High Ability Students’ Perspectives on

the Learning of History through the

Use of Asynchronous Discussion Boards

An Action Research Study

Self Introduction

• Eugene Chua– iSpark (Gifted Students) 2007 - Current– Secondary 2 History @ Future School 2010– Secondary 1 Integrated Humanities 2010 – 2011

• Tech Dinosaur a.k.a Laggard of Technology• Experience with Web 2.0

– First introduced to the technology in April 2009 during our weekly professional sharing session.

– Learnt the theory and application of the technology in June 2009 during the MEd Course on E-Learning.

Introduction to Our Customers

WHO ARE THEY?

Introduction to Our Customers

• "The proposal for HCI caters to the multidimensional learning needs of its web-savvy students …, HCI students will be able to collaborate via social interactions, share information for brainstorming sessions and gather feedback through peer reviews"

RAdm(NS) Ronnie Tay CEO IDA SingaporeAt the FutureSchools@Singapore

Call-for-Collaboration Award Media Briefing13 May 2008

Digital Literacy

Digital Literacy

Theoretical Framework

Social Constructivism

Web 2.0 Technologies

What this means for teachers?

Choosing what to use

Decide on your pedagogy

Choose your tools

Humanities

• Nature of the Humanities– Ambiguous – Based on Perspectives / Points of View – Requires Content Knowledge– Requires Explanation and Elaboration in order to

support a perspective or point of view

• Approach towards the Humanities– Critical Thinking– Applying Knowledge– Discussion Based

Web 2.0 Pedagogical Objectives

• Utilizing Web 2.0 technologies, we want to:

• Encourage constructive conversations amongst students.

• Promote discovery and construction of knowledge.

• Support collaboration between students by working on authentic problems

My Approach

• Blended Learning: – In Class Face-to-Face Activities– Online Activities

• Framework: Community of Enquiry– Social Presence– Cognitive Presence– Teaching Presence

My Approach

• Platform: Wetpaint– Wetpaint is a company that provides social

network service and wiki.

• Anchor Activities: – Asynchronous Discussion Boards– E-Portfolios: “My History Space”

FORMAL LESSON TIME Creating the Common Experience

• Watched a part of the telemovie 'Hitler: Rise of Evil'.

• Students:– Note any questions

they had wrt the film, and choose to put it up on the discussion board.

– Created mindmaps on their PERSONAL SPACE as a form of note taking.

• 15 minutes before the end of the lesson, movie paused

• Students share questions or engage in discussion abt film.

Factual Qns:• Having already been appointed

Chancellor in 1933, what else would Hitler want or need to or become? What did he mean when he said to Eva Braun, "Even after I've become Chancellor, there are still loose ends to tie up!" What were his further aims?

Judgment Qns: • In the movie, the anchor quotation used

writes, "The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" How did this quotation manifest itself in Nazi Germany? Having watched the movie, do you agree with this statement?

Examples of Trigger Questions to begin discussions in class at the end of each segment

Values Qns:• What do you think are the qualities and

values of a good leader?

• Having watched how Hitler came to power, do you think he embodies the positive examples of a good leader? Explain why or why not.

FOLLOW UP DISCUSSIONS ON ASYNCHRONOUS DISCUSSION BOARD

Students use the ADB to clarify doubts:• “I know I just finished watching the show

this afternoon and should be refreshed, but i've just read a whole chunk on wikipedia about the medical experiments and extermination camps so i'm still quite lost in thoughts. So if I can just ask a question, Before Hindenburg died was Rohm already arrested and killed? Or was Hitler still requesting him to step down? This is part of Hitler's plans to consolidate power, right? Lol sorry i'm not too sure about this matter”

• As the students progress through the movie, new discussion topics are put up for online discussion.

• Given 1 week to engage in online discussion.

• Need for closure / resolution of the online discussion.

• Students share their summaries and online resources on ADB.

• During class – Questions highlighted in class are anchored on statements / actions of characters in the movie.

• The purpose of doing so is to contextualise the issue.

Why Discussion Boards?

• Asynchronous discussion boards are known to have a number of educational advantages such as the sophisticated level of discussion which typically takes place there. This is due to the combination of interaction with reflection facilitated by such boards, where participants are engaged in conversation but they can take time to reflect on others' messages and to compose their own replies carefully.

» Pegrum (2009)

Why Discussion Boards?

E-Portfolios

My Space

Every Student’s Space

FOLLOW UP CONSOLIDATION OF LEARNING ON STUDENTS’ ‘HISTORY SPACES’

• When online discussions are closed

• Students consolidate their individual knowledge

• Done through mindmaps, authentic tasks, formal expositions on their mini e-portfolios

• Encouraged to view and comment on each others postings.

FOLLOW UP AUTHENTIC ‘COLLABORATIVE’ TASK

• ‘Longer term’ projects (for ACE) are given for students to collaborate on an authentic task.

• Example: Newspaper reports, in-depth analysis as journalists on WW2.

• Differentiation of abilities. Stronger students could opt to do more indepth articles / commentaries.

