Reflection 2 - Week 3

This week we delved into more ICT tools that can be used in a classroom, blogs, wikis and websites. Setting up a wiki and website was a new experience for me.

BLOGS

What is a Blog? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjwUHXoi8lM

A blog allows you to write your thoughts, ideas, opinions and knowledge you have on a particular topic. You can link other websites, pictures and videos in a blog and add whatever information you feel is appropriate for the topic you are basing your blog on. A blog is a great way to journal educational experiences and to extend on a student’s knowledge of a topic. In a classroom I would consider using a blog for an assessment piece. I can see that a blog could be useful in an accounting classroom. Students can journal their ideas and thoughts, for example, on the ever changing accounting standards. They could reflect on the positive and negatives they see about these changes, expanding their knowledge on the topic.

WIKI

‘A wiki is a web site that lets any visitor become a participant:  you can create or edit the actual site contents without any special technical knowledge or tools. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection. A wiki is continuously “under revision.” It is a living collaboration whose purpose is the sharing of the creative process and product by many. One famous example is Wiki-pedia, an online encyclopedia with no “authors” but millions of contributors and editors. The word "wiki" comes from Hawaiian language, meaning "quick" or "fast." ‘  (http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/)

Source: heep://www.europarl.europa.au

Using Wikis in education is a great tool for students to be able to collaborate, and allow for flexibility in learning.

After reading information on Wikis and creating a wiki I can imagine using a wiki in a Mathematics lesson. Wikis could be used to provide information to students, have them solve mathematical problems together, real work maths where students can write how they used maths in the real work and for homework tasks. (https://suite.io/david-r-wetzel/109920x).

Below is a link to a wiki homework page that I created.

http://andreacoxq99008652.wikispaces.com/Test+-+Homework

Username: userACwiki1 or userACwiki2

Passwork: passwordACwiki1 or passwordACwiki2

Beyond the classroom a wiki would be a great tool for students to use a wiki for a study group. Student can study together, add their ideas and comments on topics and assist one another with their studies. As a wiki allows the flexibility of being able to be used anywhere, anytime, students do not all have to be in the one room to gain the benefits of a study group.

WEBSITES

 I never really thought too much in the way of using a website as a teaching tool. This week was the first time I have created a website. I used one of my teaching areas, Mathematics to base my website on. The link below will take you to the website and my ideas of what I had in mind when creating the website.

http://q99008652.weebly.com/

Websites can be used as an area to publish learning goals, information on the topics to be studied and homework tasks.

SAMR Model

‘The Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition Model offers a method of seeing how computer technology might impact teaching and learning.  It also shows a progression that adopters of educational technology often follow as they progress through teaching and learning with technology’(https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model). 

Source: http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/ 

At the enhancement level (Substitution and Augmentation stages) ICT’s provide a new set of resources that can be used by students and teachers. It can substitute textbooks, handouts and worksheets. It is a central location for all the information a student may require for their subject.

At the transformative level (Modification and Redefinition stages) ICT’s can build on a student’s understanding of a topic and can create a redesign of how a student understands a topic. In this stage connectivism can allow students to expand on their knowledge of a topic they are being taught in the classroom through other avenues of information that can be provided by other students. It is students learning together and connecting on a global basis. 

After reviewing the three ICT’s for this week; blogs, wikis and websites, I can imagine using the wiki more in my teaching areas of accounting/business studies and mathematics. The wiki has more flexibility for students to participate together in problem solving and team work. Below I have done a PMI on a wiki.

Positives	Minus	Interesting
·         Collaborative Learning ·         Being able to solve problems together ·         Connections outside of the classroom ·         Can be accessed anytime, anywhere. ·         Homework tasks ·         Information can be in the one place ·         Benefits the students will gain from using the wiki, such as contributing to a class discussion.	·         Inappropriate use of the wiki – bullying, negative comments. ·         Students going off topic. ·         Time consuming monitoring the wiki to ensure it is being used for the correct purpose. Source: http://www.ucangraddip.wikispaces.com	·         Ideas and solutions that the students come up with. ·         How a wiki will help with their learning ·         How students work together to help each other.

I found setting up a wiki and a website a bit challenging and time consuming, but with perseverance I accomplished both successfully. After investigating all the blogs, wikis and websites, I can see how these tools with be a great asset to any classroom if used in the right way.

