Week 5 Engagement Activity 10

Many of the optional activities looked so interesting.  I was fascinated by the Museumbox in the way it was interactive and you could click on the pictures of the items and look at a close up view or read some information about it (CQUniversity Australia, 2012).  Zooburst looks fantastic to use with students in a primary school class as it appears to be fun, interactive and can be used to improve literacy (CQUniversity Australia, 2012).  The optional Engagement Activity that I chose to focus on this week was the online concept mapping through Bubbl.us.  I think this could be very helpful in subjects across the board in a primary school setting (CQUniversity Australia, 2012).  You could ask the students to create their own online concept map to facilitate deep understandings of a topic by having to break it down into components but also see how it relates to the big picture (CQUniversity Australia, 2012).  This tool strongly supports Cognitive learning theory by this process of linking information together and consolidating it in the long term memory area of the brain (CQUniversity Australia, 2012).  It relates to the Connectivism learning theory in that it is utilising computers and the internet (CQUniversity Australia, 2012).  A teacher could facilitate optimal learning outcomes with online concept mapping with the use of TPACK including a good understanding of how to best utilise online concept maps and an effective scaffold (CQUniversity Australia, 2012).  I have included a SWOT analysis of online concept mapping's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Strengths	Weaknesses	Opportunities	Threats
It facilitates the use of multiple forms of technology including links, videos and photographs.	Without an effective scaffold, online concept mapping will not be of any benefit.	It has the potential to meet the needs of problem based curriculum.	There is a risk of copyright issues if students or the teacher do not credit the source of others text, images or videos.
It facilitates academic engagement.	It requires good internet access.	If teachers scaffold online concept maps effectively it can facilitate high order thinking and enhance a student's learning experience greatly.
It supports Cognitive learning theory by facilitating deep understanding through grouping of ideas and linking into schema.	If straight lines are used instead of curved lines, it can make ideas ridged and more difficult to learn (Buzan, 2007).	It facilitates creativity as students can create their own online concept maps to show their understanding of a topic.
It meets the needs of different learning styles	It can be time consuming on an iPhone in iThoughts, for example, it is easy to lose the spot where the map is and then have to spend ages finding it again by scanning up and down and sideways.	It has the potential to support Social Constructivism learning theory by encouraging group participation and collaboration in a classroom online concept map.
It shows the teacher student's understanding by showing their thinking through the concept map.	The iThoughts application costs money.	It has the potential to improve learning outcomes when combined with colour and images, for example, students improve learning when they associate images and colour with learning (Buzan, 2007).
It promotes student's self regulation and student direction as it allows students to adhere to safe, ethical and legal standards to protect themselves and other students if working in groups.		There is the potential to find an online concept map that suits individual needs as there are multiple different options including iThoughts on the iPad and iPhone, Bubbl.us and Text2Mindmap on the internet and computer.
		It has the potential for students to make sense of where topics and concepts fit into the grand scheme of things, for example, it could be used in a teaching plan for the term or year to show students the class focus.

I have included an online concept map that I created.  This is a concept map that is an overview of Week 5. I enjoyed this activity.  Unlike many of the other online tools, it was not time consuming (CQUniversity Australia, 2012).

The teacher is required to model and teach students safe, ethical and legal frameworks to adhere to when developing online concept maps (Queensland College of Teachers, 2011).  It is important to emphasise crediting sources, seeking permission from copyright owners to use their product and seeking parental permission to utilise student images or videos being used as part of the online concept map (CQUniversity Australia, 2012).  Teachers need to be aware of copyright considerations, for example, if using an iTunes iThoughts application in the classroom on a iPad or iPhone a single app could be utilised by a number of students at individual times on one iPad or iPhone but it is prohibited to use a single app on more than one iPad or iPhone (The official guide to copyright issues for Australian Schools & TAFE, n.d.a.).


References:

CQUniversity Australia. (2012). EDED20491- ICTs for learning design: online study guide.
           Retrieved from                  
           http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115238

iThoughts. (n.d.). Mindmapping for the iPhone & iPad. Retrieved from

           http://www.ithoughts.co.uk/iThoughtsHD/Getting_Started.html

Queensland College of Teachers. (2011). Australian professional standards for
           teachers. Retrieved from
           http://www.qct.edu.au/PDF/PSU/QCT_AustProfStandards.pdf

The official guide to copyright issues for Australian Schools & TAFE. (n.d.a).
          Mobile applications (eg iTunes apps). Retrieved from
          http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/1059