So, this week, we
had the opportunity to discuss the hot topic of MOBILE PHONES IN THE CLASSROOM.
Do they have a
place in learning? Personally, I DON’T
THINK SO.
While there are
positives to support the use of mobiles for learning, I definitely believe the
negatives outweigh the positives… at least for the moment. I mean, really, what
can a mobile phone do for learning that an iPad or tablet can’t?
This is what the
students of Managing E-Learning discussed this week through the platform of a WIKI.
Simply put, a Wiki is a space where you can edit a document (or documents, in
our case!) that’s full of other people’s brainstorming ideas. Using de Bono’s THINKING HATS – yes, the hats plastered
all over your classroom walls in primary school! – we looked at this issue from
different points of view, read other people’s ideas, and contributed our own.
It was a fantastic way to share, develop and analyse our ideas about mobile
phones in the classroom.
COLLABORATION IS A POWERFUL TOOL FOR
LEARNING!
This past week,
the E-Learning students also read up on some great frameworks and learning
theories we can apply to our tech-based teaching, and even in our own Wiki
experience.
«
The TPACK
system (Technology, Pedagogy And Content Knowledge) was used in the Wiki activity
by using an online platform (Technology), the process of collaborative learning
(Pedagogy), and drawing upon our own ideas and knowledge about mobile phones in
the classroom (Content Knowledge).
«
CONSTRUCTIVISM,
the theory of student-constructed learning through meaningful contexts, was
used when in the learner-directed Wiki required us to form our own responses
and make it meaningful to us as future tech-savvy teachers!
«
COGNITISM
(brain-based learning) and CONNECTIVISM
were used throughout the Wiki activity when we used our prior knowledge, built
upon it, and modified our attitudes and ideas about mobile phones in the classroom…
though mine are still nearly intact!
«
BEHAVIOURISM is all about learning through
behaviour modification, and this occurred as we began with our own ideas,
responded to others, and modified our outlooks as we were introduced to new
ideas.
«
BLOOM’S
TAXONOMY is the process of reaching
higher levels and depths of learning:
REMEMBERING
à
UNDERSTANDING à APPLYING à
ANALYSING à EVALUATING à
CREATING.
Throughout the Wiki activity, we remembered our prior knowledge
and ideas, understood any research we did, applied this by expressing our views
in the Wiki, analysed our own and others’ contributions, and evaluated our
final attitudes and understandings at the end of the activity.
Using de Bono’s THINKING HATS as the scaffold of the
wiki, we had to think about the topic in different mindsets. This helped us to
evaluate our attitudes towards the topic and apply them thoughtfully and objectively,
without being overly influenced by our emotions or attitudes (which is hard to
do with this big issue!). The delivery of the activity through a COLLABORATIVE WIKI made it meaningful, interactive and far more thought-provoking
than if we’d had to work individually. We were open to other people’s ideas,
were able to contribute our own, and ultimately changed our own views to
reflect the new information we’d been given. That is, we LEARNED SOMETHING!?!
I know this entry
was pretty info-dense, but if anything about the learning theories interested
you, check out these websites for MORE
INFORMATION!
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