Constructionism and Makerspaces

(CC BY-NC 2.0)

Makerspaces can be defined as opportunities and places of collaborative and consolidated usage of digital and non-digital materials and resources to construct creative projects. Makerspaces potentially fosters students’ engagement in learning, through opportunities provided for making and constructing artefacts and knowledge, establishing the students’ as knowledge creators, alongside receivers, where they work at the highest metacognitive learning stage in Anderson and Krathwohl’s (2001) Learning Taxonomy, which is ‘Creating.’ Examples of makerspace activities include, programming, constructing with Lego, designing and printing objects with 3D printers, woodwork, sewing, electronics usage and many others. These activities provide students opportunities for involvement in collaborative hands-on projects, that promote multidisciplinary thinking and learning, through opportunities provided in tinkering, discovering, exploring and creating new things, through using a variety of materials and tools (Fourie & Meyer, 2015). 

Makerspaces are also places where creativity is fostered and explored, as students are provided opportunities in expressing their ideas in a ‘hands-on’ fashion, using their creativities to give birth to new constructions (Paganelli 2017). Fleming (2015), identifies makerspaces as special places, where students can habitually travel to, to express their ideas through making, building and creating products that physically exemplify and externalise their internal thought processes. Makerspaces acquire more significance than just crafting and sculpting workstations, as Canino (2014), identifies students’ empowerment, heavily associated with makerspaces, as independent thinking processes are fostered through observation and utilisation of provided resources. The provided resources enact as facilitators of students’ establishments of solutions towards set problems. Fleming (2015), also emphasises the effect of collaboration, in terms of working with peers, further fostering creativity. According to Fleming (2015), opportunities in sharing ideas are provided as a result, and this establishes more ideas and solution towards a problem, promoting further divergent thinking through increased stimuli and choice of solutions. Makerspaces are built upon constructionism, as constructivist learning principles are applied to hands-on learning (Kurti et al. 2014).  In this pedagogical approach, students are the initiators and builders of their learning and teachers are guides and creativity becomes authentic and unique, through less teacher interference and domination in students’ thinking, further prompting originality and divergent thinking (Kurti et al. 2014).  

(CC BY-SA 2.0)

Tinkercad is a online digital 3-D modelling program that can be incorporated into makerspaces as a digital platform for constructing 3D models with digital resources, that can later be 3D printed. Below are screenshots illustrating my usage of Tinkercad in constructing a wrench, to be 3D printed. 

Different parts of my wrench

My wrench assembled together

My Wrench, finished, polished and ready to be 3D printed

Choice of shapes provided in Tinkercad

Colour Palette provided in Tinkercad

Despite creative and constructionist learning benefits, issues include expenses, as makerspace resources are costly, further creating educational inequality, as not all schools can afford makerspace resources (Crumpton 2015). Also, the complexity of makerspaces can create time constraints, limiting independent learning opportunities, through extensive time dedicated to explicitly teaching usage of makerspace materials (Crumpton 2015).  

Reference List

Canino-Fluit, A. (2014). School library makerspaces: Making it up as I go. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 21-27. 

Crumpton, M. A., (2015). Fines, fees and funding: makerspaces standing apart. The Bottom Line, 28(3), 91-100. 

Fleming, L. (2015). Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School (Corwin Connected Educators Series). California, US: Corwin Press, Inc. 

Fourie, I., & Meyer, A. (2015). What to make of makerspaces: Tools and DUY only or is there and interconnected information resources space. Library Hi Tech, 33(4), 519-525. 

Kurti, S. R., Kurti, L. B., & Fleming, L. (2014). The Philosophy of Educational Makerspaces Part 1 of Making and Educational Makerspace. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 5-17. 

Paganelli, A. (2017). The makerspace experience and teacher professional development. Professional Development in Education, 43(2), 232-235. 

