Mobile Phones Wiki

Using DeBono's Six thinking hats to create a wiki on the use of mobile phones in schools was very productive. Had we of just used a PMI like we did for our learning theory there would have been no where near as much creativity and constructive thinking done on the matter. The six hats ensures you look at the issue of mobile phones in school from unique angles. I found that some students had better contribution then others under one hat and then less under another. This would be attributed to the fact that each students has a different learning style and so a different way of thinking as well. I found i contributed greatest towards the Green, yellow and red hats. Creativity, Benefits and feelings respectively. However being a wiki i think someone went in and deleted my name from everything which i was fairly upset about :/ might have been an accident though, but it does show one downfall of using a wiki, you don't get recognition for your ideas!

This would be a great strategy to use in my classroom when discussing contentious topics between students as it would create a well rounded and diverse argument. Students could be divided into six groups of there choice depending on which hat appeals to them in the hope that all six hats would be filled.

The learning theory of constructivism was very apparent during this activity. Each students constructed there thoughts from there own knowledge and experiences which is why the wiki ended up being such an extensive collaboration. Cognitivism was evident in that information was taken in through the particular resources we were given, processed and then our ideas were formulated. Behaviourism did not play a key role for this activity however connectivism did. Connectivism would have been used by many students in that they would have searched for more information then what was given.

The design of this activity through the use of DeBono's six thinking hats supported a diverse range of students, it catered for many different thinking preferences and learning preferences, as a video link as well as an article was made available. From this both visual and audible learners were catered for. The kinesthetic learners would have actually constructed their own knowledge from their experiences using mobile phones, and would have related their experiences with what they thought could used in a classroom environment. (bit abstract, finding it hard to convey my thoughts on this one). The design of this activity can supports elearning through the combination of DeBono's hats and a wiki. It supports learning through the use of different critical thinking styles and promotes the student to use higher order thinking.

Michael