Reflection on use of Images in learning

I used Mobaphoto to resize photos so I could upload them. This was straightforward in being able to resize images. I have put the images I resized on my wiki at http://karenwilkin.wikispaces.com on the page named 'Images'.

I loved playing around on Picnik, I could have spent hours on there, playing with different images. I chose a photo and added different features and ended up with this one.

                                                           How cool does this look!

Images used for student learning can help with literacy learning through visual literacy. Visual literacy is the ability to see, to understand and to think, create and communicate graphically (Thibault, Walbert). Using images you need to get permission for personal images and students should not be identified online, if the images are to be used in a wiki or on a website. Using images will create Higher Order Thinking in student learning.

A SWOT Analysis is used to demonstrate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats involved with using images for student learning.

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
-promotes classroom discussions -creative writing -visual communication skills -there are images all over the internet, covering many different topics, so finding an image is easy -programs like Picnik, allow free usage to play with photos	-some images may be seen as offensive, if they do not agree on a certain topic
OPPORTUNITIES	THREATS
-encourages critical thinking -encourage students to be independent learners -make meaning of an image -can use outside classrooms, most people have mobiles that can take photos	-use of photos without permission could lead to legal issues -personal identity -images in unsecure environments -copyright – students may take an image of internet but not reference it

Images make students think. Think about what they see and what they mean. The ‘See Think Wonder’ is a thinking routine for exploring works of art, like images. The students write down what they see, what they think and what they wonder about the images (Visible Thinking).

The use of images will enhance student learning through using different literacies and applying technology to help create meaning of an image.

References

Thibault, M and Walbert, D (n.d) Retrieved from: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/675

reflection on digital videos

Making a video was fun! I went through previous photos on my computer and found some that tell a story as that is what I think videos are for, telling a story. In this situation we went fishing, but did not check the tides and got stuck on a sand bank.

 You can check out my first attempt at a video at http://karenwilkin.wikispaces.com

Using Movie maker was quite simple, transferring images, put in transitions, effects, music and titles and credits. The video I have made is quite simple but it was just me playing around with all the features. As some of the photos have people in them I asked them if they would mind if I could use the photos, but would not name them. Making a video is very time consuming but the end product is worth it. I enjoyed producing my video as students will as well. Videos can be created and watched on portable devices like mobile phones, digital cameras and digital video cameras (Bell. L and Bull. G (2010). Using video production in the student learning will encourage Higher Order Thinking, communication, organisation and presentation skills, a variety of literacy resources and teamwork. According to Kearney and Schuck (2006), by using digital video production in student learning students:

-          Develop movie making skills

-          Develop spoken and written literacies

-          Develop media literacies

-          Improve in presentation skills (p. 8).

 Using a thinking routine like the SWOT Analysis will illustrate if the use of digital video production would be beneficial in student learning.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Higher Order Thinking Creativity Use of different literacies Motivation Active learning	Time Limited access to digital technology
Threats	Opportunities
Risk of using photos in the video of people who have not signed an agreement form	To create a video that makes meaning New way of presenting information

Video production in HPE (one of my teaching areas), could be used to film students in performing a skill for assessment or in Science, the use of digital video could be used by taking photos of an experiment over a couple of weeks, and producing a video of what is happening everyday in the experiment.

References

Bell, L., & Bull, G. (2010). Digital video and teaching. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 10(1). Retrieved from: http://www.citejournal.org/vol10/iss1/editorial/article1.cfm

Kearney. M and Schuck. S, (2006) Students in the Director’s seat:  A Research Report. Teacher Learning and development research Group, University of Technology, Sydney. P.1-110. Retrieved from: http://www.ed-dev.uts.edu.au/teachered/research/dvproject/home.html

Reflection on Websites

I found it quite interesting in constructing a website through weebly, something I did not know existed. It was straightforward and easy to navigate my way around the site while using different applications. My website I have set up can be accessed through http://enjoyablesports.weebly.com.

I could use websites to support student learning by putting all lessons on the website, so students can go back and see the lesson along with putting handouts on there, in case they lose them. This would also benefit me as I could upload all my lessons onto the website and with the click of a button I have my lessons for the years to come. If a temporary teacher was to take my class they could go to my website and have the lesson all planned out for them.

