Week 2

Scaffolding learning and Digital Pedagogy

Engagement activity 2- TPACK

Figure 1: Diagrammatic explanation of the TPACK framework

Source - http://mkoehler.educ.msu.edu/tpack/files/2011/05/tpack.jpg

 

TPACK stands for Technology, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge framework. To effectively teach your students so that they learn, understand and can use higher-order thinking with the content provided it is essential that a teacher knows their content well (Fasso 2012). The teacher must also have good technical skills along with good pedagogy in order to deliver the content to the students effectively utilising the ICT device that was selected by the teacher for the particular lesson. When a teacher knows their content, has good pedagogy and selects an appropriate ICT device to enhance the lesson the best possible learning outcomes can be achieved by the students (Fasso 2012). 

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

 

Week 1 - Learning Theory

Welcome to my new blog

Engagement Activity 1: Learning Styles

 

I think this first activity was a great way to get us to discover our own learning styles. Please have a look at the results of my learning styles test.  As seen in the results I have a balance of active and reflective learning, which is desirable and I agree with. I generally like to give things a go which helps me gain a better understanding of the concept, however sometimes I prefer to reflect on a topic that may be slightly harder for me to grasp.  The test results show that I am more of a sensing than intuitive learner. I believe this to be true as I like learning facts, am practical in the way I go about most things and like to be able to relate newly learnt information to a real life situation. Felder and Solomon’s questionnaire suggests that I am more of a visual than verbal learner. I think that I would be slightly more balanced as I like diagrams and pictures; however I also like verbal explanations to help me understand what is happening in the diagram and extra information about the topic. I totally agree that I am a sequential learner over a global one as I understand concepts best when they are explained in steps. Overall, I think that these test results are very accurate of my learning styles and that this questionnaire could be a useful tool for teachers to gauge an understanding of their students learning styles in order to teach in a way that the students will learn best.  

Learning Styles Results

Results for: Emma Fernie           ACT                  X                                REF            11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11                               <-- -->         SEN          X                                        INT            11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11                               <-- -->         VIS          X                                        VRB            11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11                               <-- -->         SEQ              X                                    GLO            11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11                               <-- -->

Engagement Activity 2: Multiple Intelligences

The multiple intelligences questionnaire also gives an insight to how people learn best. The test results show that I learn equally as well through a number of ways. According to the test my kinaesthetic, music and intrapersonal skills are not as effective as the rest. I agree that I am not very music smart, however I learn well from hands on activities and from studying on my own therefore think I should be more body and myself smart than the test suggests. This test can be used by teachers to help them discover in what ways their students learn most effectively so that activities can be designed around their strongest intelligences. As their will be an array of diverse intelligences in any classroom lessons can be designed with the incorporation of ICT’s in order to capture the attention of all students.

Lesson example using ICT’s to capture attention of all students: Year 4 mathematics lesson on an ipad

·         The students have the option to read or listen to the question/problem  before commencing work

·         The number smart students may choose to work quietly on the questions while the body smart students have the option to utilise blocks  and other objects to visualise and set the question out

·         There will be both intrapersonal and interpersonal students in a class, seeing some work best on their own (intrapersonal) and the interpersonal students plugging an ipad into a projector and working through the questions as a group

·         For the visual/spatial students, links could be available which describe the questions in picture form

·         At the end of the mathematics lesson all students in the class will have hopefully finished and understand the questions by being allowed to use the skills that they learn best with through the use of technology in the classroom   

 

Engagement Activity 3: Reflection on Prensky's ideas

What is your belief and understanding of the nature of today's learners? Do they really "demand" technology in the classroom?

 

After reading the articles I agree with Prensky in respect that technology is in children’s lives from a very young age (Prensky 2005). This see’s them become very depend on technology in a way that they quiet possibly could not get through a day without it. In order to keep up with the rapidly advancing world which we live in it is my opinion that technology is required not ‘demanded’ in the classroom in order to prepare students for the “real world” that they will enter when they finish their schooling. Without an extensive knowledge and ability to use the advancing technologies people will be left behind and miss out on valuable opportunities. Therefore it would be in the best interest of students if technology was utilised in the classroom as frequently as subjects classified as important, i.e. Mathematics and English to accustom children with the skills and knowledge they will require upon finishing school.       

Is there substance to the "engage or enrage" argument?

I believe that there is substance to the “engage or enrage” argument as it falls into a similar category as technology being used in the classroom. The advancements in technology and children’s lifestyles from previous decades has made them disrespectful to the current education system. Most children are engaged by their plans for the weekend, video games and online interactions with friends. These out of school engaging activates see children becoming less engaged in what teachers are trying to educate them on in the classroom. As most lessons do not involve advancing technologies or something students might be interested in they shut out the teacher’s voice and use their mobile phone or become a distraction to the rest of the class causing other students to also become disconnected from the lesson.

It could be said that students should suck it up and learn the current curriculum or on the other hand teachers could redesign the curriculum to include technology where possible, which would engage a higher percentage of students and see better learning outcomes in the classroom.       

Engagement Activity 4: Reflection on Connectivism

A number of authors contest Siemens' ideas. It is unsettling to be challenged about existing perceptions of "knowing", in particular, the lack of purpose in asking our students to KNOW and be able to RECALL what they know in assessment. Many academics contest these ideas because they are not yet supported by research, rather, they are a position about the nature of learning. They also contend that learning is a state within the individual, and therefore connectivism cannot be regarded as a theory of learning, rather a theory about how learning is best supported.

 

Do you agree with them? Can you see Siemen's point of view? What is your position?

 

 No I do not agree with them because Siemens’ idea is how more people should be thinking today. The knowledge that is useful today may not be useful in a few months or years time; therefore it may not be necessary to assess students on facts and figures that might not be required by the time they get a job (Siemens 2005). All in all students should be taught useful skills and information that will allow them to excel in the ever changing world.

 

Give an example of ways in which you could use this theory in your classroom/learning context?

 You are doing a topic on weather with your class and a flood occurs somewhere in the country. You can use the real life occurrence to engage your learners and allow them to research flood information and possibly blog their views and thoughts. After completing the research and each student shares their thoughts through their blog, a class discussion could occur and they could all pool their knowledge and possibly add more to their blog from what they have learnt from other students in the class.  

To take the activity further the students could connect with a school in the flooded area to ask questions and receive firsthand knowledge and photographs of the damages. The students could do a climatic assessment and report of their own area to share with the students from the flood affected area.       

By undertaking their own research on the web, blogging what they have learnt, discussing it with their classmates, hearing from students in the flood affected area and adding to their blog they will have increased their knowledge on floods greatly, have an increased change of retaining the information as they have done an exercise on it and have more appreciation for real life situations.

References

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage Me or Enrage Me, What Todays Learners Demand. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism, A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm