Assessment 2 - Analysis of digital technologies

ELearning is becoming increasingly used by all educational institutions to support, enhance and transform learning (Alwi & Fan, 2010). ‘ELearning provides opportunities to create well designed, learner centred, engaging, interactive, affordable, efficient, easily accessible, flexible and meaningful distributed and facilitated eLearning environments’ (Alwi & Fan, 2010). ELearning also allows students wider access to limited resources which can support students in enhancing their learning (Alwi & Fan, 2010). Elearning is not just learning with computers, it's learning using a whole range of digital devices, such as what I'm about to present.

Over the past 3 weeks I have engaged in several different eLearning technologies. Of the different technologies I explored I selected the following four tools to investigate in more depth: Online Wiki, Digital Video, Prezi and Concept Mapping. I chose the following four tools over the other technologies based on the fact that they were highly engaging, the tools steered away from traditional classroom methods and that they could be easily implemented into my teaching context. I will be teaching in secondary schools within the areas of HPE and Home Economics.

The main framework I’m working with is the Learning Engagement Theory. Engagement theory is based upon the idea of creating successful collaborative teams that work on ambitious projects that are meaningful to someone outside the classroom (Kearsley & Schneiderman, 1999). The 3 components of Engagement theory relate – create – donate, imply that learning activities (wikis, digital video, Prezi and concept mapping) emphasises team efforts that involves communication, planning, management and social skills (Keasley & Schneiderman, 1999). In addition, makes learning a creative, purposeful activity and each activity has an outside ‘customer’ that the activity is being conducted for (Keasley & Schneiderman, 1999). Therefore, the Learning Engagement Theory is the underpinning learning framework for these 4 tools.

The first technology I investigated was the online Wiki. Wikis are a component of Web 2.0 technology tools that provide collaborative features and active learning opportunities in a web based environment (Hazari, North & Moreland, 2009). According to Narasimhamurthy & Al-Shawkani (2010) eLearning 2.0 combines the use of discrete but complimentary tools and web services such as wikis to support the creation of learning. The main feature of a wiki is that it is an online writing space where users and guests can edit, modify, add and remove information (CQUniversity, 2011). The wiki I created was an introduction type activity for my HPE class, an ‘ice breaker’ (refer to my wiki creation). I designed this wiki to help me recognise what sports students enjoy playing so I could plan some of my lessons around these interests. Furthermore, not all students will be familiar with wikis so this small activity was also an opening introduction to using wikis. I have been reflecting on ways in which I can apply wikis successfully into my teaching context (refer to wiki - technology 1 for suggestions on how I could use wikis to enhance, support and transform student learning). With any technology there is always going to be positive, negative and interesting aspects (refer to wiki - technology 1 for a PMI on wikis). Wikis support great learning by encouraging an environment where learners can construct and develop their understandings about course contents collaboratively (Gonzalez, 2010).

The second technology I explored was the digital video. I did this using moviemaker. Moviemaker allows users to add still images, videos, audio overlays and written text to create a digital video. The movie I created displayed the process of me constructing a dress from 2 pieces of old op shop clothing (refer to digital video - technology 2 and read the paragraph underneath the movie). Digital video can enhance the learners learning experience by motivating them, improving communication and interpersonal skills, improve critical thinking and problem solving skills and the ability to produce creative pieces of work (Slideshare, 2011). For suggestions on how you could use digital videos to support learning refer to digital video - technology 2. According to Hartsell & Yuen (2006) digital videos can support learning by helping learners understand complex concepts and procedures that are difficult to understand through text and graphics. Furthermore, Hartsell and Yuen (2006) also claim that a moving image in a video can assist learners in visualising a process or seeing how something works. For the cognitivist learner, digital videos can help improve and enhance the learning process of students as they see the concept in action (Hartsell & Yuen, 2006). For an in depth analysis on digital video, refer to the PMI in digital video - technology 2.

