A Thinking Hat For Every Occassion

I enjoyed participating in the Mobile phone wiki activity . 

I have to be honest and say that before this course I had never heard of a wiki. I’m very surprised at this as I have 4 children.  My two older ones are in their mid to late 20’s so wiki’s probably weren’t part of their learning experience. I have an 11 year old daughter and when I asked her she hadn’t heard of them either. I must admit that the majority of my pre- thinking about mobile phones in the classroom was from the BLACK HAT perspective. This can be attributed to my schema

Schema is a cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information. Schemas can be useful, because they allow us to take shortcuts in interpreting a vast amount of information. However, these mental frameworks also cause us to exclude some important information in favour of information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs and ideas. Schemas can contribute to stereotypes and make it difficult to retain new information which does not conform to our established schemas.

Once I participated in the wiki with the de Bono hats being used as a scaffolding tool I saw other perspectives. I’ve also begun using an iphone myself and my eyes have been opened up to what an incredibly diverse and interactive piece of communication technology the iphone is.

As an introduction to help understand why de Bono’s thinking hats are such a useful scaffold tool to encourage constructivist learning I will start with an overview of de Bono’s Six Thinking Hat Technique.

The Six Thinking Hats technique of Edward de Bono is a model that can be used for exploring different perspectives towards a complex situation or challenge.  Seeing things in various ways is often a good idea in strategy formation or complex decision-making processes.

The hats are a tool to scaffold the learners into thinking about a situation or problem from a range of different perspectives it also provides a means for groups to think together more effectively, and a means to plan thinking processes in a detailed but yet diverse way.
Scaffolding learning is extremely important for maximum learning experience.

Vygotsky believed that when a student is at the Zone of Proximal Development for a particular task, providing the appropriate assistance (scaffolding) will give the student enough of a "boost" to achieve the task. Once the student, with the benefit of scaffolding, masters the task, the scaffolding can then be removed and the student will then be able to complete the task again on his own.

The Hats are different colors representing different perspectives. This  short clip explains the perspectives.

BLUE HAT – A managing hat, control mechanism that ensures guidelines are observed.

GREEN HAT – Focuses on creativity, the possibilities, the alternatives and new ideas. New concepts and new perceptions.

YELLOW HAT= Brightness and optimism. Positives, values and benefits.   

BLACK HAT – Judgement, devils advocate or why something might not work. It will spot the dangers.

WHITE HAT = Just the facts. Information known or needed.

RED HAT – Feelings, hunches, intuition, dislikes, loves and hates

Group 1 tools - Blogs, Wiki's and Websites

I’m well into week 3 now with this course and even though I am finding the work load quite heavy and sometimes spend hours on the computer trying to work out how to use the technology. I am finding some things are becoming clearer to me. 

I am now starting to understand what a blog and wiki and a website is, and can see how they are a great tool to use in any learning environment.  
Why I came to this conclusion is I did a PMI and SWOT concept analysis and below is what I came up with:

PMI FOR USING BLOGS IN THE CLASSROOM 
PLUS –             
•          -  It is free, easy to create and use
•         - They are a great reflective tool where you are able to bring together your thoughts on different topics or ideas
•        - It can be used as a collaborative tool to gather research notes and share ideas with other class members or teacher 
•         - You are able to provide links to different websites etc. that other students can also use
•         - It gives parents access so they are able to keep up to date with what their child may be learning at school
•         - Students are able to access them in and out of school
•         - Teachers are able to monitor students’ progress and offer ideas (using comment option) to students about other avenues they might be able to explore and provide positive encouragement making it a good motivating tool
•         - Only the students who created the blog is able to edit the blog
•         - It is great for students who are too shy to contribute in class to add ideas 
•        -  Great tool for teachers to post educational links to that can enhance their own learning with digital tools. For example: (http://education.qld.gov.au/learningplace/) I also found a great blog written by a teacher that provides useful information and tools for other teachers to use http://heidisongs.blogspot.com/  as an example of how they can be used
•        -  It can enhance students reading, writing and computer skills