Gaming and Digital Games in Education

(CC BY-NC 2.0)

The integration of digital games in education and schools has encountered a significant evolution. Digital games have been traditionally associated with entertainment and fun and were initially created to foster fun and entertainment. Digital games and education have also been conventionally mutually exclusive. Despite the traditional mutually exclusive belief, Gros (2015), claims that several studies including, Gee (2003), Prensky (2001) and Squire (2002) have indicated increased student learning potential, fostered through digital games indulgence. Through the fact that commercial video games, such as, strategy games, role playing games and simulations are based on robust learning theories around increasing engagement and teaching the method of game play. As a result, problem-solving, strategic thinking, collaborative decision-making and higher cognitive skills become enhanced through games permitting constructive and experiential learning established through active experimentation and immersion in games (Willett, 2009). 

Digital games foster students’ creativities, as opportunities are provided for experiencing play. Marone (2016), defines play as a free and liberated activity and state of mind, distant from ordinary life. According to Ott & Pozzi (2012), divergent thinking abilities are enhanced through play, as students acquire awareness of a second reality, increasing their imaginative and creative thinking, as different and increased solutions and ideas are provided. Through the fact that students can switch between different realities and states of mind and use ideas and develop solutions, in accordance with their experiences and multiple sources of acquiring ideas and solutions. Also, Power (2011) identifies the solutions and ideas acquired through play, as unique and difficult to acquire elsewhere, through play’s liberating, constructivist and structured elements. When experiencing play through digital games, students face problems, providing fun and interest and fostering engagement in establishing meaningful choices in achieving goals, through challenge and attainability, through structured levels increasing in complexity (Power, 2011). 

Below are screenshots from me playing the games, Do you love cake? And The array, from ABC Educational Games at https://education.abc.net.au/home#!/games/-/mathematics, illustrating how they foster critical thinking and achieving solutions, through set stimuli, offering available solutions and opportunities to test predictions and solutions, while incorporating a trial and error approach.

Do You Love Cake?

A set of solutions offered where the player has to determine the correct one based off stimuli (the fraction of cake presented)

A fraction determining tool provided, ensuring necessary re-adjustments or re-contemplation on solutions

The Array

Despite learning benefits of digital games, Gros (2015) differentiates playing games in the ‘formal learning’ context and the ‘informal leisure’ context, identifying the cognitive and motivational effects of formal learning games, as insubstantial compared to informal leisure games. Formal learning games are curriculum constrained in access and playing time, eliminating the unlimited access and playing time provided by informal leisure games. Gros (2015), identifies students’ de-motivation and de-valuing of learning games, as a result. 

Reference List

Gee, P. J. (2003). What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. 

Gros, B. (2015). Integration of Digital Games in Learning and E-learning Environments: Connecting Experiences and Context. In T. Lowrie (Ed), Digital Games and Mathematics Learning (pp. 35-53). Dordrecht, South Holland: Springer, Dordrecht. 

Ott, M; & Pozzi, P. (2012). Digital games as creativity enablers for children. Behaviour and Information Technology, 31(10), 1011-1019. 

Power, P. (2011). Playing with Ideas: The affective dynamics of creative play. American Journal of Play, 3(3), 288–323.

Prensky, M. (2001). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. 

Squire, K. (2002). Cultural Framing of Computer/Video Games. Game Studies, 2(1), 323-333. 

Willett, R. (2009). Play, Creativity and Digital Cultures. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. 

Virtual Reality in Education

‘A Virtual Reality’ by Olef Afonin available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nikolys_f/25779404897/in/photolist-Fh3bWe-aBiqnY-5EAbSA-FiiBrf-aBfJZH-2bW5unh-FiiDwh-2iHuUCf-NfkYPi-FkzePH-FrF7A1-Ew4LUJ-GJxVXL-FiiCxU-FtYzpz-Fii4md-EwpDPk-Ew4Ryo-FkA5Jr-sc9pR8-F2pnwd-EwpHu6-ZYRS12-sc9pJK-FihXbC-FiiFiy-VTd8P4-FrFWYd-U2bBbG-F2pvjC-Ew46NY-FtXRnt-2bW5vFE-YKU4NN-NJJhN3-FierHQ-8BPYM4-V7u6tj-TeAdi8-UK8TfH-2bvSPwr-sc3XC7-QpqBoi-WfGf7m-2gWmsS1-p3HJAb-EwpJwM-2eoZvwd-LagRcy-FrFeHN
Under a Creative commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.