The third technology I examined was the Prezi. A Prezi is a single oversized canvas where the creator adds content, adds features such as zooming in and out on certain text, swirling from one end of the canvas to the other, turning text upside down, making text larger or smaller and making it aesthetically appealing by adding colour, images and videos. Once the elements are in place the creator establishes a click path so when it comes time to present the focus is whisked around the canvas as planned (refer to my Prezi creation). The use of Prezi’s in supporting, enhancing and transforming student learning could be used in several different ways. This could include displaying and presenting student’s work, e.g. a student could present their new garment of clothing they created explaining what specific sewing skills and techniques they utilised or a student might make use of the Prezi to complete their oral presentation on drugs in sport. Prezi’s could be used for collaborative group work activities and assignments. Prezi’s could also be used to explain a specific concept or subject, e.g. I could employ the Prezi in my HPE class to explain the fundamentals of fitness. Students might find this approach much more captivating then a PowerPoint presentation because it’s unique, highly engaging, doesn’t have to contain a lot of text and it certainly doesn’t have to contain boring old black dot points with too much information on each slide like a PowerPoint has the potential to do. For a PMI analysis on Prezi’s, refer to Prezi - technology 3.

The final technology I investigated was Concept Mapping. Concept Mapping allows the creator to add a specific word and start the word in the centre of a blank page. From there the creator adds branches that come off the centre word and then adds 2^nd level branches coming off the 1^st level branches. I utilised Bubbl.us and Text2Mindmap to create 2 different styles of concept maps (refer to Bubbl.us example and Text2Mindmap example). Buzan (n.d.) claims that this tool supports thinking, remembering and creating. The brain thinks centrally and then explodes out in all different directions. According to Buzan (n.d.) note taking in the form of lists or lines are counterproductive because there are no associations. If there are no associations there’s no connection, if there’s no connection there’s no memory and no thinking. Buzan (n.d.) also states that the branches on the map should be curvilinear simply because nature is curvilinear. He mentions if the lines are straight it’s literally similar, therefore boring. The student will absorb better by the beauty of curvilinear. One downfall regarding Bubbl.us and Text2Mindmap is that the branches are straight. For a further analysis on Bubbl.us and Text2Mindmap refer to the PMI Map. The use of concept maps in student learning can be used in a variety of ways, refer to Concept Mapping - technology 4 for ideas. One additional Idea I wish to put forward is, if the wiki could be combined with concept mapping, ‘wiki mindmap’. Students could create a concept map and anyone could edit, remove or add information. This gives students the opportunity to work collaboratively and will assist them in remembering the information.

It’s also imperative to mention, as a soon to be teacher I will need to model and support student’s legal, safe and ethical practices when working with technologies such as these. This includes the teacher and student to:

·         Adhere to codes of practice and apply strategies to conform to intellectual property of copyright laws including identifying and acknowledging the owner/creator of digital sources and citing references following agreed conventions

·         Understand ethical and unethical use of communication tools and social networking environments

·         Uses devices safely and ethically and share materials responsibly, respecting self and others

·         Describe appropriate levels of personal information disclosure for specific online environments

·         Formulate and maintain strategies for securing and protecting digital information

·         Devise and implement risk management strategies when engaging in commercial transactions in online environments

·         Follow environmentally and ergonomically sound work practices which ensure health and safety issues when using ICT

·         Comply with school expectations and protocols when using ICT

(Smart Classrooms, 2009)

In conclusion, I believe these 4 digital tools give students everlasting opportunities to learn and are something I will definitely implement into my classroom to support, transform and enhance learning. Furthermore, with ICT constantly changing, I will need to be enthusiastic about staying abreast of new technologies as they become available, so I can cater for the 21^st learner and keep the learner engaged.

REFERENCES

Alwi, N., & Fan, I. (2010, January 1). Information Security in eLearning: A Discussion of Empirical Data on Information Security and eLearning. Proceedings of the European Conference on eLearning, 282-290. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=104&sid=065f94e4-2dc9-4737-bc50-e6b42f936190%40sessionmgr113

Buzan, T. (n.d.). Maximise the power of your brain: Tony Buzan Mind Mapping. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ&feature=player_embedded

CQUniversity. (2011). Readings: Group 1 Technologies. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=163846

Hartsell, T., & Yuen, S. (2006). Video Streaming in Online Learning. AACE Journal, 14(1), 31-43. Retrieved from http://digitalvideooverview.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/1/9/2019204/article_6152.pdf

