A wicked problem - analysis and synopsis

The wicked problem

The two key challenges I have had with my ICT journey (and more formally, this reflective synopsis) are knowing where to start, and then finally understanding where to stop. I have shrieked with joy as big, impressive things worked and gnashed my teeth as silly little fiddly things took up valuable time and distracted me from the pedagogical value of the technology. It is indeed a “wicked problem” (Fasso, 2013) with an infinite number of challenges and solutions. 

I wanted to test how easy it is to integrate multiple technologies into one theme. I figured this is a form of pedagogy that makes it easier to tie content into the technology (the TPACK framework) so that learning flows, rather than being a series of discrete demonstrations of each technology. For reasons explained further on, a test wiki relevant to my family’s farming operation provided my playground. After realising this could be used to evidence my ability with a wiki, I brainstormed ways to incorporate the four technologies into this.

Here’s a map of how everything now fits together.

 

 

The dark blue boxes are the assessable tools, the light blue boxes are sub-pages or elements of the wiki and the Glogster, and the green boxes simply explain the tools used in the wiki (for readers of this blog wondering what’s in these private pages). 

As alluded to, I would have loved to have included more technologies in this assessment, I had a lot more video, some animation and ideas about links to existing animation, however data constraints meant that I needed to pare back my use of video and uploading. While having a data ‘budget’ may not be a concern in most Queensland schools, the speed of the internet may dictate the extent to which some tools are used. This has been a valuable learning experience in itself.

Which tools?

My compulsory posting for the mobile phone wiki activity is available here.

The technologies I have worked with (and provide evidence of) are:

Group 1: Wiki (one private and one public)

Group 2: Images and digital video

Group 3: Glogster

Group 4: Simulation/animation (Google maps)

 Group 1: Wiki

In considering which of the tools I would develop for Group 1, I decided that as I had had experience with blogging and had used and developed websites previously, a wiki would be the best opportunity to expand my understanding of tools in this group.

I have actually grown to love the wiki for many reasons (some already outlined in my compulsory blog). Its usefulness almost snuck up on me, because before I knew it, I was starting to find many classroom settings to use a wiki. The most immediate application was my literacy assignment, where I recommended a wiki be used as a method for collaboratively defining and understanding unfamiliar words. (I hinted at this in an early blog here). I feel that this method brings both social constructivism and connectivism to the learning table as students use both their own prior knowledge and a sense of using the technology to reach out to find the answer.

Me being me, I needed to play with the technology to understand it. Sometimes it’s hard to justify this ‘play time’ because in a typical study environment there tends to be a more direct route to an outcome, so it felt like I was frittering valuable study time away by mucking around. So, I thought I’d try to at least kill one bird with this stone.. and it’s proved to be a handy stone.

The farm wiki

Something we have noticed in the family farming operation is that it’s good for everybody to know what everybody else is working on. To practise my wiki-building, I developed a wiki for the farm, called Lyal Online. I have not publicly linked to this because, in putting this together to demonstrate its value to management, I used real data, agronomic recommendations and posted actual meeting minutes. There are eight pages to this wiki. 

 

Here’s part of my email to the younger managers trying to engage them in the wiki:

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“This is basically a whiteboard online that we can all write on.

I wondered if it might be useful to use for the daily/weekly planning? It can be as simple or as tricky as you like. I've just put the daily     plan on the main page with some example text.

To write on it, click "edit" (top right hand) then to save it, click "save". This can then be seen by everybody else who has the password. [specific examples included here as to how it could be used to direct the day’s work]

This can be expanded to include whatever you like (eg. long-term the agronomist could go in and put his recommendations into the Agronomy page so everyone can see the latest version).

Remember there's nothing to say you HAVE to write anything, you can just view it as if it's a website if you like.

The good thing is that anybody with an internet connection and the password can see it, so you can add to it from your smart phone if you want.

Anyhow have a play with it, you can't break anything!!!”

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I realise in hindsight that my email was like its own kind of lesson about the technology, I was trying to gently introduce them to the idea of the wiki and engage them in the ICT journey. To lure the team in, I embedded this youtube video. Funnily, it was this easy addition that captured the team’s imagination. I am going to make sure I collect a stash of funny farming videos for future use!

I unconsciously structured the activity to meet the users’ Zones of Proximal Development by saying “you can just read it as a website” and “have a play with it, you can’t break anything” and “long-term the agronomist could…”

The various pages of the wiki form the scaffold for the learning. The reason the daily plan is on the front page is because if you did nothing else, you could still scroll down and see what everybody is doing. To undertake higher level processes (analysis, synthesis and evaluation) you would go to the other pages (meeting notes, useful documents, agronomy, long-term projects and rainy day list).

The family fun page is there as a lure but also so that off-farm family can see the latest photos of the kids/pets/renovations or recent projects (such as our Glogster) – inspiring connectivism.

The My Holiday Adventures wiki

The second wiki I created is a very simple one page wiki that I used to create some connectivism for my Glogster.

This wiki allows children who engage in the Glogster to record a few of the things that they do on their holidays and why they like living where they live. An example response is provided by Ebony (one of the children featured in the Glogster).

Wiki in the classroom

Wikis are easy to use, can be accessible to anybody with internet, are available 24 hours a day and, when scaffolded well, provide fertile ground to share and build on ideas. I like that they can provide a space for the whole class to engage … or they could be used internationally for students to add their ideas from their own context and prior knowledge (imagine if a Chinese student practised their English by adding to the My Holiday Adventures wiki, or vice versa!) 

With wikis, there is time and space to think, so the information garnered in a wiki will not just be that of the quickest or loudest students in the class. Students can consider an idea, get online at 8pm and share it with the class, and their contribution will be viewed in the same way that every other class members’ is. Wikis can be a democratic means of opening up the floor to discussion.

Wikis support higher order thinking processes because of the allowance they have for students to examine a topic or a concept, analyse existing information, defend their own contribution and evaluate the material in front of them. This level of interaction is not as easily achieved using the other tools.

Plus	Minus	Implications
-        Easy to use, simple tools (to create and add to) -        Facilitates sharing and discussion of ideas -        Anybody with an internet connection and the password (if required) can access and edit a wiki -        Allows 24 hour input	-        Not enormous capacity for graphics -        May require regulation, depending on users and their level of self-regulation	-        Scaffolding is important to achieve learning objectives

 

Group 2: Images and digital video

Images and digital video can bring a story or concept alive, but they’re also not without their challenges. As with other material destined for the internet, it is imperative that copyright, attributions and image permissions are used correctly (National Copyright Unit, n.d.)

My beautiful, borrowed, film stars

In trying to create something that is engaging and authentic (both for the user, and me!) I decided to create my own images and video. With the permission of Ebony, Brooke and Toby’s parents I filmed and photographed them and also gave them a camera to capture their own footage. The most valuable footage was that captured by Brooke, who took to the roving reporter role with great enthusiasm. It was a great opportunity for me (and probably other adults) to realise the different point of view you have when you’re one metre tall.

I took three cameras to the filming location (an iPhone, a little digital camera and a big Nikon Digital SLR) and encouraged the kids to use all three. I also encouraged the girls to use apps on my iPhone and on laptops to create some animated characters. I was disappointed by the inability of programs like Windows MovieMaker 2.6 to edit video taken on the iPhone. I also found that Glogster didn’t upload photos or video taken on the iPhone and some from the digital SLR. More on these frustrations in Group 3.

The learning I take away from this group is to ensure that whichever technology you use to take photos, podcasts or video, it can easily be edited and uploaded to its destination. The most reliable camera was the little digital camera, both for its video and photos that seemed to transfer to the PC (and then to the web) seamlessly.

Images and video in the classroom

In the classroom, the value of this technology is in empowering students to create their own media from their point-of-view. The skills and attributes students apply fall neatly into Blooms Taxonomy:

·        Clear communication of knowledge on a topic

·        Arranging their thoughts, and information, into a logical order for presentation

·        Manipulating sound and images to tell a story

·        Confidence in speaking and presenting an explanation or a conclusion

·        Competently using ICT to relate information (online or otherwise).

