Our Journey through the "Teaching and Learning with IT" course.
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Every tuesday we gather for three hours in this multimedia room. What are the advantages of this room? What are the disadvantages? Some of our thoughts are expressed below.
Who wouldn’t like to work here, in HKU as a prestigious professor at a prestigious world-class university? Anyone? Anyone?
I’d like to provide a few observations on our experimental classroom.
Observations on the integration of technology in our classroom: The learning environment - The classroom itself is an interesting experiment in understanding learning environments. This room may be one indication of how HKU is researching and experimenting with new technology classroom infrastructure. I like the tables: the tables are conducive to group work, and the provision of one computer at each table is also conducive to group work that doesn't require all of the participants to be online.
If research has shown that PowerPoint has largely overwhelmed learners and largely had a negative impact on learning, then imagine how so many screens will impact the cognitive functions of learners. Also, LCD screens are very stimulating and may over stimulate learners.
I’ll post my comments on other aspects in separate posts to allow for comments. Christopher
I would like to share a few more concerns about room 321. First, allow me to frame my remarks.
Why do people go to school? Some would say that when we go to school, we can become active participants in our society. Some people would say a peaceful or productive society is one in which everyone has the ability and feeling to speak and discuss any issue. This is a view that might be attributed to Jurgen Habermas. I look at the classroom with these ideas in mind and have noted the following issues.
Some research related to ‘students and technology’ might consider how students with special needs would be affected by our hi-tech classroom. Stairs are a barrier to many people with disabilities. Not only are stairs a physical barrier but these stairs may also have a psychological effect on people.
Stairs and levels may create a class system, or a feeling of a class system. I initially sat below the professor – like a good student who looks up to a respected professor. In my teaching in Thailand and Bangladesh, it was common practice to sit in a group on the floor – yes, even in the computer room. By sitting on the floor, students and teachers were almost at the same eye-level, and literally seeing eye-to-eye, I believe, made communication stronger; we saw each other on the same level.
Research may reveal that there may be some psychological distance between teachers and learners in room 321 as we are physically either above or below the speaker. Only a few people can be on the same level as the lecturer. Also, the stairs would prevent those in a wheelchair from making it to the middle or top level.
One final point, as mentioned in class, our voices are silenced due to the acoustics. What is more, the solution of providing microphones may not be effective. Speaking through a microphone most likely intimidates non-native speakers of English or people who are not familiar with hearing their voice broadcast over a speaker system.
Each table is an individual learning environment with no walls of separation. Connections for power and AV are embedded in the table itself; an LCD screen is nearby the table; and the room acoustically separates the working environments. The tables are not all on the same floor level (some are elevated), and the shape of the room is not rectangular, which allows for further separation of groups.
To join the individual learning environments into a unified class the room contains an audio system to overpower the acoustic separation, a large projection screen to give full room focus, and the ability to place the same content on all of the LCD screens at once. There is also a Visualizer, which could be used to overcome the room’s shape. A presenter could place a suitably sized object on the Visualizer so everyone could see on the LCD screens.
The advantages and affordances of the classroom are obvious after listing the room’s features. Full class discussion or instruction can take place easily through the use of the AV equipment (microphones, LCD screens, and Visualizer). Individual groups can separate off to work at their tables with no interference from other groups. In either scenario (full class or separated groups), the learning can be aided by computer technology, with full access to digital materials and the Internet.
Perhaps the most important pedagogical aspect of the room is that no single table is ‘better’ than another. Any computer plugged into a table’s video cable can be used as the source for group or full room display.
Many of the obvious disadvantages (acoustics, the shape of the room) have been overcome by the room’s other functionality. I don't want to hog all the information, so I'll stop here for now and not mention other disadvantages yet. As I mentioned above, I'll post separately to discuss one particular disadvantage that I want to expand on.
... Somehow the top of my last comment got lost... and comments can't be edited... so this part was supposed to be at the top of the last one:
- Chris, I found your comments very insightful about the classroom's physical leveling being a potential issue for people with certain types of special needs and for psychological effects. It was something I never thought of at all.
In this comment (the one above now), I wish to make a summary of what I see as the intention of the room design and it's affordances. In a separate blog post, I'll focus on one particular weakness that I wish to exhibit with video.