MINUS – 
•        -  Can be difficult for some students to use
•        -  Internet access is always needed to be able to access it which is not always possible
•         - Blogs are not confidential and everyone is able to access them worldwide which could result in anyone posting comments that may not be appropriate
•         - Cyber bullying and  Harassment could become a problem and needs to be monitored with strict guidelines
•         - One author only which is a plus, as stated previously, but can also be a hindrance when trying to collaborate effectively with other students
•        -  Images, videos and information can be inserted without the knowledge of the owner which can result in plagiarism. Legal, safe and ethical guidelines should be discussed with students to ensure they are using material correctly this may however be problematic for younger children to comprehend and understand. 
•         - Limited options in how the blog can be set out


INTERESTING – 
 Blogs can be used for a variety of things and can provide lots of possibilities in a learning environment
- Can provide the opportunity to link with other schools around the world
- Teachers are able to witness the different learning journeys of each student
- Can be used to help to promote effective pedagogical practices such as higher order thinking, student direction, substantive conversation and social support






The PMI analysis will provide valuable information on the pros and cons of using a wiki to develop an eLearning resource.

Table 1: PMI ANALYSIS
Plus	Minus	Interesting
Anyone can edit, and edition is instantaneous,easy to use and learn and people located all over the world can edit. Possible to revert back to a previous version and access to web publishing to non-technical people. Can be used for a wide range of applications. No licensing cost to installing an institutional wiki. Very versatile tool, that can be adjusted and accommodated to any kind of teaching and learning. Many possibilities to include designs, images, videos, etc. Allows for HTML language what provides huge possibilities (Hart, 2006)	Being an open resource does not assure the quality of content, therefore entries are not necessarily reliable. Spontaneous thoughts, content have to be filtered to avoid prohibited material. Anonymous entries, very difficult to verify the source (more issues with quality) Collaborative /Cooperative Paradigm as the resource is strongly based on high levels of coordination. Technology issues, user must be computer literate. Organization, updating, compiling, etc. A lot of work needs to be done. Challenges regarding structure, contents, ideas, etc. and how they should be included in the wiki. Wikis do not show as easily when information was documented or in what order. (Woolf, 2006).	Resource with great potential to be used in eLearning Great flexibility and adaptability Minimum requirements, everyone can learn how to use it very quickly Great tool to facilitate: Creativity, Development of New Ideas, Collaboration Controls can be implemented to prevent vandalism Content remains alive: as technology improves, knowledge changes, new techniques appear, etc. it is possible to update the resource accordingly. Imagination is the limit. Ideal resource to use to connect with groups based in different countries, different cultures, etc

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that is exceedingly valuable. It involves identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. After the PMI analysis is done, it is very important to condense all the information into a SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), thus we are able to connect all the valuable information that help us to decide if the wiki is the optimal resource for a particular lerning outcome. For more information on SWOT Analysis please see this article on What is SWOT Analysis

Table 2: SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths Openness and accessibility. Facilitate to work with others Creates knowledge and communities Usability. Anonymity of authorship. Public ownership. Cloning acceptable. It is a free tool. Organized by the context, by links and, sometimes, in chronological order.	Opportunities Motivate Collaboration Versatile Tool Longlife Learning Growing and flexible resource Comprehensive Share knowledge, resources, experiences. Everyone is smarter than anyone alone Encourages learning and critical thinking Large audience Virtual Community
Weaknesses Difficulties to trust content Used to repeat work Content is constantly changing Not professionally edited Need close control to prevent vandalism	Threats Users can erase content Vandalism Copyright, intellectual property issues Taken as the only source of information Content can be spammed Constraints to the tool Openness (no login required)

I am starting to see the effectiveness of collaborative learning  and how by using e-tools within a learning environment students can explore, collaborate and reflect. I have constructed my own understanding of TPaCK in my blog. Today there are more opportunities for learners to participate actively in their own learning. Educators can now move significant learning opportunities out of “event mode” and support construction of knowledge and skill beyond the classroom and beyond traditional asynchronous e-Learning.
Online learning is leaning towards a constructivist pedagogy  in which collaborative learning takes an important role, I have a visions of how these tools certainly open up the classroom or learning environment to many different worlds and sources of information and interactive experiences beyond its four walls.  With the invention of web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 interactive learning has reached new levels.

I’ve been to many in-services and education days in the past where the big piece of butcher’s paper or the whiteboard has come out and we’ve all put ideas forward, but now with ideas being able to be sought, exchanged, compared and contrasted from all around the world.  WOW! How incredible is that?

Last night at the collaborate session for my current ICT course which I attend every Wednesday night I found myself and my mind wandering off  at times and imagining all sorts of wonderful possibilities in a classroom and imagined to myself that I may have done better academically if this stuff was around when I was at school.