Images and video as a medium are good ways of presenting both declarative and procedural information. A student can use a video or a series of photos to show how they do something (ie. Feeding the poddy calf, making a puppet) rather than just facts about the topic.

I accessed a Creative Commons Australia track of music to use in the video and it was easy to put into the audio bar in Windows MovieMaker 2.6. I only needed a short clip of music for the video that Brooke had filmed. I will always head to Creative Commons when looking for stock music or images as much so I am modelling responsible behaviour for students. It would also be useful to be more conversant with the search capabilities on Creative Commons because there is such a range of music available on the site.

Too many shiny things

The issue that I found with using the cameras with the kids is that it’s easy for everybody to get distracted by the technology and lose sight of the content. This is probably as much a reflection on my inexperienced scaffolding of the activity (and the fact that it was not a formal school environment) but I know that the actual content work I wanted to achieve was barely touched.

I had dreams of including the following:

·        interviews (video and podcast) about living in the country

·        footage of the kids doing all their chores and putting this into an online storybook

·        a wiki of the kids planning for a winter vege garden

·        sock puppet animation talking about all the farm animals

·        a recording of Skyping the “city cousins” to discuss the difference between city and country holidays.

The wonderful, but distractive, nature of technology became obvious when I was trying to interview Toby (to be fair, he is only three) about why he likes living in the country. I thought I was making real headway when Toby looked serious, thought for a bit, then moved towards the camera and said “Can I have a go at the camera now?” Hence, I have plenty of file footage of the lounge room floor if anybody would like to use it! In all seriousness though, if I had just been writing down the answers with pen and paper, this would not have been nearly as distracting as the camera proved.

Plus	Minus	Implications
-        Provides a rich link to the real world -        Images and video can be captured easily and with existing equipment (iPod touch, phones, small digital cameras)	-        Some people may be interested in images and video for unethical/illegal purposes -        Not all formats will work with all editing suites or websites -        The camera itself can cause distraction	-        Need to be careful to acknowledge others’ material and observe copyright -        Need to get permission from students’ parents before posting images of a student

 

Group 3: Glogster

When it comes to Glogsters, I like the destination but I do not enjoy the journey.

I chose the Glogster to work on because it’s such a new, educationally focused technology. I understand that students at the local high school use them regularly for assessments.

Personally, I can see that the Glogster product is bright and engaging. Its look and feel is very contemporary with elements (sticky notes, images, text boxes) haphazardly positioned around the page. As somebody consuming a Glogster, I feel like it is a very sophisticated means of conveying information in such a way that it doesn’t feel laborious to see it all.

Glogst-arrrrggghhhh

In putting together a Glogster, the sensation is the exact opposite.

Glogsters are fiddly and frustrating. I’ve said it. If I had to work with a Glogster in my former corporate life, I would have been on the phone to the IT desk in minutes, saying “there’s something wrong with this program, I cannot do the same command twice and expect the same outcome”. Or I would have said “Why can three of my photos upload, but not the other four?”. Or perhaps “why, when you recommend I use Vimeo, does Vimeo not actually work to embed my video?”

The extent of Glogster’s technical issues were borne out in an email from James, Glogster’s ever-helpful, customer care manager. When I enquired as to the difficulty in uploading photos to my Glogster, one of the points James made was:

Please note that when the button 'Create new glog' is clicked there are 6 templates available. The first 5 are our 'Next Gen' templates - the last one at far right is the 'Classic' template. We would advise to avoid using the Classic as we have technical issues with it at the moment. Thanks for your understanding. (J. Wright, personal communication, 6 April 2013)

I take nothing away from James’ helpfulness and, when I emailed, he solved some of my issues by recommending updating Flash (I was able to upload probably half of my photos then – which was enough for the task at hand). But I reflect on the email and think that there is a chance one in six users may choose the Classic template, and end up having technical issues (beyond those I describe in my Next Gen template). I would be interested to know whether this would have an impact on students’ desire to engage with this tool again.