I could use fun links for students to investigate and little activities that will encourage learning, links to useful websites, images and videos. This will persuade the students to go to my website where all the websites and information they need could be put in one place. Although it may take some time to set it up initially, it will be beneficial in the long term, especially when teaching students they can spend more time reading the information than researching it.

Reflection on use of Wikispaces

As I learned about wikispaces and how easy it is to use, I could see how it would be an appealing educational tool that twenty first century learners will relate to. You can access my wikispace through my address: http://karenwilkin.wikispaces.com.

Using a thinking routine such as a PMI will demonstrate the positives, negatives and interesting points in using wikispaces for learning.

Pluses	Minuses	Interestings
- post classroom assignments - encourages participation - allows students to be creative and innovative - has its own discussion board - it is a simple website that is easy to use - no experience is necessary - promotes communication between students and teachers - it is a webpage you can edit	- webpage you can edit, which some students may misuse with content being deleted - cyber-bullying between students - Time - Plagiarism	- it is a new way to learn - Group projects - you can keep track of changes made to the wikispace by clicking on history button, allowing teachers to see if all students are contributing - offers free public wikispaces

The wikispace would be a motivating way for students to learn. With the ease of use and making the spaces interesting by including classroom scrapbooks for students to put all their ideas, a calendar for when assignments are due and classroom policies. This way students have all the information they need in one place. The wiki allows students from various social and cultural backgrounds to get involved as it is self explanatory as you work through the wiki.

Teaching strategies

Learning Design Brief Conclusion

The capacity of students and teachers to use digital literacy and apply Information communication technology (ICT), will be the key for economic growth and stability in the future (Education Queensland, 2008). The use of ICT in the classroom will result in students working both independently and collaboratively in a group. Students will enjoy being engaged in learning through the use of technology in the classrooms, rather than the old way of teaching. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach (Prensky, 2001). Twenty first century learners connect to the digital world easier than older learners, as they have to learn and adapt to the new teaching environment involving technology. The ‘digital natives’ have been networked most of their lives (Prensky, 2001), whether it is using computers or phones or downloading music. All students we teach have something in their life that is engaging, something they are good at and have a creative component (Prensky, 2005). Being a ‘digital immigrant’ (Prensky, 2001), the importance of learning how to use technology and to be able to teach using ICT in the classroom is quite high.  Being able to use different software on computers and other technological devices is the basis for the Technological, pedagogical and Content Knowledge framework (TPACK). Once you know you how to use the technology, such as computers and its software, pedagogy “the art of teaching” (moodle course EDED20456) can be used by teaching different activities on the computers to learn the curriculum.

Everyone is different; their background knowledge, language skills or learning styles and interests, thus teachers need to find new ways to teach to ensure all students learn through a variety of activities, to accommodate for all learning styles. Dr. Bruce D. Perry of Baylor College of Medicine stated that the “different kinds of experiences leads to different brain structures (Prensky, 2001). Computers are valuable tools for learners with disabilities (Halbert, 2011) and are also important technology for communication. Learning is the process that connects different resources, with a wiki, students can use videos, images, graphs, links to more useful websites and group assignments. Teachers need to challenge students to develop critical thinking and apply a variety of strategies to help them improve their deep thinking abilities (Wee, 2010). By using a wiki for learning, students learn to scaffold their thinking utilising a Pluses, Minuses Interesting strategy (PMI), Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT analysis), or Edward De Bono’s six thinking hat, as information is continually being acquired and the ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital (Siemens, 2005).  The SWOT analysis is subjective, with the strengths and weakness being internal factors while the opportunities and threats are external factors. These thinking strategies allow students to see both sides of an argument more clearly. Edward De Bono’s six thinking hats including negative, positive, intuitive, process, objective and creative hats link back to the dimensions of learning. The intuitive (red) hat relates to a person’s attitudes and perceptions, while the objective (white) hat relates to declarative knowledge (what we know) and procedural knowledge (what we do with what we know). The creative (green) hat relates to the top of Blooms Taxonomy’s learning domain. Higher order thinking (HOT) requires students to analyse, create and evaluate resources in order to answer questions beyond simply remembering information. Bloom’s Taxonomy has created six levels of thinking. The top three categories are creating, evaluating and analysing which is HOT. This allows the student to extend their knowledge by engaging in creative thinking and breaking information down to support learning. Wikis are an excellent activity that facilitates the dissemination of information to enable the exchange of ideas, to facilitate group interaction (Augar, Raitman, Zhou). Looking at HOT when doing wiki activities, demonstrates cognitivism which is the “thought processes behind behaviour” (Schumann, 1996). Thinking skills are an important part in student learning, which is why the wiki is a good activity as it promotes critical thinking.

Behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism are three learning theories that have enabled me to get a better understanding of how students learn. Everyone has had different life experiences and have different beliefs, so students will have differing opinions on certain topics they put into a wiki, allowing students to generate diverse ideas and problems. This relates to the learning theory of constructivism as it is a way of capturing part of what is in the mind of a learner and their responses to experience (Armstrong, Berry). Behaviourism, another learning theory, relates to the views of mind in the sense that response to stimulus can be observed quantitatively, totally ignoring the possibility of thought processes occurring in the mind (Mergel, 1998). This is seen in the wiki activities, through the teacher giving positive reinforcement on the work that has been completed in the wiki already. Positive reinforcement will encourage good behaviour. Wikis can allow teachers to see who has participated in the wiki and who has not. The behaviourist approach to teaching may only be useful in some situations such as a class of rowdy teenagers. Wikis are useful activities for group work and group assignments, as everyone, that has been allowed, has access to the wiki. This enables students to all contribute but do not have to be in the same area at once. Connectivism is more noticeable in group work and class discussions. Using wikis, students will be able to make connections between everyone’s ideas and concepts. Seimens stated that it is no longer possible to know everything, that it is more important to identify how and where to find knowledge than it is to know.

Effective digital learners can communicate globally and will have developed skills to design, create, share and publish information (Education Queensland, 2008). Using wikis for e-learning design will encourage students to learn and critically think; through activities that they get enjoyment out of and feel comfortable using as it is something that they use all the time.  

References

Armstrong, A. and Berry, M. (n.d) School of Art, Design and Communication, RMIT University

Augar,N., Raitman, R. and Zhou, W. (n.d) Teaching and learning online with wikis p.93-104

School of Information Technology Deakin University

Education Queensland (2008) e-learning for smart classrooms. [On-line] Available: http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/pdf/scbyte-elearning.pdf

Halbert, R. (2011) Technology in Education

Mergel, B. (1998) Instructional Design and learning Theory.[On-line] Available: http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm

Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5.

Prensky, M. (2005) if you cannot engage young people in education you will enrage them. p60-64

Schuman, L. (1996). Perspectives on instruction. [On-line]. Available: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec540/Perspectives/Perspectives.html

Siemens, G.(2004) Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age

Wee, J.D. (2010) PMI – A strategy for improving thinking in the classroom. [On-line] Available: http://www.suite101.com/content/thinking-in-the-classroom---some-strategies-to-consider

Wikis in supporting learning

PLUSES	MINUSES	INTERESTING
*can be edited by students who are allowed into that wiki *Updated by students and teachers *Free technology for students *Upload homework or assignments *Students can work together on an assignment, but do not have to be altogether *easy to use *24/7 access *engages learners through familiar technology	*unintentional deletions *Students can edit others wikis, in a bad way *setting up original wiki can take time	*Group work through wikis, shows ownership of ideas, so teachers can see if all students in the group has contributed

After doing this PMI for Wikis in how they support learning, it demonstrates that wikis are an excellent ICT activity to support learning.

Learning Design Framework

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)

This learning framework has three main parts of knowledge: technological, content and pedagogical. You need to understand each part of the framework individually before being able to implement them all together as a learning framework. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) represents the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular aspects of subject matter are organized, adapted and represented for instruction (Mishra, Koehler).

                           

By teaching the curriculum with technology (ICT), students will be engaged and will be more interested in learning and retain information for longer.  Knowing how to use the technology in pedagogy is the starting point for this framework. This is important as 21^st century learners are well adapted to technology, where I am still learning about how to use some devices.