Hazari, S., North, A., & Moreland, D. (2009). Investigating Pedagogical Value of Wiki Technology. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(2), 187-198. Retrieved from  http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=110&sid=0ebe8875-1bc7-486e-9f98-2e9b48e33791%40sessionmgr113

Kearsley, G., & Schneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: a framework for technology based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Narasimhamurthy, U., & Al-Shawkani, K. (2010, January 1). Future of Learning Objects in eLearning 3.0. Proceedings of the International Conference on eLearning,300-306. Retrieved from  http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=110&sid=d0ee86a1-1a7d-4e7f-9cfa-1cf7680f0338%40sessionmgr112

Slideshare. (2011). Windows Movie Maker as a Language Learning Tool. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/zainals/windows-movie-maker-as-a-language-learning-tool

Smart Classrooms. (2009). Inquiring with ICT, Creating with ICT, Communicating with ICT, Ethics, Issues & ICT, Operating ICT. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/pdf/student-expectations-10.pdf

Concept Mapping - Technology 4

This morning I learnt another online technology called Concept Mapping. I explored Bubbl.us and Text2Mindmap. I really enjoyed the beauty of this technology, it's true what they say, organising the information in this manner really does help you remember, especially for the cognitivist learner. I’ve provided a PMI thinking routine to support these 2 technologies using Bubbl.us. Click on the image below to make it larger. 

PMI of Bubbl.us & Text2Mindmap

  

Suggestions on how I could apply concept mapping to my learning environment:

Firstly, if you see the image that says ‘5 Food Groups’, click on it and have a browse. This is an example of an activity I could use in either of my 2 teaching areas using Text2Mindmap. It’s simply asking the students to investigate the 5 food groups and to give examples of food under each section. Furthermore, how I created a PMI in a concept map, this is just another example of an activity you could use encouraging higher order thinking. There are so many different activities you could implement depending on what you were teaching.



5 Food Groups


Concept mapping could be used in brainstorming a specific topic and for group work. It could also be used for scaffolding ways of thinking, for example, students have an assignment on different sports and energy systems, therefore I could provide a concept map with different ideas I want the students to think about when writing their assignment. Concept maps are beneficial in that they help organise information, this will aid some students in remembering the content. It helps teachers get their information across, for example, I could create a concept map to help me explain to the students how the energy systems operate. Also, having the ability to print the concept maps is a bonus because students have a permanent copy. I know for a fact when I was learning about the energy systems my teacher gave us a very basic diagram with loads of writing, it took me forever to understand it. Concept maps could also be used for oral presentations and assignments. For example, a student might use a concept map in explaining the muscles and bones in the human body.

Prezi - Technology 3

I loved using Prezi it was extremely fun. My prezi is very simple but I’m sure if you allocated more time and put more thought into it, it could be very interesting. This is something I’m definitely going to implement in my classroom. I found it very effective and much more appealing than a powerpoint presentation.

PLUS

-          Encourages collaboration

-          Highly engaging

-          Easy to use

-          The ability to zoom in and out on certain text can highlight to the student what is important information

-          The ability to associate an image with a word

-          There is no boring linear steps like a PowerPoint

-          Great way for students to present their work

-          Caters for the 21^st learner, using something like this will be meaningful for the learner outside the classroom

-          Caters for students with visual and verbal learning styles

-          Encourages connectivism, constructivism and cognitivism

-          The ability to embed YouTube videos and pictures

-          Great for gaining students attention

-          Concentrates on key words

-          The ability to embed the prezi in blogs and wikis

MINUS

-          Overusing the prezi (e.g. zooming and turning text around) could make the student feel sick and dizzy

-          With all the turning and zooming it could confuse some students

-          It would be difficult to print the prezi if a student wanted a copy of it

-          Has the potential to have large amounts of information in it if not created properly

-          Students might take time to adapt to the Prezi after using PowerPoint

INTERESTINGS

-          I think it’s all interesting, I love it!

Suggestions on how I could apply this Prezi to my learning environment:

The prezi could be used to display and present students work, for example, after an excursion to the Brisbane Bronco’s training session, students could create a prezi and present their findings from the training session. It could also be used from a teaching perspective, for example, displaying and explaining information about the 5 food groups. It could be used as an assessment item or oral presentation.