The impediments to efficiently putting together a useful tool on Glogster are:

·        You cannot hover over a button and have a little text box pop up telling you what that command does.  This, to me, stifles your desire to scroll around and get to understand all the tools. While you do always have the Undo button (if you did click and try), it seems an unnecessary waste of time as you’re learning to use the tools.

·        Manoeuvring around in Glogster is a very frustrating experience. There seems to be no simple guide to how to move, select one or multiple items, or type on Glogster. It seems to be a matter of just keep clicking until the thing you want happens. From what I could tell, to select an item (such as a graphic) you need to click and drag the mouse until the corner boxes come up. To type, you click until a text options box comes up, invariably right over the top of where you want to type. Sometimes when you go to select an item, for no apparent reason, it will select the four items around it as well, so you move everything. To avoid doing this, I tried to lock the location of some items. A big, reassuring padlock appeared over the top, but one click on the item and it moved again.

·        If you choose a new element or image it gets put right in the middle of the page. This is fine, if there is nothing else in the middle of your page, but as your Glogster gets populated, there’s every change your new element will be on top of something else. Picking up this new element is very frustrating. So you just keep clicking until, somehow, you can pick up the element and move it to its desired location.

I spent two days working on my Glogster and for that, I find the finished product to look good, but it is not impressive in its technical capacity. Yes it has a video embedded (not without drama), the graphics are cute, the links work and the text looks attractive, but these elements do not reflect the time invested in putting the tool together.

Glogster in the classroom

From a classroom perspective, I would worry for the fine motor skills and frustration levels of students who, like me, cannot readily move their elements around the Glogster. More experienced minds than mine (W. Fasso, personal communication, 8 April 2013) assure me that children are more patient, but I fear that the reward is simply not there if the Glogster continues to be tricky to drive. I tried to Google solutions to my Glogster problems but there were not many offered online.

I really like the idea of a free product that students can access to present information in a fun way. In making a recommendation for the classroom, I would suggest that the humble Weebly is far more user-friendly and has capabilities akin to the Glogster anyhow. From my own experience, there is nothing you can do on a Glogster that you couldn’t achieve with a Weebly. Weebly doesn’t start with a pre-determined backdrop as the Glogster does, however I think this does not detract from Weebly. It simply promotes greater creativity in creating an individual look and feel for the website.

As we all learn differently, Glogster may open doors for some students in ways that we, as teachers, could never foresee. Understanding Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, there may be spacial, linguistic or musical areas of intelligence that would really respond to the style of presentation that the Glogster facilitates.  As such, the tool should not be discarded as an option for presentation, but simply considered among a suite of other presentation tools.

Plus	Minus	Implications
-        An attractive means of communicating lots of different pieces of information	-        Can be fiddly and potentially frustrating to use	-        It may assist for teachers to first be confident in the consistent performance of the technology before engaging students

 

Group 4: Animations and simulation

The animation and simulation aspect of ICT in learning design is the area that I feel most engages students. From my own experience, the children I worked with were most enthralled by the leap from reality to the screen when using animation and simulation. I am a bit disappointed that I didn’t make more use of animation and simulation in my assessable components, however technical and data restrictions inhibited my ability to keep persevering.

A couple of things I had hoped to use were:

·        A Sock Puppets animation that Ebony had put together where she talked about the benefits of living on a farm (unexpectedly, she said that the biggest benefit is that you could chop down trees for firewood! I think this actually showed high levels of consideration, because the background in her Sock Puppet show was a row of trees). This animation would not upload from my iPhone to YouTube so I was unable to use this tool. The creation of it, however, proved an enjoyable activity for the girls.

·        An animation of the life cycle of a frog because the kids have tadpoles in a trough that are quite developed (some have legs) and we took video of the girls holding the tadpoles and talking about them. This video was taken on the iPhone and would not load to Windows MovieMaker 2.6. I had researched buying iMovie but in looking at reviews and demonstrations, it was a bit too limited in its capacity to justify buying.