Learning Engagement Theory

Teachers can improve the situation of students being engaged in activities they want them to be engaged in, by providing the qualities that will most likely appeal to the values, interests and needs of the students involved. Students who are engaged in learning will retain information as they are interested in what they are doing.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

In Bloom’s taxonomy of learning domains, Bloom has identified six levels in his learning domain,  

1.       Creating

2.       Evaluating

3.       Analysing

4.       Applying

5.       Understanding

6.       Knowledge                                  

The bottom two domains being lower order thinking and the top three higher order thinking.

                                             

  

Activities which would incorporate higher order thinking are activities that will extend and refine their knowledge. Activities I have completed so far like wikis, are good ICT tools to analyse information, while blogs are excellent for creating and evaluating information.

Learning Theories Wiki

This activity will support learning as wikis can be used to facilitate the dissemination of information to enable exchange of ideas, to facilitate group interaction (Augar, Raitman, Zhou). Students can work in groups, two groups can research one area, while the other two groups find information on another area of interest. This enables students to spend more time on one specific area, putting all your researched information and knowledge into a wiki. This enables other students to edit their knowledge in the same wiki in case someone has missed some vital information. Students can then look through other wikis on different units to get a good understanding of what they are about.  Using a scaffolded thinking routine such as Pluses, Minuses and Interesting, known as PMI, this allows me as a teacher, to see the positives and negatives of this activity. The pluses for this activity include time management, group work and easy to set up and use where as minuses for the learning theories wiki include postings or unintentional deletions as wikis are fully editable websites.

The learning theories wiki includes elements of behaviourism, cognition and constructivism. With constructivism learning occurs as the learner attempts to make sense of their experiences (Siemens, 2006). With this activity, having to find the positives and negatives with the three learning theories, along with previous experiences and knowledge helping to put the information into a Pluses, Minuses and Interesting (PMI). This allows students to interact with other students by doing the activity in groups of two or three people. This activity involves cognitivism, having to think about what you have read and to be able to say whether the information goes into the pluses, minuses or interesting category.

Behaviourism relates to the views of mind in the sense that response to stimulus can be observed quantitatively, totally ignoring the possibility of thought processes occurring in the mind (Mergel, 1998). Behaviourism is more common in task-based activities such as the learning theories wiki. Students have been set a task, where they can work with another person to research information on a relevant topic, then putting them into a PMI allowing students to view the learning theories from different points of view.

Students can broaden their knowledge when they are encouraged to learn differently, such as this learning theory wiki. In this activity students can learn through the use of a wiki, but also learn through the content they have researched by putting it into a PMI.A PMI is a good way of considering the pros, cons and implications of a conclusion to the relevant topic.

Connectivism relates to this activity in a way that it is designed for twenty first century learners. This activity helps students to connect to the digital world, looking at the positives and negatives of the learning theories and putting them into a wiki for others to see. In this activity, having the ability to see the connections between ideas and concepts is an important skill.

This activity would support a diverse range of students, as computers are valuable tools for learners with disabilities (Halbert, 2011). It is also an important tool in communication, especially those students who has speech impairments. Students who may not be able to put what they mean into words can define terms using images and put links to detailed explanations.

Computer applications can be used to engage and enhance thinking (Halbert, 2011). Wikis engage students in classrooms in a new way instead of the traditional way of teaching. Any user can read or add content to a wiki site. This means that wikis are an excellent tool for facilitating online education (Augar, Raitman, Zhou). Lessons can be taught through wikis, with videos, links to other websites and supporting documents. Wikis would be a good e-learning strategy, using it for group assignments, as long as students have access to the internet outside of school, they can work in groups without having to be altogether, allowing each other to edit their wiki.

References

 Augar,N., Raitman, R. and Zhou, W. (n.d) Teaching and learning online with wikis p.93-104

School of Information Technology Deakin University

Halbert, R. (2011) Technology in Education

Siemens, (2006) Connectivism: Learning Theory or pastime for the self amused? Available: www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism_self-amused.htm

Blog Reflections as Journals

This activity enables you to go back and see your thoughts about what you have learnt previously. I have not completed a blog before, so with this activity I have learnt how to set up a blog and add new posts, which I can now take with me when I am a teacher so I feel less like a ‘digital immigrant’ (Prensky, 2001) by knowing how to create a blog.