Digital Video - Technology 2



Moviemaker was extremely fun to play around with and surprisingly quite easy to use. For one of my teaching areas (Home Economics) assessment items for last year, we had to produce a piece of clothing from old op shop clothes and journal the process using a hard copy exercise book. Everything had to be hand written. Personally I hated hand writing everything, I felt like I was in primary school again. So, using the same photos I placed into my hard copy journal, I made a short movie instead. I found this much more beneficial rather than displaying it in a hard copy journal. I’ve provided a PMI thinking routine to support high level analysis for this technology.

PLUS

-          Encourages collaboration

-          Easy to function

-          Highly engaging

-          Caters for the 21^st learner, using something like this will be meaningful for the learner outside the classroom

-          Extremely fun to use

-          Encourages connectivism and constructivism

-          Encourages creativity

-          Caters for the cognitivist learner

-          Assists communication of messages, ideas and information

-          Great observation and communication tool

-          The ability to imbed still photographs, audio overlays and videos

-          It can be shared online using YouTube

-          Encourages higher order thinking

MINUS

-          Students might not have the knowledge and experience working with moviemaker

-          Need an adequate amount of computers to complete the task

-          Not all students will have the equipment to produce a digital video

INTERESTINGS

-          It can be as unique as you want it to be, it’s your movie!

Suggestions on how I could apply this digital video to my learning environment:

Firstly, I just want to mention that these suggestions are targeted at my 2 teaching areas (HPE & Home Economics). Moviemaker can be used to display students work, the short movie I created is a perfect example of this. I displayed the process of reinventing a dress from 2 pieces of op shop clothing. In my HPE learning environment, moviemaker can be used to display different sporting techniques, for example, a student could film another student’s running style and then make it into a movie presenting the findings. Moviemaking could also be used for interviewing, for example, questioning a hospitality establishment on their health and safety procedures. Furthermore it could be used for giving instructions to students, for example, giving instructions on how to play the game of netball. It could also be used for classroom presentations and teamwork activities. Lastly, I think digital videos could be used for reflecting on students own learning regarding a specific task.

Wiki - Technology 1

My wiki page is very simple, I’ve asked other students to share their name, what their favourite sport/recreational activity is and why? I designed this wiki as an introduction type activity for my HPE class (one of my teaching areas). I’ve provided a PMI thinking routine to show higher order thinking in regards to this particular wiki.

PLUS

-          Encourages online collaboration

-          Anyone can edit and contribute to the wiki

-          Encourages connectivism because we are learning with computers and the internet

-          Encourages constructivism

-          Caters for the 21^st learner, using something like this will be meaningful for the learner outside the classroom

-          Students can learn about different sports and recreational activities

-          Students might gain interest in a sport/recreational activity from reading the different contributions, resulting in students participating in physical activity

-          As a teacher, this wiki can provide me with a good understanding into what my students enjoy playing, therefore I can produce lessons that cater for most of these favourite activities

-          Students can find similar interests about one another (make friends)

-          Students can share different ideas, views, knowledge, experience and information using the wiki

-          Great way of students getting to know who is in their class

-          You can track changes to the wiki

-          It’s easy to correct mistakes

MINUS

-          No face to face contact among students

-          Needs to be an adequate amount of computers to perform the activity

-          Students might not have the knowledge and experience with working with computers and wikis

INTERESTINGS

-          Anyone can add, edit or remove information

-          No chronological order

Suggestions on how I could apply this wiki to my learning environment:

Once the students have added what sport or recreational activity they enjoy, I could then create some lessons based on the information the students have given me. For example, say most of the students enjoy swimming. I could do a small unit focusing on swimming. Using the same wiki we started with, I could get students to create a small text book (wikibook) type thing on how swimming can be beneficial for your health. Mind you, this is just one example on how I could apply this wiki to my learning environment. The wiki could also be used for assignment and homework purposes. There could be a wiki page for homework and assignment questions, so the teacher doesn’t have to keep repeating themselves. Furthermore, the students have a permanent text based record of the questions so they can refer back to if needed. I also think wikis are a great tool for when students are absent because they can still learn what’s going on without attending class. Wikis can be used for classroom discussion and debating areas, place to collect web resources and to manage classroom documents. These are just few suggestions but I think there are several more ways of applying a wiki into the classroom you just need to be creative.