Virtual Reality is a simulated experience that can share similarities with real-world entities or be differentiated and artificial (Thorsteinsson & Page, 2007) . VR systems often use headsets and multi-projected environments, generating realistic sounds, images and sensations, potentially stimulating a user’s physical presence in virtual environments. This enables users’ movement throughout artificial worlds and interaction with virtual features (Thorsteinsson & Page, 2007). This effect can be created through a head-mounted display on VR headsets acquiring a small screen and VR designed rooms with multiple large screens (Thorsteinsson & Page, 2007). Desktop-based VR systems and platforms display a 3D virtual world on a desktop screen without personalised tracking equipment usage. Modern first-person video games feature desktop-based VR through triggers, responsive characters and devices enhancing users’ feelings of presence in VR environments. Desktop-based VR is however limiting, through absence of peripheral vision senses, limiting users’ knowledge of surrounding occurrences (Thorsteinsson & Page, 2007). 

According to Fowler (2015), VR environments acquire opportunities in providing platforms for exercising students’ imaginations and judgements. Opportunities are acquired through abilities in stimulating students to rethink and redefine underlying concepts of identity, reality and community, through facilitating their understandings of current setting features, as well as predicting future situations of virtual settings (Fowler, 2015). Stimulation is provided, substituting simulation through eradicating habitual thinking and establishing a substituted perceptual mental model in students’ minds (Fowler, 2015). This is established through VR learning experiences, offering students opportunities in creating and experiencing impossible and unrealistic realities, such as, travelling to Mars or time travelling to the middle ages (Fowler, 2015). Lau & Lee (2015), claims that divergent thinking opportunities are provided consequently, through substantially increased opportunities for creative expression and solutions to problems. Creative expression is also more authentic, as students express ideas using imaginative thinking, that is difficult to express with other technologies and learning platforms (Lau & Lee, 2015). 

Cospaces is a 3D educational Virtual Reality platform for creating virtual and 3D worlds. It comprises of various characters, animals, items, materials, locations and places students can select from to create a virtual world. Actions and animations can also be applied to characters and animals to bring them to life. Cospaces could be integrated into imaginative writing lessons and units, where students can illustrate and visually represent their written narratives.   

Virtual Setting I created in Cospaces

1st virtual scene i created in Cospaces

2nd scene i created in Cospaces

A closer look into my 2nd scene

According to Aiello (2012), VR experiences are grounded upon constructivist learning, as virtual realities adopt constructivist learning tasks and characteristics, like constructing or re-constructing the complexity of reality. Based around interaction, rather than instruction, a construction of knowledge is established, resulting from thought and action influenced by the context, fostering students’ thinking and problem-solving mechanisms (Aiello, 2012).

Reference List

Aiello, P. (2012). A Constructivist Approach to Virtual Reality for Experiential Learning. E-Learning and Digital Media, 9(3), 317-324.

Fowler, C. (2015). Virtual Reality and learning: Where is the pedagogy?. British Journal of Educational Technology, 46(2), 412-422.

Lau, W. K., & Lee, Y. P. (2015). The use of virtual reality for creating unusual environmental stimulation to motivate students to explore creative ideas. Interactive Learning Environments, 23(1), 3-18.

Thorsteinsson, G., & Page, T. (2007). Creativity in Technology Education Facilitated Through Virtual Reality Learning Environments. I-manager’s Journal of Educational Technology, 3(4), 74-86.