---- again, this bit was supposed to precede the last comment ----
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWho wouldn’t like to work here, in HKU as a prestigious professor at a prestigious world-class university? Anyone? Anyone?
ReplyDeleteI’d like to provide a few observations on our experimental classroom.
Observations on the integration of technology in our classroom:
The learning environment -
The classroom itself is an interesting experiment in understanding learning environments. This room may be one indication of how HKU is researching and experimenting with new technology classroom infrastructure. I like the tables: the tables are conducive to group work, and the provision of one computer at each table is also conducive to group work that doesn't require all of the participants to be online.
If research has shown that PowerPoint has largely overwhelmed learners and largely had a negative impact on learning, then imagine how so many screens will impact the cognitive functions of learners. Also, LCD screens are very stimulating and may over stimulate learners.
I’ll post my comments on other aspects in separate posts to allow for comments.
Christopher
I would like to share a few more concerns about room 321. First, allow me to frame my remarks.
ReplyDeleteWhy do people go to school? Some would say that when we go to school, we can become active participants in our society. Some people would say a peaceful or productive society is one in which everyone has the ability and feeling to speak and discuss any issue. This is a view that might be attributed to Jurgen Habermas. I look at the classroom with these ideas in mind and have noted the following issues.
Some research related to ‘students and technology’ might consider how students with special needs would be affected by our hi-tech classroom. Stairs are a barrier to many people with disabilities. Not only are stairs a physical barrier but these stairs may also have a psychological effect on people.
Stairs and levels may create a class system, or a feeling of a class system. I initially sat below the professor – like a good student who looks up to a respected professor. In my teaching in Thailand and Bangladesh, it was common practice to sit in a group on the floor – yes, even in the computer room. By sitting on the floor, students and teachers were almost at the same eye-level, and literally seeing eye-to-eye, I believe, made communication stronger; we saw each other on the same level.
Research may reveal that there may be some psychological distance between teachers and learners in room 321 as we are physically either above or below the speaker. Only a few people can be on the same level as the lecturer. Also, the stairs would prevent those in a wheelchair from making it to the middle or top level.
One final point, as mentioned in class, our voices are silenced due to the acoustics. What is more, the solution of providing microphones may not be effective. Speaking through a microphone most likely intimidates non-native speakers of English or people who are not familiar with hearing their voice broadcast over a speaker system.
Concerned,
Christopher
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEach table is an individual learning environment with no walls of separation. Connections for power and AV are embedded in the table itself; an LCD screen is nearby the table; and the room acoustically separates the working environments. The tables are not all on the same floor level (some are elevated), and the shape of the room is not rectangular, which allows for further separation of groups.
ReplyDeleteTo join the individual learning environments into a unified class the room contains an audio system to overpower the acoustic separation, a large projection screen to give full room focus, and the ability to place the same content on all of the LCD screens at once. There is also a Visualizer, which could be used to overcome the room’s shape. A presenter could place a suitably sized object on the Visualizer so everyone could see on the LCD screens.
The advantages and affordances of the classroom are obvious after listing the room’s features. Full class discussion or instruction can take place easily through the use of the AV equipment (microphones, LCD screens, and Visualizer). Individual groups can separate off to work at their tables with no interference from other groups. In either scenario (full class or separated groups), the learning can be aided by computer technology, with full access to digital materials and the Internet.
Perhaps the most important pedagogical aspect of the room is that no single table is ‘better’ than another. Any computer plugged into a table’s video cable can be used as the source for group or full room display.
Many of the obvious disadvantages (acoustics, the shape of the room) have been overcome by the room’s other functionality. I don't want to hog all the information, so I'll stop here for now and not mention other disadvantages yet. As I mentioned above, I'll post separately to discuss one particular disadvantage that I want to expand on.
... Somehow the top of my last comment got lost... and comments can't be edited... so this part was supposed to be at the top of the last one:
ReplyDelete- Chris, I found your comments very insightful about the classroom's physical leveling being a potential issue for people with certain types of special needs and for psychological effects. It was something I never thought of at all.
In this comment (the one above now), I wish to make a summary of what I see as the intention of the room design and it's affordances. In a separate blog post, I'll focus on one particular weakness that I wish to exhibit with video.
---- again, this bit was supposed to precede the last comment ----