Wiki Evidence

Here is the link to my wiki, please share what your favourite sport/recreation activity is and why !!! Add a picture if you wish !!

http://stacethompson1.wikispaces.com/

Conclusion

The past 3 weeks of this ICT course has been essential in understanding e-learning design and how students learn effectively. Exploration into the learning theories, learning styles, Gardner’s multiple intelligences, ICT design frameworks, thinking routines (scaffolding)and exploring digital tools such as blogs and wiki’s will assist me in becoming a successful  21^st century teacher.

The learning theories were used to frame our analysis on a range of activities. Of the four learning theories learnt in week one, I consider constructivism and connectivism to play the leading roles in the wiki activities. Constructivism is about how people learn. It says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting upon those experiences (Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004). This online wiki was valuable in constructivist learning as it allowed students to have a permanent record of text conversations so they could return to the record to elaborate and construct knowledge (CQUniversity, 2011). Seimens (2005) describes connectivism as, ‘Learning (defined as actionable knowledge) can reside outside of ourselves (within an organization or a database), is focused on connecting specialized information sets, and the connections that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of knowing.’ In the wiki tasks we were encouraged to build our own personal learning network by making connections with other class members through the use of a wiki where we could read, compare and learn about each other’s ideas and opinions on certain issues.

The scaffolding of a wiki activity is imperative for students.  Scaffolding encourages students to think critically. Bloom Taxonomy created 6 stages of thinking. The bottom 3 stages (lower order thinking) are remembering, understanding and applying. The top 3 stages (higher order thinking) are analysing, evaluating and creating. The importance of scaffolding a wiki space through thinking routines such as PMI (plus, minus and interesting) and De Bono’s 6 thinking hats (negative, positive, intuitive, process, objective and creative) is that it encouraged higher order thinking. It’s important for teachers to challenge their students to help develop critical thinking. These 2 particular strategies could assist my students in the future by supporting complex reasoning processes by scaffolding required ways of thinking (CQUniversity, 2011).

Overall, the main approach to the design of these online learning activities was that we collaborate with one another and expand on our knowledge through the use of networking strategies and thinking routines.This was achieved by participating in the learning theories wiki and the mobile phones wiki where the PMI and De Bono’s 6 thinking hats was utilised. Networking with other students through these online learning activities enabled us to share ideas and perspectives and as a result build our knowledge. These activities won’t suit everyone. For that reason it’s essential that teachers continue to investigate new ways of teaching to guarantee that all students learning styles are catered for. Each student has different knowledge and experience with ICT, thus there has been a diverse range of ideas and perspectives put forward in the different activities. This can increase individual learning because there's such an array of different ideas, some students might not have considered some points where other students might have picked up on it.These learning activities predominantly cater for the 21^st century learner. Prensky (2001) states, ‘Our students have changed dramatically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.’ 21^st century learners ‘today are all native speakers of the digital language of computers, video games and the internet’, their born into the digital world (Prensky, 2001). Today’s older people were socialised differently from kids today and are in the process of learning this digital language. As Prensky (2001) stated, 21^st learners are highly unlikely to go backwards. Therefore it’s important for us as pre-service teachers to take this onboard and extract as much information as we can to assist the 21^st century learners.

References

CQUniversity. (2011). Week 1 readings: active learning, learning diversity and the theory. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=17135

Educational Broadcasting Corporation. (2004). Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index.html

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Siemens, G. (2005). Elearnspace. Constructivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design,

http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm  

Blog Reflections as a Journal

Reflection on own learning – I’m not one to keep a diary or journal, however since creating a blog and posting up reflections on my learning has been quite useful. Some information with me can be easily forgotten if I don’t read over it again, therefore having this blog allowed me to refer back to my reflections for future analysis and reading. At first I was a bit unsure about other class members seeing my work, but then I realised, ‘who cares’, it’s about what I learnt, there’s no wrong or right answer. I liked the idea of sharing this information with other class members and reading their different perspectives because they covered things I didn’t consider which really helped my learning.