Augmented Reality in Education

‘Augmented Reality’ by Tom available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/turkletom/4325703868/in/photolist-7Afn4b-89u7SQ-jisFFQ-qA3hVq-9hyNrp-7Cq72q-8K4U4E-8ERBCd-P9rbHb-dSQhMr-9KMqDt-aP9r4t-5TeRta-f6mQj8-9pRhyv-dgV1Bv-gfWUPQ-edXk7d-9zHKQv-2hDuU5p-7RGdNq-HLeH6h-edXjAs-cbPEg1-HtFra7-9hq7nN-ccX1Sq-7gQNmr-nVom9z-5JAyKF-7gUKt3-7gUKiJ-7E6P6e-edRBXT-9KQeAQ-NJTu3p-7J5k5x-bWiLE7-cbPDfW-2gy9Z3h-8bqrzX-6ncaa9-7wYcbk-bVzLi6-9rnRfv-4HaDoL-4rF37W-MvTRbL-Paju2k-6nca85
under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0. Full Terms at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Augmented Reality is a technology that allows virtual information, items and settings to be situated in real world environments and current real-world settings in real time (Wu, 2013). This provides interactive experiences, where features of the real-world have been enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information across various sensory modalities, including, visual, auditory, olfactory, haptic and somatosensory (Wu, 2013). Wu et al. (2013), defines augmented reality as a system fulfilling three basic features; real-time interactions, a combination of real world and virtual worlds and accurate 3D registration of real and virtual objects. Sensory information provided can either be additive to or mask the real-world environment, potentially altering one’s current perception of the real-world environment.  

Augmented reality offers unique and promising potential to bridging connections between digital experiences and real-world activities. This allows users to boost their creativities and engage their imaginations, through augmented reality devices, employing augmented creativity to enhance real-world creative activities (Davidaviciene, 2019). This can be established in schools and classrooms to support education and open new interaction possibilities (Davidaviciene, 2019). Augmented reality allows students to use the full power and popularity of mobile devices, to control, establish and direct a renewed emphasis on completing traditionally creative activities in a digitally creative way, that can even establish a sense of creative play (Davidaviciene, 2019). Akcayir (2017), claims that augmented reality related activities foster enhancement of students’ external motivation, as environmental factors will contribute to students’ creative potentials, through offering unique information, opportunities and freedom, when they think and contemplate on ideas and solutions. 

Augment App

Under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. Full Terms found at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/?ref=ccsearch

Augment is an augmented reality Saas platform, allowing visualisation of products in 3D and real-world environments and time, through smartphones and tablets. This app can be used for architectural, interior design, retail, e-commerce and other purposes. 

Below are works I made in placing furniture and electronic devices in my home using this app. They could be used for activities relating to Stage 3 Area and length content in the NSW K-10 Mathematics Syllabus.

Electronics set up on a table and showing measurements

A chair set up in a space and its measurements are shown

Augmented reality facilitates learners to confront reality through providing a student-centred approach to learning, by providing a flexible learning space, containing learning opportunities for students to grasp (Munnerley, 2012). Through increasing experience with augmented reality, students can become critics and co-creators, establishing a record of learning and knowledge tied to their experience with virtual artefacts (Munnerley, 2012). This relates to the constructivist learning theory, as students are constructing virtual learning models, that facilitate their understandings of the world around them, through adaptions to their current environments (Munnerley, 2012). 

Reference list

Akcayir M (2017). Advantages and challenges associated with augmented reality for education: A systematic review of the literature. Educational Research Review, 20 (1). 1-11.

Davidaviciene E (2019). User Experience Evaluation and Creativity Stimulation with Augmented Reality Mobile Application. Creativity Studies, 12 (1). 34-48. 

Munnerley D (2012). Confronting and augmented reality. Research in Learning Technology, 9 (2). 39-50.

Wu K.H (2013). Current status, opportunities and challenges of augmented reality in education. Computers and Education, 62 (3). 41-49.

