Mobile Phones Wiki Reflection

Mobile Phones Wiki

Reflection

Participating in the Mobile Phones Wiki was very advantageous for me and opened my mind up to a different, innovative way of thinking and learning. Using De Bono’s Thinking Hats was a very understanding and simple, yet insightful process of gathering and analysing various views and perspectives on information. I found that using the coloured signified hats gave a little more ‘creativeness’ to the concept of reflection, and was a very precise way of congregating aspects of the topic—Mobile phones in education. Using De Bono’s Thinking Hats assisted me effectively, as I was observing other students contributions and shared ideas to the Wiki, and this was important for me to build constructive knowledge on the topic based on other’s perspectives.

This exercise is excellent for scaffolding information, as we were independently doing the activity, yet working together to form an ‘understanding’ of the topic. As students, we all come from different backgrounds and upbringings, as well as different generations. We all have varying declarative knowledge (DK) based on our schemas- current state of mind. (i)  This means we are absorbing and creating understanding from students of all different views, making this a very meaningful and broad vision on mobile phones in education.

I feel that De Bono’s Thinking Hats method definitely has high potential in classrooms. As Kurwongbuh State School’s website states; “Edward de Bono has done more for the way we think about thinking than anyone else in the world.” (ii) This phrase basically sums up the idea of de Bono’s hats and the advantage it holds amongst our students. Students are able to effectively exhibit their thoughts, as well as compare and analyse information, that they may not have ever thought of. Having the concepts of each hat, gives the students a flair of creativity to the activity and may encourage further participation and ease of understanding.

As a digital tool, I find that De Bono’s hats in a Wiki is an exceptional pedagogy of eLearning. Children are developing and constructing their own knowledge not by using just the thinking method, but using the most innovative tool of the Wiki – editing. Having the ability to edit, add and delete information will encourage students to develop a very knowledgeable, insightful information page with views from every students perspective.

I feel that the Mobile Phones Wiki and de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats has both constructivist and cognitivist theories, Piaget (1926). Piaget believes that knowledge cannot be simply ‘handed’ over, knowledge is a process of thinking, reflecting and analysing the construct of the knowledge. (i) Social skills are enhanced in this experience, as children are often communicating and elaborating with others about the information posted on the wiki. Some may be positive and acceptance of feedback, some also may be negative. The idea of this is to overcome that, and focus more on constructing knowledge and showing the formation of thinking linked to past experiences, rather than showing who knows more on the content. Therefore, I find that this activity definitely supports a diverse range of learning styles, but not necessarily all.

References:

 (i) Chen, I. (2007) Cognitive Constructivist Theories. Retrieved from: http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/cognitiv.htm

(ii) Education Queensland, Kurwongbah State School. Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. Retrieved from http://www.kurwongbss.eq.edu.au/thinking/Hats/hats.htm