By doing blog reflections as a journal, it is a way of documenting learning and collecting information for self analysis (Armstrong, Berry). Get the students to do a series of blog reflections creating a journal of what they have learnt and thought about throughout the week. Critical reflection on experiences allows teachers to develop a deep understanding of themselves and their students (Yang, 2009). At the end of the week or unit, students can go back and look at what they thought about certain aspects of the lessons to keep it fresh in their minds. Blogs allow people to exchange information without space and time constraints, to broaden their knowledge and to meet personal needs and interests at the same time (Yang, 2009). Students can write their reflections in their blog and other people can provide feedback which will allow the students to look further into their reflection, to see if there is another way of looking at something and may result in further research.

Constructivism plays a fundamental part in this activity as journals provide a way of capturing part of what is in the mind of a learner and their responses to experience (Armstrong, Berry). Students will reflect on the work they have previously experienced.

Writing blogs as a journal is a reflective piece of writing, using cognitivism. Blogs are a good way for teachers to get students to use computers in the classroom. By using a technique that will engage the students, the students are more likely to retain information for longer. As blogs are reflective, positive reinforcement is used more often than negative reinforcement as it is the student’s opinions.

Information is continually being acquired and the ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital (Siemens, 2005). Learning is a process that connects different resources such as prior knowledge, experience, perception and reality. Blogs are just that, connecting previous information with new information to write a blog which is a reflective piece of writing.

Blogs encourage interaction among students and between teachers and students with varying backgrounds and knowledge level about computers and blogs. Blog reflections as journals can support e-learning, as it is an online, scaffolded, collaborative discussion. Some pluses for blogs supporting e-learning include it being easy to use, they are online journals that users can continually update online and in their own words (Matheson, 2004). There is no need to install any software as it is already on most computers and the user has control over how blogs look. It can make use of other internet resources for learning, by adding hyperlinks within blogs (Godwin-Jones, 2003).  Using blogs the learner needs to articulate the connection between new information and what they already know (Fulwiler, 1987). One thing that may be a problem for some students posting blogs is that other people may comment on their blogs and upset the student.

References

Armstrong, A. and Berry, M. (n.d) School of Art, Design and Communication, RMIT University

Fulwiler, T. (1987). The Journal Book. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.

Matheson, D. (2004). Weblogs and the epistemology of the news: Some trends in online journalism. New Media & Society, 6 (4), 443–468.

Prensky, (2001)

Yang, S.-H. (2009). Using Blogs to Enhance Critical Reflection and Community of Practice. Educational Technology & Society,

12 (2), 11–21.

Profile Wiki

As I am a ‘digital immigrant’ (Prensky, 2001), I have learnt that the profile wiki is a valuable tool in getting to know other people that are studying to be a teacher, just like myself. Browsing through other people’s profiles allowed me to get to know other student teachers and find something I have in common with other people. This also enabled me to get a better understanding of what learning styles people have, as those that mentioned they enjoyed playing sports are more likely to be an active learner, which has much in common with the kinaesthetic learner (Felder, 1995). This activity takes up a large amount of time, so I did not read all of the profile wikis.

Students can use the computer as a way of learning and getting to know each other. By asking students to set up a profile wiki, will also enable me as a teacher to get a better understanding of their interests and could then teach some of my classes with elements of the things the students enjoy doing. Some students will be ‘digital immigrants’ while others will be ‘digital natives’ (Prensky, 2001), so a basic activity like this, would be a good way to teach ‘digital immigrants’ about ICT.

Learning involves associations established through contiguity and repetition, (Mergel, 1998) in saying this, the profile wiki activity could have an element of cognitivism. Cognitivism is based on the thought processes behind behaviour (Schuman, 1996). If the profile wiki is updated a few times in a week and everyone spent the time browsing through all the profile wikis, students can think about where others in their class have come from and may find someone they did not know, for example speaks Italian just like themselves.