 

Robotics in Education

‘Dash Roboter in blau’ by Marco Verch available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/160866001@N07/45304981244/in/photolist-DT8H45-2c2rSwh-tKZ2Zz-tKZ3JR-2iuEctf-sBVzjL-thu89a-thmCJ9-Cp9f3K-CSTxtH-SbHAaE-PkEXs4-RWMVn9-ZYgzwG-22YcjM9-2CN3mN-Z5SJYG-2ejqjKx-Qy5rwV-7ENdiX-dtNMk2-X3LTvF-BjYsRe-xYwe2S-atHJJo-2aB52pv-2awM28N-Ew8D8J-2efejaS-9dsPvL-6pUp2r-2ejqkgc-7oyJW3-7rVwjr-2cW1PsV-22yjd6U-7ecDKR-cNwqc-6NBoT5-SYfL3v-6j1tLX-SDe6QE-W6H9BC-BJtWcY-5s1GBe-4LdAY8-e6kxFc
under a creative commons attribution 2.0. Full Term at:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Robotics, when integrated in education, is a broad term that encompasses a repertoire of activities, physical platforms, programs and educational resources. It can include lessons and units of work where students experiment usage of different robots and robotic toys such as, Bee-Bots, Dash and Dots, Blue-Bots, Ozobots and others. Students learn how they function, how they could control them and how they could use them in accomplishing task goals. The main learning benefits of integrating robotics in education include developing students’ computational skills, through introducing them to programming. 

According to Zaweiska & Duffy (2015), students’ motivation, inspiration and creative mechanisms are risen, as a result of robotics-related tasks and lessons, as robotics evokes well-known images of robots in pop culture and brings this into physical and social reality. Creativity is fostered through facilitating students’ ‘hands on’ learning  and knowledge creating, through the embodied nature of robots, enhancing students’ visual and kinaesthetic learning through knowledge being represented, processed and created in a visual, physical and enacted form, rather than traditional forms, such as, books, words, equations and sheets (Zaweiska & Duffy, 2015). As a result, students’ curiosities are sparked, as robotics delivers a new quality of learning to potentially wearisome subjects. In educational robotics, creativity is often associated with programming, construction and manipulating robotic platforms (Nourbakhsh & Miller, 2016). Creativity is not only students constructing robotic platforms, but also fostered inventive thinking and creative problem solving contribute and also adopting a constructionist educational approach, as students are engaged in constructing and manipulating robotic artefacts (Zaweiska & Duffy, 2015). 

Bee-Bot

‘Bee-Bot’ by Are Electronica available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/24866536649/in/photolist-DTnv1v-EiqJBF-DT5jRM-DT5kKR-ukLFS-ukLFP-BszaQK-eUXChP-eV9Yc7-eV9YeY-eV9YqC-eUXCAH-eV9Yjq-eUXCuM-qxE1Uj-eVawiS-eVawNA-eVawLw-s4AvfF-e4rtzJ-e4rtHh-e9UqZ4-ea16K5-e4kSvK-e4rtHY-ea16SU-e9Ur3n-ea16Ub-e9UqXM-ea16Vu-ea16Nj-ea16M1-e9UqPM-e9UqRp-e9UqUt-ea17bw-e9UqE6-e9UqMv-e9UqFx-ea1745-ea176U-e4kRRB-e4rtJC-e4kRDn-e4kRJn-e4kSwk-e4kStr-e4kRF6-e4kS2e-e4rsXC
Under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic Full Terms at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

The Bee-Bot is a programmable floor robot suitable for early years and lower primary. It includes arrowed and direction buttons students press in a specific order and the Bee-Bot automatically travels in accordance with the composed set of sequential directions. It would be highly useful for Early Stage One and Year 1, when teaching position, from the NSW K-10 Syllabus.