• Working together and coordinating the ‘publishing’ of articles.

• Editorial teams work on common documents in the Wetpaint page.

• Apply knowledge to analyse events.

• Publish their final product by the agreed deadline.

• Creation of end product.

Student Feedback on…

• Familiarity with Technology– “Yeah! Schools are lagging behind. We’ve

been using online forums for so long to discuss computer games, technology and all sorts of random things! Only now is the school starting to use this. Lag!”

– “It’s flexible. I can do it from the comforts of my own home.”

Student Feedback on…

• Usefulness of Technology– “I can easily glance through everything

people say, unlike in class, where we easily forget. If it is repeatedly mentioned, it must be important.”

Student Feedback on…

• Interest and Motivation– “It makes me interested to learn it. I’m

more motivated to learn the topics that are taught in school, and doing my own research so that I can respond to other students’ criticism and feedback. It’s exciting to debate with students about the topics and I actually enjoy the thrill of discussing topics online in the heat of the moment.”

Student Feedback on…

• Confidence in engaging in discussion– “I feel more confident because I’m not

facing a crowd.”

Student Feedback on…

• Traits of High Ability Learners– “People in my class are perfectionists, so

we can keep editing our responses until it is perfect!”

Student Feedback on…

• Collaborating– “I’ve learnt how to work better with my

classmates as the assignments are not just worksheets, but involve learning and working together on an interesting activity”

Other Observations

• Students display a more sophisticated level of discussion on the ADB.

• Students are engaged in conversation but they can take time to reflect on others' messages and to compose their own replies carefully.

• Students are not confined by TIME (Curriculum Time) and SPACE (Classroom) to engage in meaningful discussion.

• Online Discussion is documented for future reference.

• Students feel more confident online because they are not facing a crowd – Protection behind a screen.

Learning Points

• Teachers’ Challenge of Time & Student Adjustment– “Teachers should reply to our responses more quickly

and frequently!”• Some students still have a strong dependence on teacher

directed learning and response.

• Reality is that teachers may not be able to respond as quickly due to the sheer number of responses as well as workload.

• Some students are still uncomfortable in taking on a teaching presence and sharing with their classmates for fear of being wrong.

Learning Points

• Moving from Dialogue to Discourse• Students may not have distinguished between facilitation

and direct instruction. To students this is a subtle distinction.

• We are able to facilitate and dialogue with minimal shaping of the course of the discussion but need to work on developing discourse (“written or spoken communication or debate” or “a formal discussion of debate”) as a disciplined enquiry.

• In order to achieve critical discourse, it requires knowledgeable teachers with the expectation that discourse will progress in a collaborative constructive manner allowing students to gain an awareness of the inquiry process.

Learning Points

• There are challenges for schools• Infrastructure• Staff ‘Buy In’

– Traditional Beliefs about learning and knowledge– Time to design online packages

• Nature of Web 2.0– Locus of Control is largely given to students

• Learning to use the available technology• Pedagogical Training

– Applying the technology• Student Issues

– Over-reliance on internet sources– Plagiarism– Social Issues (Eg. Online Aggression)– Readily Available Distractions

• Need to balance with Oral / Face to Face Communication

Conclusion

• I was a skeptic.

• #1 Assumption: Knowledge is prescribed.

• #1 Reason: If anyone can contribute to the construction of knowledge on the web, can’t people abuse it and create fiction from fact??

• YES, THEY CAN….

Irish student's Jarre wiki hoax dupes journalistsThu, May 7 2009

DUBLIN (Reuters) - "When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head," Oscar-winning French composer Maurice Jarre once said, according to several newspapers reporting his death in March.

However, the quotation was invented by an Irish student who posted it on the Wikipedia website in a hoax designed to show the dangers of relying too heavily on the Internet for information.

Shane Fitzgerald made up quotes and entered them on Wikipedia -- an encyclopedia edited by users -- immediately after Jarre's death was first reported on March 30.

The 22-year-old sociology and economics student at University College Dublin said he had expected blogs and perhaps small newspapers to use the quotes but did not believe major publications would rely on Wikipedia without further checks.

"I was wrong. Quality newspapers in England, India, America and as far away as Australia had my words in their reports of Jarre's death," Fitzgerald wrote in an article in Thursday's Irish Times newspaper.

Britain's Guardian was one title that had to correct its obituary, saying the fake quotes appeared to have originated on Wikipedia before being duplicated on other websites.

"The moral of this story is not that journalists should avoid Wikipedia, but that they shouldn't use information they find there if it can't be traced back to a reliable primary source," said the Guardian's readers' editor Siobhain Butterworth.

Yes, the internet can be abused by people

to put false info

BUT……

Conclusion

• They can also be found out.• Online learning communities have learnt to sift

out, expose and remove false information.• Why? Because they have learnt to be critical of

what they encounter on the internet.• Ultimate Objective – To develop responsible,

discerning users of the internet, who take ownership of their online collaborative communities of learning to build knowledge.

Digital Literacy

THANK YOU

Any Questions?