Behaviourism is the study of overt behaviours that can be observed and measured (Good, Brophy, 1990). The profile wiki activity does not have elements of behaviourism, as it using information about yourself, not changing your behaviour as you are not learning anything new about yourself. Constructivism builds upon behaviourism and cognitivism in the sense that it accepts multiple perspectives and maintains that learning is a personal interpretation of the world (Mergel, 1998).

By having the students learn how to do a profile wiki, students are maintaining connections which is needed to facilitate continual learning (Siemens, 2004). Students can work in groups to help each other create a profile wiki.

Student diversity in schools is very broad, with students coming from different cultural backgrounds, low socio-economic environments or someone coming from an environment where you get every new technological device that comes on the market. By doing the profile wiki students will learn about everyone’s background and what they enjoy doing and the more computer literate students may help those who are computer illiterate to help them create a profile wiki.

The design of this e-learning activity supports learning in that different kinds of experiences lead to different brain structures according to Dr. Bruce D. Perry of Baylor College of Medicine (Prensky, 2001). By doing an activity on the computer, students will be engaged, as most students enjoy learning by the use of different activities involving technology.

References

Felder, R.M. (1995) Learning and Teaching Styles in Foreign and Second Language Education, Foreign Language Annals, 28, No. 1, pp. 21–31

Good, T. L., Brophy, J. E. (1990). Educational psychology: A realistic approach. (4th ed.).White Plains, NY: Longman

Mergel, B.(1998) Instructional Design and Learning Theory. Available: http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm

Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5.

Siemens, G.(2004) Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age

Schuman, L. (1996). Perspectives on instruction. [On-line]. Available: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec540/Perspectives/Perspectives.html

Mobile Phone Wiki

The mobile phone wiki was an engaging activity, using Edward de Bono’s six thinking hats. I remember using these thinking hats in year five and six, but could not recall what each hat represented. It is a good learning tool in scaffolding people’s perspectives on teaching with mobile phones. I personally could see lots of negative aspects (black hat) and intuitive aspects (red hat) of teaching with mobile phones in the classroom. This activity allowed me to see others views on the topic and made me think about other people’s comments. This activity also enable me to extend and refine my knowledge, while breaking down information and putting my thoughts into different categories of thinking.

This mobile phone wiki activity could support learning through the scaffolding of perspectives of different topics. This will help students to critically think and look further into different topics, in this case, if mobile phones would work in schools as a teaching aid. Langer and Applebee said

                “ideas are allowed to develop in the learners own mind, through a series of related supportive activities; where taking risks and generating hypotheses are encouraged by postponing evaluation and where new skills are learned in supportive instructional contexts.”

This quote demonstrates that students will be engaged in the activity, by different methods of thinking and will look at different aspects before coming to a final conclusion about the topic.

Students will be more engaged in learning using a mobile phone, as it is an educational tool most students already have and know how to use, thus not wasting time showing students how to use the device. Mobile phones will provide hands on learning activities and acquire knowledge rather than just been told information.

According to Gray, knowledge is constructed by learners through an active, mental process of development. Therefore, constructivism is important as students are actively involved in this activity, which engages the students and thus have a better understanding of the activity.

The learning theory of cognitivism, plays a vital role in the mobile phones wiki, as cognitivism is the thought processes (Shirley, 2009). Thinking skills in students is seen as important in student learning. This activity allows students to improve their ability to think deeply and meaningfully, which is the essence of a good educational practice (Wee, 2010). The mobile phone wiki promotes independent thinking, by acquiring their own perceptions and facts they have found and placing them under each of the six different thinking hats.

Connectivism plays a role in this mobile phone wiki as students make a connection between new and old knowledge and similar and differing knowledge. Connectivism is seen more in group work and class discussions, but although this activity promotes independent thinking it also allows students to participate in group discussions, after the students have posted their perspectives in the wiki.

Students all vary in their background knowledge, language skills and learning styles and interests. The mobile phone wiki would support a diverse range of students by providing a variety of instructional approaches which will address the various learning styles of the students.  Students do not just have to read texts to get information; they can also use audio-visuals and posters which will help students to get perspectives on the use of mobile phones in schools. By doing this activity, involving a thinking routine and relating it to your students real life experiences or interests can engage students longer.

