Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
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Boomerang, students generate questions and a teacher collects and organises them
for class discussion;
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ImageMap, a teacher sends as image out to the class, presents a question, and
students respond by marking up the image;
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Question Answering, students in a small group all get one multiple choice ques-
tion and each enters their individual answer. If everyone in the group agrees, they
move on, otherwise they talk together to resolve differences.
Apart from the scenarios, we also studied the technique of Zurita and Nussbaum
(2004) for how they exploited the use of PDAs to scaffold collaborative learning in
classrooms. From these techniques and a set of the 13 scenarios, we formed many
possible effective lessons for our further analysis stage, for example:
In a chemical class, a teacher asks the whole class of students verbally “Please draw the
molecular formula and electron dot of Nitrous oxide, Carbon dioxide, and Carbon monox-
ide”. Each student answers the teacher by drawing a molecular form (N
2
O, CO
2
,CO)
and electron dot (chemical representation form of electrons) on their personal computing
devices and then submitting back to the teacher. The teacher groups answers both right and
wrong, for each chemical substance. The teacher then divides students into three groups,
passes each group the previous work (a group of right and wrong answers in the same for-
mula), and asks them to choose or reproduce the correct chemical formula and electron dot
of that substance. Group 1 works out Nitrous oxide. Group 2 works out Carbon dioxide
and Group 3 works out Carbon monoxide. In each group, members discuss to choose or
reproduce the joint answer and then send it back to the teacher. The teacher then reviews
the work of each group and shows a prepared image of the correct molecular formula and
electron dot to the whole class.
This lesson consists of a combination of “Boomerang”, “Question Answering”,
and “Draw My Molecule” scenarios. It also represents one of the challenging
one-to-one scenarios for both pedagogical and technological aspects because this
scenario:
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requires various scaffolding phases to: create differences of ideas (“Boomerang”
scenario), group the conflict opinions and assign them to work together for a joint
answer (“Question Answering”);
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requires technical workflows between activities, for example, the outputs of chem-
ical formula generated by the whole class students has to be passed back to groups
of students. Students may choose the correct one to send back again to the teacher;
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cannot be easily replaced by pen and pencil because it requires a rapid change of
transition between each activity;
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requires more than a text or image display based delivery system. The learn-
ing environment has to provide drawing, annotating, grouping and graphical
coordinating tools to the participants.
