Gingy

Thursday, 12 April 2012

Week Two - de Bono at its finest**


 **This post could not be recovered from an accidential deleting incident . Please excuse it being positioned out of order**

The following post is a reflection about the learning that was facilitated through the use of a scaffolded wiki. This activity required us to input our opinion of Mobile Phone Use in the Classroom in the format of de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats.
Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
The White Hat- The White Hat calls for information known or needed.

The Red Hat--- The Red Hat signifies feelings, hunches and intuition.

The Black Hat--- The Black Hat is judgment -- the devil's advocate or why something may not work.

The Yellow Hat--- The Yellow Hat symbolizes brightness and optimism.

The Green Hat--- The Green Hat focuses on creativity: the possibilities, alternatives and new ideas.

The Blue Hat--- The Blue Hat is used to manage the thinking process.

  
*de Bono Thinking Systems. (2011). Six Thinking Hats, March 7. Retrieved from



Learning strategies- I believe that the forum reflected the learning theory of constructivism– social constructivism to be precise. This wiki activity was to encourage students to engage and participate in an online forum and experience a learning process through social interaction. Social constructivism encompasses a strategy that emphasises learning through the use of social encounters. It is centred solely on the learner and encourages students to develop their own meaning and understanding by listening and learning from other’s knowledge and perspectives. An example of this theory as a learning technique is group work.

Characteristics of wiki design that lead you to that understanding- Characteristics of the wiki design that lead me to my understanding of the social constructivism theory included social interaction and a clear layout of individual perspectives. This activity allowed students to engage with each other and build their opinions of the topic matter from research and point-of-views from other people in the group.

Own participation in wiki- I partook in the wiki activity by observing other’s views and beliefs and then by contributing my own opinions. It was interesting to distinguish those views that were similar to mine and those which were not. It was also worth reading opposing arguments and taking those into consideration at my own pace, without someone preaching at me face-to-face. The only issue I found with this activity was no-one (including myself) actually integrated their ideas and opinions. Most people just stated their views and did not relate to anyone else’s contribution. So there were many issues repeated throughout the activity.

Benefits, issues, drawbacks of participating in wiki like this- I found many benefits and drawbacks from participating in a wiki like such as it was my first experience with this particular type of learning. I found it pleasant reading through other’s opinions at my own pace and then skipping over things that I did not feel necessary to read. I also found it non-threatening as it could be completed without someone forcing their point-of-views literally into your face. Another reason I found this type of learning interesting, was the fact that beliefs could be completely anonymous if someone so desired.

On the other hand, this form of learning had its drawbacks and disadvantages. If this activity was compulsory (as ours was) it can be a very long process reading through all of the previous contributions. The result of this can lead to skipping prior questions and opinions and then repeating the same information. This can be very frustrating for others who are very passionate about the subject.

How contribute to learning of your students- I think an online collaborative page such as a wiki would be an excellent learning tool. It gives students an opportunity to contribute their opinions to a subject matter in a safe environment. Some students are not active in the classroom due to reasons of having a fear of being wrong, intimidation and even concern of other’s reactions. This tool allows students to voice their opinions freely, in a space where a teacher can control the situation with ease.

How did scaffold support collection of range of perspectives-This wiki activity was designed to support the diverse range of perspectives as it enabled individual views to be shared and sighted by the entire group. It was structured well, with different core questions and ideas separated to keep the activity under control and in order. This activity was scaffolded to help learners ‘bounce’ ideas off one another, introduce a new strategy of online collaboration and to present perspectives in a well managed layout. The steps were easy to follow as directions were simple and straightforward in explaining how to publish own perspective.

Click this link to visit a wiki that I have created myself.

Here is a sample of my individual participation in the Mobile Phone Wiki Activity  

Judgement:
What is wrong with this?? Why will this not work? Is this safe? Can this be done?  
·         The problems that can be associated with mobile phones in the classroom include
·         Not everyone has a smart phone so bullying may occur
·         Not everyone has an iPhone so not everyone will have access to same content eg. Apps
·         Technology isn’t 100% reliable so cannot incorporate a lot into class work and students can have verified excuses not to complete work
·         Internet connection may be slow
·         Phones are battery operated so another excuses for students not to complete work

Feelings:
How do I feel about this? What do I like about the idea? What don't I like about
the idea?
Even though I use a lot of technology in my everyday life, I am still not convinced that it should be used in particular environments. Mobile phones in classrooms are one of them. Personally too much can go wrong with this idea, which will then add another dimension to excuses in the classroom. Students should have access to computers and the internet at school, so what is the need for mobiles? I like the idea of having better student participation, interaction and engagement in the classroom, but surely there is another way. There are plenty of other technologies available that can replace mobile phones. Mobile phones are a personal device and should be kept that way.

Benefits:
What are the good points? Why can this be successful? Why is this a good thing?
There are many benefits to using mobile phones in the classroom, but personally I don't agree. They can be used effectively to
·         Set reminders for assignments and homework
·         To enhance student engagement, participation and interest
·         To access information quickly

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