This whole first task has been a massive learning experience
for me, as I have never used any of these web sites before. As Judy Willis
states “you need to gain the students curiosity in what you want to teach” and
this certainly was the case for me as I was quickly trying to think how I could
incorporate Information Communication Technologies (ICT) into my teaching
discipline of Industrial Technology and Design.
At first glance I was unsure of what was required of me in
this activity where we had to critically analyse (using the de Bono’s Hats
thinking routine) the use of mobile phones as a tool for students in class. One
quick look at our class wiki page (where all our class share their thoughts and
beliefs on this task) cemented in my mind what was required to complete this
task. Being able to quickly access other student’s thoughts definitely removed
the barrier of making a mistake for me. As Judy Willis suggests, if the fear of
making a mistake is removed it will make for a safer classroom and therefore a
better learning environment.
When first asked the question for this task I believed that
a mobile phone should not be used in class, but after analysing the question
using the scaffolding of de Bono’s beliefs I found that my opinion had
completely changed and that I really needed more information to make more of an
informed decision. This type of
scaffolding makes you investigate all perspectives of the argument so you can
come to an informed decision.
Other positives from participating in a wiki like this are
that it encourages discussion on the topic which in turn may cause individuals
to adjust/correct their beliefs from interpreting the different responses in
the post. While there are definite positives there are also some drawbacks for
this type of wiki. These include; everybody needs to have a computer and internet
connection, students can lose their work if typing directly onto the wiki page
as opposed to copying and pasting their work from a saved Word document.
Students may be restricted in the way of coming up with original ideas if they
rely too heavily on reading other students work and there may be a chance of
public ridicule if other people disagree with their post.
I believe the learning process of this project has followed the six major categories of the cognitive process under Bloom's Cognitive Taxonomy. I gather Bloom's Taxonomy is the basis that all good pedagogy practices are built from.
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