Reflection on potential of my learners – By using a blog it gives the students the opportunity to network and interact with one another through the use of an ICT devise (blog) rather than keeping a hard copy diary or journal which is a more private approach. By students sharing their thoughts on different viewpoints may help in understanding different issues. This blogging activity definitely caters for the 21^st century learner.

Constructivism – definitely has a constructivism approach because this online collaboration tool allows students to have a permanent record of their reflections so they can refer back to it for future reading and analysis. Cognitivism – has a degree of cognitivism as I believe the blog entries aid students in organising the learning content. Behaviourism - Students are led through a series of steps (readings, activities, reflections) with the end goal of completing a blog entry. Connectivism – students learnt through sharing their thoughts and ideas on activities using a blog.

I don’t think reflecting on learning using a blog supports a diverse range of students. Although it caters for the 21^st century learner it doesn’t accommodate for those students who are digitally inactive. For those who have visual and verbal learning styles this activity would suit because these learners get the most out of pictures, videos, diagrams and readings. This online e-Learning activity supports learning by allowing the students to participate in a range of online readings, online wikis, online activities and reflecting upon this using their personal online blog. Not all learners are going to be comfortable completing this task because they don’t have the knowledge and experience in using ICT. Trupp (2009) stated that some learners might not use ICT at home, this lack of knowledge and experience with ICT may contribute into the classroom and create learning challenges rather than support it.

Reflection - Mobile Phones Wiki

I found the mobile phone wiki task quite fun. The importance of this activity to me was that I was able to think about the use of mobile phones in education in 6 different ways. It wasn’t just thinking about the positives and negatives it involved thinking beyond that. This is where I think the scaffolding comes into play. The 6 thinking hats was designed to make us think in a particular way. I found it extremely useful by reading other students ideas and perspectives because they mentioned things I didn't even consider. How could this strategy support the learning of my students? The mobile phone readings were the area for discussion, it allows the students to think in a set way by using the 6 thinking hats and posting it onto the wiki for other students to read and maybe add comments to. It brings together an array of all kinds of ideas and opinions on certain issues.

Are there any visible elements of the learning theories? Constructivism is present because students have a record of their responses on the wiki and can refer back to it to justify, elaborate and build knowledge (Fasso, 2011). There is a small element of cognitivism because the information in the table on the wiki can be used as a schema to help organise the learning content. It could be quite hard for a student to remember all this information if all the points where scattered about. There’s a degree of behaviourism because we have had practise in using the wiki, although haven’t attained any initial feedback on our practise. Finally, there is also a visible element of connectivism because we are learning from other students responses they have posted on the wiki.  

Does the design of this activity support a diverse range of students? No I don’t think so, not all students like completing an activity through a wiki. I thought the idea of the 6 thinking hats was great, however a different ICT technique could be useful, need to keep things spiced up so students don’t get bored. I also think this particular activity suits the visual learner because the pictures of the six thinking hats will be easy for the visual learner to remember. The design of this activity as an online e-Learning strategy could support learning because it supports thinking and helps to organise ideas (6 thinking hats). It gets students to connect with sources of information from the internet (mobile phone readings) and then displaying their ideas and opinions through the form of an online wiki.  

Reflection - Learning Theories Wiki

This activity gave me the opportunity to learn more about behaviourism which I never knew much about previously. It also gave me the chance to read fellow class members PMI responses to other learning theories in the wiki. I also felt it was good working with a partner because she considered things I missed and vice versa. By scaffolding the activity this way made everyone think in a pre-determined way, however, everyone had different perspectives and ideas they put forward which made it interesting to read.

How could this strategy be used to support the learning of my students? Firstly, by the students using the wiki and reading and learning about the different learning theories. I think it makes it more fun doing it on a computer rather than reading from a boring text book and students have the information available on the wiki if they need to refer back to it. I also believe the PMI strategy is an effective way of analysing information.