References:

What is Blog. Retrieved 24/03/2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjwUHXoi8lM

Teachers First: Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers. Retrieved 23/03/2015. http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/

Educational Uses of Wikis. Image Retrieved 24/03/2015. http://www.europarl.europa.au

D Wetzel. Using Wikis in Math Classes. Retrieved 24/03/2015. https://suite.io/david-r-wetzel/109920x.

Wiki Patrol. Image Retrieved 24/03/2015. http://www.ucangraddip.wikispaces.com

Technology is Learning.  Retrieved 24/03/2015. https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model

Ruben R. Puenteduta’s Weblog. SAMR Image. Retrieved 24/03/2015. http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/ 

Reflection 1 - Week 2

This week we were asked to participate in a wiki activity using De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. De Bono’s ‘Six Thinking Hats is a simple, effective parallel thinking process that helps people be more productive, focused, and mindfully involved (http://www.debonogroup.com/six_thinking_hats.php)’.

Source: www.stacyclaudia.weebly.com

This is the first time I have used a wiki and the concept of De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. It was a very insightful activity to take part in. Not only did I learn how to participate in a wiki activity, but De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats got me to consider the use of mobile phones in the classroom in many different ways. Following is a link to the De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats wiki activity http://debonoshats.wikispaces.com/ .

source: www.mymindursts.com

Constructivism was demonstrated as one of the learning theories through the social aspect of the activity. Constructivism is creating your own knowledge through experience. The wiki activity allowed everyone to share their ideas on using mobile phones in the classroom based on De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. By having everyone’s opinions and thoughts in the one area it allows you to expand on your knowledge and also to think about the topic in different ways. The activity was scaffolded with supporting information that was supplied on the De Bono’s Hats wiki with instructions on how to add to the wiki and the thoughts and ideas to consider when putting on different coloured hats. 

Cognitivism is a learning process of acquiring information; the wiki activity provided you with information from others on the mobile phones in the classroom. The entire class is able to connect and collaborate their ideas. It provides a great networking space. Throughout the activity I could see other students’ perspectives on using mobile phones in the classroom. 

The wiki activity is a good platform to support learning by doing. When students participate in the activity they are presented with similar ideas, differentiated ideas and new ideas. De Bono’s Hats makes you think outside the box. When I first thought of having mobile phones in the classroom my response was ‘if you have access to a laptop why do you need to use mobile phones.’ While working through De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats I found that there were a number of factors and thoughts that I had not considered. My opinion in the end may not have changed but I am more open to the idea due to going through the six thinking hats.

Source: www.pinterest.com

 

 The scaffolding of the activity was fantastic as it allowed students who have not participated in a wiki activity before participate with confidence as there were step by step instructions. 

 

While participating in the wiki activity I could see there would be positives and negatives associated with such an activity and these would need to be considered before implementing a wiki in the classroom.

Positives:

• Promotes Teamwork
• Collaboration
• Connectivism
• Engaging
• Expansion of knowledge on the topic

Negatives:

• Students could go off the topic
• Information could be misinterpreted which could lead to arguments
• Erasing other students work, whether it be accidentally or intentional
• Negative comments (bullying)

Monitoring and having strict guidelines on the content of the wiki would need to be given to the students before participating in a wiki activity. I do think the positives outweigh the negatives.

Reflection

Source: www.irenemerrow.blog.com

My thoughts of the wiki activity from when I first read about the activity to the completion are very different.  At first I was very apprehensive about the wiki activity, and participating in such an activity was daunting. I had a lot of ‘What If’s' going through my mind. What If I deleted someone else’s work, What if my work doesn’t save properly. (I did check three times after saving that my work was saved in the wiki). All of my What If’s just made the task seem harder than what is was. The activity was scaffolded; I had all the information needed to successfully participate in the activity.

Source: www.connorpmullins.com

Guess what? It was not as daunting as I thought it was going to be. I successfully navigated my way through the wiki and added my thoughts and ideas on the topic of mobile phones in the classroom. Yay me !

Overall, I found this activity to be interesting, engaging and informative.

References:

The De Bono Group LLC. Retrieved 18.03.2015. http://www.debonogroup.com/six_thinking_hats.php

De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. Image Retrieved 18.03.2015. www.stacyclaudia.weebly.com.

Traditional Learning Theories. Image Retrieved 18.03.2015. www.mymindursts.com.

Scaffolding. Image Retrieved 18.03.2015. www.pinterest.com.

I Have No Idea What I Am Doing. Image Retrieved 18.03.2015. www.irenemerrow.blog.com

Success. Image Retrieved 18.303.2015, www.connorpmullins.com.