Reflection on Wiki activity

 

 

http://katekendall.com/2010/04/05/graphic-facilitation-of-de-bonos-six-thinking-hats/

"Mobile Phones - should they be used in the classroom?"

When I read the Wiki activity in the Engagement activities section I had a pretty strong opinion regarding the use of mobile phones in the classroom. To me, at that stage of the activity, I thought that it was all too complicated an issue to bother giving mobile phones a go in the classroom. However, when I "put on my hat" for each section I found myself able to think about their use in a more structured and clearer way. I also noticed that the hats were presented in a different order than some of the websites I have visited. I think that the ordering of the hats in the Wiki activity facilitated my thinking about the subject and I felt my opinion developing and changing as I put on each successive hat. I was left feeling like I needed to know more about mobile phones and their use in the classroom whereas, at the start, I was all too happy to make a judgement on their use. The ordering of the hats and my responses are as follows  

 

Judgement: What is wrong with this??
Why will this not work?
Is this safe?
Can this be done?

I can see quite a few issues with having mobile phones at school. The first is security. Very few phones come with virus protection and security which makes them vulnerable to hacking. Secondly they are distracting in that modern phones have apps and games that prove hard to resist to even the most strongwilled person. Thirdly they are delicate devices. How many of us have dropped our phones on the ground, into water, etc., smashing the screen and sometimes destroying the phone itself? What if a student had their assignment or presentation on there and this happened? Fourthly, what about the students whose families cannot afford to purchase the latest technology mobile phone needed to enable access to apps and data. I think that all of these issues can be resolved with clear guidelines on their use at school.

The Process: Where are we now?
What is the next step?
Where have we been?
What sort of thinking is needed?

Schools are definitely becoming more digital native minded. I have seen iPads used in classrooms, where children play a maths app on the iPad which is connected to a television that the class can view. I think that schools are just now starting to draw on the relevance of mobile phones in the classroom however explicit instruction and care needs to be made to ensure mobile phones are utilized in a productive way.



Creativity: What new ideas are possible with this?
What is my suggestion for success?
Can I create something new?
Possibilities:
Can we learn via mobile phones is there a possibility we can enhance learning.

Well mobile phones are equipped with all kinds of amazing resources. The camera and videorecording app could be used to create a video diary of a child’s progression through a step by step exercise. Teachers could use the calendar app to help students to self-manage their studies, by creating reminders to do certain parts of their assignments. Students could access apps that are designed by the teacher to walk the students through a unit of study at their own pace, with activities that engage students' styles of learning.



Feelings: How do I feel about this?
What do I like about the idea?
What don't I like about
the idea?

I feel that mobile phones are an amazing learning resource when used as intended. I like they are a resource that children are familiar with and confident in using. I am unsure of how a school would regulate how they are used in the classroom. Also, it may create a disparity between children if the mobile phones are not all the same type.



Benefits: What are the good points?
Why can this be successful?
Why is this a good thing?

Most, if not all, students are tech savvy and “plugged in” to the use of mobiles already. Schools would be developing students ability to utilise the technology to learn hence equipping them with the skills they will need in the digital future. Students have the ability to research any question or subject with a simple touch they simply need to be shown how.

Information:
What information do I have?
What are the facts?
What information do I need?
What do I want to KNOW?

 

The facts are that children of today are using them. They are interested in and engaged while using them so why not utilise this interest in a classroom setting? However, before recommending that they be used in the classroom I would first like to see that specific guidelines for their use be introduced. I would like to know whether any trials have been done and how the teacher was able to keep the children on task with the many distractions available on a mobile phone.

 

Is this forum reflective of Behaviourism, constructivism, cognitivism, connectivism? One, or all of the above? What are the characteristics of the wiki design that lead you to that understanding?

 

I would say that the forum was probably most reflective of social constructivism and Connectivism.

 

Social Constructivism

It was clear from the start that people were drawing on their past experience and beliefs relating to phone use. Having the Black hat first helped to draw out people's initial beliefs and ideas relating to the subject without any consideration as to benefits or need to find out more information before passing judgment.

 

I think that many people were a bit reluctant to say yes to mobile phones being used in the classroom helped influence the learning that occurred through this topic. Social Constructivism Theory states that you learn more about a subject when supported by others.

Connectivism

The exercise drew on the idea that we, as learners, would thrive on the networking nature of this task. It was presented in a ICT format, which encouraged users to share their nodes or information, feelings and opinions about the subject in a way that would encourage connections with each other's ideas.   

 

Reflect on your own personal participation in the wiki. What are the benefits, issues, drawbacks of participating in a wiki like this? How would it contribute to the learning of your students?

I found the Wiki conversation confusing and disjointed. It was hard to keep track of who was posting what information, thus inhibiting my ability to discuss a peer's opinion.

However I see many benefits to this mode of learning. The first is the scaffolding nature of the task. I was able to draw from a large group of people's ideas, many of which I had not considered myself and view all these ideas together in the one space. From what I read in the Wiki I noticed that the group seemed to act respectfully and politely however I wonder how beneficial this exercise would have been if this had not been so. People need to feel comfortable and accepted for whatever opinion they may have about the subject however some people may have seen this as an opportunity to be blunt, rude and degrading as is often the case with online material. I doubt this would happen on a university wiki however cyber bullying is a real and present danger when entering into a task of this form especially for young learners in our care.
 

How did the scaffold support the collection of a range of perspectives?

I think that it seemingly forced us to come to the best possible conclusion by examining the issue from a well-rounded and thorough perspective. We were required to complete ALL sections, whether they be for or against mobile phone use. It made us consider the situation from all sides and helped me become more open to the idea of mobile phones in the classroom when I, at first, was avidly against their use.