Are there any visible elements of constructivism? I believe there is, Vygotsky (1962) stated that social interaction has a large impact on learning. This activity involved collaboration with other students. We can build on our knowledge by referring back to the wiki. I felt there was a slight degree of cognitivism, it’s all about how we process and store information. I think the PMI was used to some extent as a schema to help organise the learning content. Having the 3 separate headings (plus, minus & interestings) helped me remember most of the content. Are there any visible elements of behaviourism? No there was no positive or negative reinforcements and no feedback. I also think connectivism was present because we were encouraged to build our own personal learning network by collaborating and learning from other students.

Does the design of this activity support a diverse range of students? Like I have said before, you can’t please everyone. I found working with a partner great because I was able to discuss my ideas, however the activity involved a lot of reading and writing which might not suit every student. I think this activity catered most for the active learner because they understand and absorb information best by discussing and explaining it with others. This e-Learning activity supports learning by allowing students to collaborate to analyse a specific reading and sorting through to find the important points to place in their PMI and then adding it to the wiki.  

Reflection - Profile Wiki

I wasn’t aware of what a blog or wiki was I had no idea. I was unsure about how to tackle this first activity because I had never participated in one before. When filling out my personal profile and adding it to the wiki it all of a sudden clicked. From completing an entry into the wiki it allowed me to get to know my fellow class members. I was having trouble understanding one of the criteria’s from the assignment and by having this wiki allowed me to contact one of the students from the profile wiki so I could ask for assistance. I felt I learnt a whole new skill. This activity was scaffolded based on a provided template for students to answer questions about themselves. This wiki provided me with information where I could team up with someone with similar interests as me to complete certain tasks.

This particular strategy could be used to support the learning of my students in the future by allowing them to enter personal information about themselves into a wiki rather than a face to face setting, students might feel more comfortable expressing things about themselves via an online wiki. It also allows students to network and interact with one another.

This activity has visible elements of constructivism because social interaction had a large influence on learning (Vygotsky, 1962). It has elements of connectivism because it identifies the networked nature of working with computers and the internet (Siemens, 2005). This activity also shows elements of behaviourism as we were led through step by step instructions on how to create our profile with the end result of placing it into the wiki. I don’t believe there was any connection between this activity and cognitivism. There wasn't a need to create a schema to help memorise the content, the information wasn't classed as important, if I needed to I could refer back to the wiki.

How does this design activity support a diverse range of students? I feel this activity might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Personally, I enjoyed it because I learnt something new and found it very effective, however, if a student has minimal knowledge and experience with ICT they might struggle with completing this activity. I believe you can’t please everyone! This e-Learning activity supports learning by allowing students to learn about one another and for some, learning about something completely new (e.g. using a wiki), some students might not have come across this particular strategy. It’s encouraging a social and positive environment for students to learn in.  

Learning Style

Learning Styles Results

Active - 3

Sensory - 5

Visual - 1

Sequential - 3

http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

1. What is your learning style? What sorts of learning experiences would suit you best with your learning style?

From my results it can be said I'm fairly well balanced on the active - reflective scale, visual - verbal scale and sequential - global scale. However, I have a moderate preference for the sensory learning style. Therefore learning experiences such as practical, hands on work, real world connections and facts would best suit my learning style. 

2. In a traditional classroom of 25 students, how would you support the range of learning styles each lesson?

I would support the range of learning styles for each lesson by using several different teaching strategies, such as, group work, individual work, practical work, teaching facts, using visual aids, written and spoken explanations and using logical stepwise paths.  

3. With your current knowledge of ICT, how could your design and digital pedagogy support your learners better?

By incorporating ICT tools such as, powerpoint presentations, interactive white boards, computers, scanners, handheld devices, overhead projectors, various computer programs (e.g. photoshop, foodworks etc) and the use of digital cameras will help cater for all the different learning styles. Speaking from experience, by participating in most of these ICT activities in school, I found at least one of these strategies of use which suited my learning style.

4. What sorts of profiling questions would you be asking about your learners to ensure you cater for everyone's preferences?

Do the students prefer group or individual work?

Do the students benefit from practical hands on work?

Do the students get more out of visual aids or from written and spoken explanations?

Do the students prefer using computers, OHT's, powerpoint etc in lessons?

5. How does ICT support differences in learning styles?

The use of ICT expands new thinking and learning skills and it also encourages interaction among students and teachers. ICT tools can cater for all learners and can make the lessons more fun and interesting.