Reflecting on Mobile Phones wiki:

Although an interesting exercise in collaborative learning, I didn't much enjoy participating in this wiki.  I found the layout untidy and difficult to follow, and didn't find any clear instruction other that the 'edit' tool as to how to add information.  By the time I added my comment, some people before me had worked out a better way to add a row which made it easier to follow.  

Having said that...maybe the idea of adding ideas randomly is part of the concept, a bit like a collaborative white board, where ideas get thrown around and written up for conclusions to be drawn from.

Online tools such as this obviously have a use, but a clearer visual approach is preferable to my kind of learning.  I prefer a more structured, tidy approach where the novice user is able to contribute without too much 'hair tearing' and other's people's data is protected from such novices...I was terrified I was going to delete someone else's offerings!

I think if I were in a classroom environment I would rather spread a great big piece of butcher's paper on the floor and equip students with coloured felt pens!

The use of the Six Thinking Hats was obviously suggested to stimulate our thinking across different areas but I found this link to be inaccessible which only added to my frustration.  The following link to  de Bono's Six Thinking Hats for Schools helped alleviate the pain...

As a collaborative exercise I can appreciate the power of this kind of tool.  It is of particular use in a course such as this where contact with other students is minimal.  It opens up a whole new layer of discussion, comment and viewpoints – one which would otherwise not be possible without this kind of ICT. 

By using the De Bono’s Hat mode of thinking it was a clever way of categorising thoughts into sub headings for later analysis – although I was unaware of this at the time.  It also encourages participants to think through a problem from an alternative perspective, and learn from the perspectives supplied by others.  For example, children within the classroom could be allocated a hat colour and asked to come up with perspectives on whether we should put fluoride into our water supply, or should we be forced to recycle, or should mobile phones be allowed in the classroom??!

The way in which this activity was scaffolded also allowed for reflection.  The fact that a wiki is a fluid, editable entity, as new ideas emerged, and as learning continued, previous entries and ideas could be updated and added to.  I found myself changing my stance as I became more aware of the higher order thinking involved in the scaffolding of this activity.  It also provides up to the minute commentary on a particular topic, much more timely than the information sourced from a text book.

Another advantage to this kind of activity is that it levels the playing field.  Participants who might not otherwise contribute in a classroom setting are more likely to find their voice in this kind of forum.  Online collaboration seems to provide a bit of an anonymity filter…people seem willing to be more forthcoming online than the would otherwise be face to face.  Some also find writing their ideas easier to clarify than trying to vocalise them.

Although not my favourite exercise so far it has provided me with yet another possible teaching tool to incorporate into the classroom.  Hopefully as my proficiency improves using ICT's so will my confidence and competence.  On reflection, constructivist learning is the style to employ to get the most out of this kind of exercise, ie.  learning is based upon what we can learn from collaborative thinking.  By engaging in this activity we were able to view others' opinions, add to or contradict these all in a forum whereby discussion and interaction was encouraged.

To most successfully participate in this activity a Connectivist approach would possibly be the most productive.  As George Siemens suggests:

"The starting point of connectivism is the individual. Personal knowledge is comprised of a network, which feeds into organizations and institutions, which in turn feed back into the network, and then continue to provide learning to individual. This cycle of knowledge development (personal to network to organization) allows learners to remain current in their field through the connections they have formed." (Siemens 2005)

A cycle of knowledge was established by the use of this wiki, we included our individual responses drawing on our 'schemas', to then draw conclusions by analysing the responses of others to come up with a conclusion.

The use of Voki's is another tool which could be incorporated into the classroom to engage children.  I have included my first attempt in my previous post.