The simulation/animation that I ended up using for the assessment was a link to Google Maps and a flag on the town of Yelarbon to show how far Ebony, Brooke and Toby live from the capital city of Brisbane, with a brief description of the facilities Yelarbon boasts. Google Map assists with putting any geographical location in context, in what is a fairly familiar backdrop to most Google users. I made sure that the immediate scale of Google Maps shows its distance from Brisbane and the east coast (so that you don’t end up just looking at a dot on a map surrounded by other unfamiliar dots).

For the purpose of maintaining the children’s safety and privacy I did not pinpoint their exact location on the map, but just talked about them living “near Yelarbon” and what facilities the town itself has.

Simulation and animation in the classroom

In using simulation and animation in the classroom, the opportunities to tell stories or model processes or concepts are endless. Recently, in using an online text for my Literacy assignment, I found the ABC Splash website to have high quality simulations and animations. I used the unit on earthquakes and this included:

·        animation of the movement of tectonic plates

·        video of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in 2011

·        a video report by a 12 year old boy who lives in Tokyo about the effect on his daily life

·        an interactive game to piece together the earth’s tectonic plates. 

As an adjunct to this I used Google Maps to determine the actual distance between the site of the earthquake and Tokyo (about 300 kilometres) and built an activity where (prior to watching the video of the 12 year old boy) students had to predict the kind of impact on them if an earthquake and tsunami occurred 300 kilometres away from their home town.

Equally, simple tools such as the Sock Puppets app for iPhone and iPad have many applications. I provided this app to a friend who does early primary relief teaching, and she said that this would be very useful for doing a 30 second introduction of herself to the class. In my instance, I could not upload the Sock Puppet show file to YouTube (a recurring technical error) but the app would be useful if it could reliably be converted to a file that could be projected onto a screen or interactive whiteboard for the whole class.

Plus	Minus	Implications
-        Exciting, new, often free and can be very interactive -        Students can tell stories, recount events, share facts in a way that is comfortable to them -        Animation can speed up and illustrate a process that would be difficult to see in real life	-        There is a risk the excitement about the technology may override any content or pedagogical value	-        Careful scaffolding is required to be able to ensure students benefit from the full TPACK allowances.

 

Conclusion

I remember being dragged along to the opening of a new library in the mid 1990s, when the world/regional town was just starting to marvel at the fact that computers could talk to each other. A boffin, (and I apologise that I do not know his name, or indeed how I would ever find it out) said that the risk with the internet was that there would be so much information available that we wouldn’t possibly be able to understand or consume it all. He said it would be like “trying to take a drink from a fire hose”. We chuckled politely and thought of the 26 Funk and Wagnalls on the shelf and tried to imagine ever needing anything more than that. We were certainly satiated.

Fast forward about 20 years and the idea of entering the classroom without a free flow of internet data is terrifying. The world wide web provides a useful source of information when tricky questions pop up (remembering that for students to be engaging in higher order thinking, we need those tricky questions to pop up). It provides us the technology to be able to pull together information and ideas and present it in interesting and connectivist ways. And thanks to networks of other teachers and resources, it can also help with achieving effective pedagogy.

I initially spoke of the challenge for me being where to start and where to stop in my ICT journey. And my finding is that you must start somewhere that means something to you so that whatever you do is interesting and relevant to your schema. And as far as stopping? You’ll never stop. Even as I’m putting together my conclusion I’m fussing about which frog animation to use, because there’ll always be one better. I actually think you have to be practical by using timeframes as your indication of what is right because, in this world of educational abundance, preparing something for the class to start with, is just that. A starting point. You are better to walk into a classroom with something that is “perfection minus one” than nothing at all. Because that starting point will springboard the students into achieving something so far beyond your own perfection that it’s overwhelming.

Indeed it’s probably perfection to the power of google.

 

 

 

Reference list

Fasso, W (2013) Week 2 Collaborate session, Blackboard slides available for EDED 20491 – ICTs for Learning Design at CQUniversity Australia, Bundaberg, Qld

National Copyright Unit. (n.d.) What can a teacher do on a wiki or blog? Retrieved from http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/946