At the moment the thing I haven’t been able to totally get my head around is the Learning Theories, they are still a mish mash in my brain and I’m hoping by reading and listening to podcasts about them and using the internet to gain lots of perspectives about them and see if that helps me with my understanding of them.

Well I’ve got to do a little housework  too now and again so I’m off to do that now. There’s even interactive websites to help with that.

See you next time!!!

Explanation of TPaCK

Before doing this course had I even heard of TPaCK? No! I had heard of Six Pack, back pack and even unpack but TPaCK was totally foreign to me. 

What is this unknown term?  The term is used as a teaching/learning concept.

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge.

In order to understand what TPaCK is lets break it down.

Content Knowledge is the knowledge matter of a subject which is to be taught.

Pedagogy is the art of teaching. The art of knowing how to teach in an engaging and effective way. Understanding students, knowing their differences, their prior knowledge and ideas and then developing and managing teaching techniques for aneffective individualized learning experience.

So far we’ve shown that in order to be using the concept tool Pedagogical Content Knowledge there must be

1.    a subject, content and knowledge base.

2.    Productive Pedagogies.

However for the concept of TPaCK a third component needs to be added

Technology - Technology is the making use of machines, techniques, systems or methods of organization in order to solve problems or perform specific functions. Some examples of modern technology are ipods, ipads, mp3 players, GPS’s, laptop computer, netbook computer and digital camera’s.

When all three of these component’s are joined together there is an overlap of each, which becomes what is known as

TPaCK

or

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

is

Teaching and Learning using modern Technologies, sound Content Knowledge and Productive Pedagogies

Overview of some Graphic Organisers

Organising Thinking

Many teachers use graphic organisers with students to assist students to organise their thoughts, ideas and information. What are graphic organisers? Graphic organisers are a visual way of organising information and constructing knowledge.   They are great to use as part of whole class brainstorming sessions as they help students understand the relationships between different ideas and information.   They also model strategies for thinking and problem solving. About our Graphic Organiser Collection .   These graphic organisers include: PMI Chart (Plus, Minus Interesting); KWL Chart (Know, Want to Know, Learnt); Compare and Contrast Chart; Semantic Analysis Chart; Report Plan; News Plan; Story Plan; Story Grammar Chart; Retrieval Chart; Y Chart; Recount Helper.

Why use Graphic Organisers?
The human brain naturally looks for connections between old and new information. Additionally, studies have shown that the brain processes information most efficiently in chunks. Graphic organizers complement both of these processes by helping students:

• Visually sort new information into familiar categories
• Analyze the relationships between old and new information
• Create a simple structure for thinking about information in new ways
• Review concepts and demonstrate understanding

Graphic organizers can be used in all phases of learning from brainstorming ideas to presenting findings


Lets take a look at what PMI’s are. PMI stands for 'Plus/Minus/Interesting' and is a good way of weighing the pros, cons and implications of a decision. When you have selected a course of action, it is important to check and judge if its the right decision.

To use the technique, draw up a table with three columns headed Plus, Minus and Interesting. Within the table write down all the positive points of following the course of action, all the negatives, and all the interesting implications and possible outcomes.

If the decision is still not obvious, you can then score the table to show the importance of individual items. The total score should show whether it is worth implementing the decision.



My goodness how the time fly's it's been a week since I've posted to this blog but I've been learning how to create my wiki . I've been doing all my readings and following along doing what I need to do to successfully complete this course. This picture depicts cogs in a brain, thats how my thought processes are at the moment. When I began study I could hear them moving clogged up with rust which is slowly working its way off the cogs and the thought processes are happening more freely.

I've participated in the group wikis, so please feel free to go to the class group wik i and have a look it's full of some interesting perspectives. I found the participation in the practice quizzes very helpful in order for me to collaborate into working out the most appropriate answer.  I have also blogged about The Thinking Hats.
I also had a go at creating  my own website. Creating the website took me a long time I spent quite a considerable amount of hours trying to add things to the website until I found out that there is only limited things you can do with the free basic version.
I've found the course collaborate sessions very helpful. I will be joining again this Wednesday evening. It's been a very exhaustive and steep but satisfying learning curve so far. I also participated in the questionaire about Learning Styles and will post the results here as soon as I can work out how to do so.........stay tuned!