Below are screenshots illustrating my usage of on online emulator of the Bee-Bot

Buttons and Control Pad

Bee-Bot in original spot

Set of directions i pressed displayed at the bottom of the image

Where the Bee-Bot located to after following my directions

The online emulator can be found at https://www.terrapinlogo.com/emu/beebot.html

Robotics represents a multidisciplinary and robustly innovative means of achieving outcomes across all KLAs and even curriculum integration and cross-curriculum priorities, through potentially ‘gluing’ STEM and STEAM subjects together in the classroom, through encompassing a broad rand of subjects and skills, including, mathematics, physics, coding, programming, informatics, industrial design and even social sciences (Nourbakhsh & Miller, 2016). This in turn, establishes opportunities in facilitating students’ science process skills, engineering design skills and problem-solving skills through, facilitating their observation, estimation, manipulation and social/teamwork skills (Nourbakhsh & Miller, 2016). 

Reference List

Nourbakhsh I & Miller P.D. (2016). Robotics for Education, Springer Handbook of Robotics, 6 (2). 2115-2134. 

Zaweiska K & Duffy B.R (2015). The Social Construction of Creativity in Educational Robotics. In R. Szewczyk (Ed.), Progress in Automation, Robotics and Measuring Techniques (pp. 329-338). Basel, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. 

Week 4. Computational Thinking and Technology: Scratch Computing/Programming

Scratch

‘What 42 million Scratch scripts look like’ by andresmh available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/amonroy/6012563714/in/photolist-aaiXHC-2h2DCEd-dWqFSV-2p7fXq-c97JyE-5mfH6-nRHwvn-5AtoUB-bVw8Z6-c97Jau-c97HBA-7UWHnT-xo7gC-9k3pBu-cjf8xs-28AKgCJ-75CJyS-caR8tq-4Yphek-Etvbr-75A3Hr-cjhDRh-aguvee-75Amai-8PqiK7-5Xbgm2-9NCKqo-75AaE6-7QR7pg-YkNMy4-6C7S53-6BzSc1-5wx88t-7JaQvb-caR8nd-9jX3Pw-9PDqZa-e3dfr7-bonqHE-au2jhs-nPsfHt-nvbjPm-nvbf4N-nPsfFV-61pcSS-7U9YpL-7SBYUk-khZNb-AbjBwk-72kSC5
under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 2.0 Full Terms at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Scratch is a block-based visual programming language website, providing tools for creating interactive stories/animations, simulations, games, art and more, through block-based programming (Kobsiripat, 2015). Programming is done through dragging blocks from a block palette and connecting them to other blocks (Kobsiripat, 2015). These block structures are scripts and this coding is known as ‘drag and drop programming’ (Kobsiripat, 2015). This programming requires usage of cognitive and metacognitive strategies linked to computational thinking (Park & Shin, 2019). These strategies are, thinking sequentially, through sequentially ordering events, motions, appearances, looks and controls taking place, producing interactive features, parallelism, through multiple scripts, running simultaneously in executing multiple command blocks, while using the same event blocks in the same sprite and synchronization, through changing the flow of the execution, through different scripts, blocks, sprites and backdrops (Park & Shin, 2019). 

Scripts i made with different blocks

Screenshots of parts of my animation

Creative capabilities are fostered through providing students opportunities for extending their creative expressions in problem solving, developing new knowledge and creating computational artefacts. Lepage & Romero (2017), identifies Scratch programming as not just communicating and interpreting code, but also about fostering students’ capacity to analyse features and situations, identify the key components, model the functions and scripts and create and refine projects through an agile design-thinking approach. In schools, Scratch could be used as a knowledge building and modelling tool, to engage students in creative problem solving activities, as students’ engagement in creative programming, facilitates their abilities to develop modelling activities, in accordance with Jonassen & Strobel (2006), who defines modelling, as a means  of using technology-based environments to create representational models of content studied. This also allows students to test their programs, while simultaneously supporting a prototype-oriented approach (Lepage & Romero, 2017). Lepage & Romero (2017) claims, programming should be considered a pedagogical strategy and not only learned coding techniques, as this would enhance the co-creative learning process, as opposed to engaging students in passive/interactive situations, which limits creativity through minimal room for knowledge creation. 

