivist benefits that are reaped when students share the experience of creating a Wiki together.    

Frangenheim, E.  (2007). Reflections on classroom thinking strategies. Loganholme, Qld: Rodin Educational Publishing

McInerney, D., & McInerney, V. (2006). Educational Psychology: Constructing Learning (4^th Ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia

 

To blog or not to blog??

One of the reflections that were undertaken during this week was assessing the value of blogs in an educational sense. To compete an effective evaluation of this tool an analytical tools was used - a PMI.

PMI for the use of blogs within school.

Plus                
*   It is a way to share information and ideas with not just the people in our immediate environment but people around the whole world.

·         * There is access to a wider range of knowledge then there would be in just the classroom.

·         * Encourages students to reflect on their learning.

·         * Facilitates the evaluation and analysis of information and opinions.

·        *  Provides a tool for the teacher to witness the thinking that individual students are participating in.

·         * Encourages connectivism which results in students reflecting on their prior knowledge and evolving their understanding on topics.

·         * Provides an authentic context for learning.

·         * COLLABORATION.

·         * Provides a diverse range of teaching.

·         * It is easier for some students to relate to images, videos and pictures which can be added to blogs easily.

 

Minus:
   * Self-conscious students might find it very daunting to post their ideas in an arena where everyone and anyone can read it.

·         * It could potentially take quite a large amount of time to set up and maintain the blog, especially if it is a new medium for the students.

·         * It could result in student arguments as the read each other’s blogs and disagree with the  opinions of others.

·         * Some learners might find the technology requirements too in depth and may freeze.

·         * Students may post inaccurate or inappropriate information.

Interesting:
   * Once students have access to their blog they also have access to the internet and all the other sites that come along with that.

·         * Although this is a tool to combine the views of an entire class it is also an independent task. The amount of work a student puts into their blog will be clearly evident when viewing the blog.

·         * A blog requires students to actively participate continually throughout the course instead of one final assessment at the end of the term.

·        *The teacher can witness the student’s growth and adaption throughout the course.

·         * Resources;

o   Negative: some educational providers would not be able to afford the internet and computers required to participate effectively in this.

o   Positive: it will reduce other non-renewable resources required such as paper, pens, books.

                      

It is my belief that, as outlined in Prensky's article that we need to engage the students that are participating in our classes. A large percentage of children today will be familiar with the term 'blogging'. It is my opinion that, used appropriately and scaffolded well, blogs could be an extremely beneficial teaching tool that will open up the world of teaching and allow not only students, but teachers as well to experience, share and evolve.

How many hats do we have to wear?

 I found reflecting on the effectiveness of mobile phones through a wiki to be an engaging way to increase my prior knowledge on a variety of topics and would readily use this teaching tool within my classroom. It provided a forum to share knowledge and viewpoints on a particular subject and could be used in conjunction with any KLA and topic. It provides an arena in which a student might feel more inclined to share their opinion with their peers as it is not face to face. This would be beneficial for those students that don’t really share their ideas in the classroom situation. This medium would also enable the teacher to obtain a true picture of what each student is contributing and the thinking that they are involved with.  There were a few potential problems with this teaching tool that I thought of. Firstly, self-conscious, insecure students might have an issue with posting their beliefs and thoughts where anyone, and probably everyone in their class, will be able to read them. They might feel that their peers will judge their academic level. Another downside could be that it would be easy for one student to post something incorrect at the beginning of the wiki and have students after that following their lead. Before long half of the class could believe the inaccurate statement, change their original view and post more incorrect information. This problem could be eliminated by the teacher supervising the activity closely. Continual monitoring would ensure that if any incorrect information or inappropriate opinions were posted then they could be rectified. 

Another potential negative for this could be that it could stifle creativity. Once students read the post prior to theirs it could be hard for them to disengage what they just read and write their own original viewpoint. A solution to this could be that students write their entries first in a book or word document and then post them. Implementing this practice would assist in students maintaining their creativity. 

The six thinking hats activity, mobile phones within classrooms and whole class wikis would create many learning benefits for students and teachers. An activity similar to the one undertaken develops students’ higher order thinking as they are evaluating and analysing what their peers have said and then reflecting on how this knowledge impacts on their individual beliefs and prior knowledge. They are innovative teaching tools that are based in the technology that students these days are surrounded in and would most likely increase the learning outcomes achieved within the classroom. To maximise the benefits reaped from these activities the teacher would need to scaffold the activity so that students were aware of what was required of them. 

By participating in this activity online we are experiencing Connectivism. This learning theory of the digital age highlights that we derive our competence from forming connections with other information sources (Siemens, 2004). We are connecting to our peers and sharing our information to further our understanding of this topic. Due to this collaborative learning, facilitated by technology, we are continually updating and improving our knowledge.

It was evident that construtivism was also present during this activity. We were required to post our thoughts, views and opinions of this subject in a place where our peers could read it. As a result of this I am sure that many people read other posts that had been contributed which would have impacted and potentially shaped their original perception of that topic. This process involved questioning, reflecting, discovering and discussing knowledge which is the very basis of constructivism (Snowman, Dobozy, Scevak, Bryer, Bartlett & Biehler, 2009). In later reflection of this activity with peers it was discovered that many, as a result of this activity, had to question the understanding they held about this topic, discovered new information and evolve their knowledge on the topic.

	Feelings: How do I feel about this? What do I like about the idea? What don't I like about the idea?	I too have positive and negative feelings about this topic. I believe that this technology in classroom could provide a myriad of positive benefits, engagement, diversity, new knowledge. It could mean the difference between a student engaging in a topic and understanding a concept or not gaining any knowledge on that topic and to me if just one student has experienced a break through or attained knowledge that they otherwise would not have then to me it is worth it. I also agree that it could be a distraction for some, however my main concern when discussing this is finances. Would the phones by provided by the school or would students be expected (as it is assumed in our society) to have their own phone? For those students that come from a low socio-economic background it would be extremely detrimental if it was their responsibility to provide their own phone. There would also be the typical student teasing that that students doesn't have the latest/flashiest phone and the associated embarrassment. I have to believe though that this would not be the case should this program be introduced in a class and educators would be sensitive to these issues.
	Benefits: What are the good points? Why can this be successful? Why is this a good thing?	Having just come from a lecture that involved the large majority of students using their mobile phones (for educational purposes) I have to approach this topic from a positive stand point. I believe that there is a time and place for such technology within the classroom and that it could be highly beneficial for students learning, however there would have to be clear guidelines and restrictions outlined to students before beginning the task to implement it successfully. There is such a large amount of resources and funding going towards the development of this technology that it seems wasteful not to utilise it. These days mobile phones can do so much more than just calling and messaging. Students would be able to research, take photos, make tables, time themselves, use the calendar etc. The list is endless. Using this technology could also increase the students’ engagement with the lesson and the content being taught.

Mergel, B. (1998). Instructional design and learning theory. Retrieved from http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm#The%20Basics%20of%20Behaviorism

 

Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: a learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved from             http://www.ingedewaard.net/papers/connectivism/2005_siemens_ALearningTheoryForTheDigitalAge.pdf

Snowman, Dobozy, Scevak, Bryer, Bartlett & Biehler. (2009). Psychology: Applied to teaching. Milton, Queensland: John Wiley & Sons Australia