Week 2
Scaffolding learning and Digital Pedagogy
Engagement activity 2- TPACK
Figure 1: Diagrammatic explanation of the TPACK framework
Please watch this clip where a teaher explains why technology is so important in the classroom!
Engagement Activity 4: Blog reflection on wiki activity
The wiki activity gave everyone the opportunity to contribute their thoughts and research on the topic of ‘mobile phones in the classroom’. The learning theories that I believe were incorporated into the group wiki activity are social constructivism and connectivism.
The constructivism theory sees individuals voicing their
opinions based on prior experiences, knowledge, mental structures and their own
beliefs on the topic (Mergel 1998). As seen in the group wiki activity students
of ICTs and Learning Design provided very diverse opinions being both for and
against the use of mobile phones in the classroom. The social interactive
nature of this activity presented diversity of opinion which can get people
thinking about other people’s views on the matter, possibly altering their
overall view on the issue and more importantly influencing their learning.
Connectivism is the newest of the learning theories and was
introduced due to people’s lives, communication and learning being heavily
influenced by technology over the previous twenty years (Mergel 1998). The wiki
activity exposed us to wikis which is one of the many ICT’s that teachers will
need to gain an in depth knowledge about in order to teach the next generation.
Partaking in this wiki activity was the first time I have ever experienced a
wiki and I had never heard of a wiki before commencing this course.
The features of the wiki design that lead me to understand
that the constructivism theory was included was the fact it was a ‘group wiki’
where everyone could have their say and that the topic was controversial seeing
a very diverse array of opinions. The features of the wiki design that lead me
to understand that the connectivism theory was a part of this activity was the
fact that it took place on the internet and the learning had a networked
nature.
I enjoyed participating in the group wiki as it was the
first time I have ever experienced wikis. I posted my opinions late in the week
by which time most others had posted their views which I enjoyed reading and
were helpful in seeing both sides of the argument.
A wiki group activity similar to the one that we
participated in would be great to use in the classroom with students. With
knowledge of how to use a wiki the teacher could incorporate it into an
activity being designed using the TPACK framework. The students could be given
a topic and asked to add to the wiki what their current knowledge is on the
topic. After determining the student’s current knowledge on the topic the
teacher could establish a research task on the topic that sees students working
through the steps of Bloom’s taxonomy from lower order thinking skills up to
higher order thinking skills. Each student would add their research to the
group wiki where the students could view each other’s work and build on the
knowledge that they gained from their own research. Along with posting their research
in the class wiki students could also present their findings to the class which
would demonstrate their understanding of the topic and help to improve their public
speaking skills.
The learning experience was well scaffolded with the use of
de Bono’s six thinking hats. This type of scaffold ensures that participants perspectives
rather than opinion are presented, consequently seeing their higher order
thinking skills being put to use. This allowed the discussion on the topic to
be broken into six categories allowing people to think about each category
individually which possibly provided them with helpful ideas that made them
think about things they may not have if the activity was not well scaffolded. Group wikis allow all contributions to be accessible
to all involved making the content a valuable resource for each of us to draw
from and reflect on when making a final decision on the topic.
The organisation in which the thoughts were displayed due
to the clever use of the de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats scaffold allows the
teacher to produce a following step to the activity utilising the information provided
by the students. A following step could include getting the students to split
into groups and each group is to analysis one hat of perspectives. The analysis
should include further research, expert opinions, trailing the use of mobile
phones in the classroom and constructing a presentation on the final view of
each prospective to present to their peers and teacher. By taking the wiki
activity one step further has forced the use of student’s higher order thinking
and creativity skills.
An online collaborative activity such as this one provides
an opportunity for the more reserved students to voice their ideas which they
may be reluctant to do when placed in a group to have a face-to-face discussion
on an issue. Allowing a week for the activity to take place allowed people time
to think about the topic before putting their ideas forward which would have
benefited the students that like to think things through before voicing their
ideas.
Overall, the benefits that come out of this exercise include
introducing people to wikis, being able to give your own ideas on topics whenever
you like and being able to read through the views of others to increase your
own knowledge and possibly alter your view on an issue. All of these beneficial
factors contribute to building the use and efficiency of our higher order
thinking skills.
To avoid disappointment in students due to the loss of hard work due to others carelessness when editing a group wiki the following rules and edict should be followed.
·
Always save your wiki posts in a word document
·
Before adding your contribution observe what
peers have already added, add your contribution and after saving make sure your
peers work is still present on the page
·
If applicable have students work in small groups
to avoid complexity
·
Give one student in each group the job of
monitoring their wiki so that the teacher can be altered of any issues (Fasso
2013)
·
The class teacher should monitor all wikis for
contribution and progress of all students
Legal, safe and ethical guidelines for working in wikispaces
·
10% of a work can be copied for educational
purpose
·
All
material that is not your own should be referenced appropriately. This includes
text, images, video and audio
·
Public access should not be allowed to student wikis
to prevent stranger danger
·
Password protection is a must
·
Cyber bulling is not acceptable and will not be
tolerated
·
All schools should have a content filter in
place on students computers to prevent the risk of children being exposed to
inappropriate material e.g. pornographic, violence or illegal practices (Fasso
2013)
In order for your
students to have a safe, educational and fun experience when using wikispaces
it is essential that they are aware of the rules and edict required for participation
and the legal, safe and ethical guidelines within which they conduct their
learning. The teacher must lead by example and model all protocols that students
are expected to abide by in order to keep working on the internet a safe, fun
and educational experience for the whole class.
Overall, the group wiki activity was a great introduction to
wikis and promoted many thoughts about using this technology in the
classroom References
Fasso, W. (2012). EDED20491
- ICT's for Learning Design: Study guide.
Rockhampton, Qld: CQUniversity, Australia.
Mergel, B. (1998). Instructional
Design & Learning Theory. Retrieved from http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm#The%20Basics%20of%20Behaviorism
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