The design of this e-learning activity would support learning by getting students to think about what they have researched and read. Looking at Blooms Taxonomy of learning domains, this activity helps students to think creatively and evaluate and analyse their findings, thus will be extending and refining their knowledge through higher order thinking. Higher order questions require students to analyse, synthesise and evaluate materials in order to answer questions beyond simply recalling information or facts (Wee, 2010).

References

Gray, A. (n.d) Constructivist Teaching and Learning, SSTA Research Centre Report.

Langer, J. & Applebee, A. N. (1987). How writing shapes thinking: A study of teaching and learning. National Council of Teachers of English.

Shirley, R. (2009) The Cognitive Approach to Lesson Planning. www.suite101.com

Wee, J.D. (2010) Thinking in the classroom: some strategies to Consider.

"Engage or Enrage"

I believe that the learners of today do use a lot more technology in and out of school. Students who are lucky enough have the newest and latest technology out. Although it is forever changing and students are learning different things, as a student HPE teacher, the more learners use technology there is likely to be an increase  in obesity in children as they will rely to much on technology for their way of life. Students may go home after school and 'chat' with friends on the computer, listen to music on the computer, do their homework on the computer. I did all this when I was at school but in a completely different context. I do agree that some teaching should be taught with technology, but not all. Students will start to depend on that technology and will not know how to do things where technology is not needed. Yes students might think it may be boring doing things the old fashioned way, but thats where our teaching and learning styles play a part, to make sure the content is being taught in a way that all students will stay motivated while they learn.

Multiple Intelligence Test

My results in Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Test, shows I am body smart - kinaesthetic, which is correct in saying I love to play sports and being active. This is closely followed by people smart - interpersonal. I enjoy the company of other people, rather than being on my own. Number smart - Logical, came in third which is a surprise. I am not real keen on maths, try to work out maths in my head, but then always end up with a calculator to work out the answer. I do like doing sudukos, crosswords, solving problems and puzzles. All up this test is an accurate way to see which is your stronger intelligences.

I would use this information to look at my learning design by doing groupwork and active learning, where everyone is getting involved and not just sitting down writing and losing motivation. I still have to remember some students are intrapersonal and reflective learners, so once again everyone has a different learning style so I can not just teach the way that I learn best.

Index Learning Style

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

Results for: Karen Wilkin

      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

                              <-- -->

According to Felder and Solomon's Index Learning Styles questionaire, I am a strong visual learner as I am more likely to remember something I have seen  than something I have heard. I am a fairly well balanced active and reflective learner as I like to try new ideas as soon as possible, but if I have an idea that is more complex then I will think about it first. I am also a well balanced sequential and global learner. In some cases, I have to understand every little detail to see the final product and other times I like to put it into perspective and relate it to something I have learnt before. I have a moderate intuitive perception as I have a very vivid imagination at times. Presentations and other visual aids such as pictures and diagrams would best suit my learning style.

In a traditional classroom of 25 students, how would you support the range of learning styles each lesson?
All students have different learning styles therefore would have to accommodate the lessons for everyone. I would make the lessons different from day to day, so no consecutive days are the same to keep the motivation levels high. Depending on what I was teaching and wanted to portray, I would include watching movies, computer activities, handouts, experiments, group discussions and activities, presentations, diagrams and practical lessons inside and outside.

With your current knowledge of ICT, how could your design and digital pedagogy support your learners better?
Felder (1988) said "students whose learning styles are compatible with teaching styles..tend to retain information longer.." Today students are very computer and technology literate, so to be able to teach with the technology of today, will encourage students to want to learn as it is more interesting than sitting down listening to a teacher talk. By getting students to work in groups to discuss ideas, then get them to do a powerpoint presentation, speech or blog would be more appealing than writing an essay.

What sorts of profiling questions would you be asking about your learners to ensure you cater for everyones preferences?
1. How does the student prefer to learn?
2. Do students find facts or theories a better way of learning?
3. Would students rather talk about the outcome or demonstrate the outcome?

How does ICT support, differences in learning styles?
It supports all learning styles as some people prefer learning information visually, from pictures or verbally from listening to people talk. Some people are active learners where others are reflective learners. As all students differ in their learning styles ICT enables all learning styles to catered for.

Learning Styles