Constructivist learning is established, as students are provided with options, spaces and resources in conjunction with their interests, enabling students’ active participation in their learning through experimentation (Bustillo & Garaizar, 2015). Learning through play is established, as students can create, play and learn through games with scratch (Bustillo & Garaizar, 2015). Bustillo & Garaizar (2015) claims, through play, students acquire experiences, explore and simulate issues leading to meaningful and creative learning. Scratch can be incorporated in English, through creating animated narratives with certain sprites and backdrops and science, through illustrating habitats and environments of living things, such as frogs.

Reference List

Bustillo J & Garaizar P (2015), Using Scratch to foster creativity behind bars: Two positive experiences in jail, Thinking Skills and Creativity, 19 (16). 60-72. 

Jonassen D.H & Strobel J. (2006), Modeling for Meaningful Learning, Engaged Learning with Emerging Technologies, 7 (2). 1-27. 

Kobsiripat W. (2014), Effects of the media to promote the scratch programming capabilities creativity of elementary school students, Procedia: Social and Behavioural Sciences, 174 (2). 227-232. 

Lepage A & Romero M. (2017), Computational thinking development through creative programming in higher education, International Journal of Educational Technology in higher education, 14 (2). 1-15.

Park Y & Shin Y. (2019), Comparing the Effectiveness of Scratch and App Inventor with Regard to Learning Computational Thinking Concepts, electronics, 8 (2). 2-12. 

Week 3. Blog 2. Digital 3D Modelling

‘Procedural Modeling’ by Marcus Pereira available at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcuspereira/5159537998/in/photolist-8RVYTG-fWC37b-cQkA1N-JEQZp-JjitP-fWBUYA-6cSTYy-zBeKp-fWCoj7-fWF7br-fWFigU-8xRQzs-fWFx9V-6kF1tq-631qtY-25jxGVn-fWEQjB-fWD9Mz-fWDAru-fWCCvd-fWExJH-fWDXVS-fWCJLi-JRRAPw-nGwUBw-7wY9F3-8zuCMY-egoSP7-hkSfDv-egjpCV-9fA7iL-nFRNGU-oi4Bfd-nDdbVp-qEMQVz-248Y1Zh-g3ar6e-HHU54G-24vLMPM-thfdcf-hGC45d-thnHFR-tyQhez-thnHTV-azKbfA-8zYJUr-h7UBPy-bqHifV-nofoDE-7LX21k
under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0. Full terms at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

Digital 3D Modelling is a digitally mathematical means of creating and designing objects, infrastructures and any other 3D utilities, in virtual 3D dimensions (length, breadth and height/depth), through specialised software (Gonen, 2012). 3D modelling provides students opportunities to recreate real-world entities, blueprints and works of art digitally (Gonen, 2012). 

3D modelling increases students’ real-world awareness of shape, size and spatial representations, resulting in fostered representational and image rendering abilities (Chang et al. 2016). Chang et al. (2016), emphasises its effect on cognitive abilities, in identifying cognitive processes underlying creativity, as associating with representation. Chang et al. (2016), claims that 3D modelling offers robust representational capabilities, through guiding students in discovering shape characteristics and 3D object associations and facilitating abilities in applying these characteristics and associations to visualisations of mental models and product concepts, as well as combining elements from existing designs with new ideas to generate innovative concepts. Students can then more effectively convert design concepts into physical representations (Chang et al. 2016). Fostered representational and image rendering abilities, result from operational design and computation functions offered, such as structural and aesthetic functions, which increases spatial understanding (Chang et al. 2016). Consequently, students understand complex structural design and express design concepts (Chang et al. 2016). 

Sketchup

 

Sketchup, is a 3D modelling computer program that is a means for drawing applications, such as landscape architecture, interior design and architectural. It can be used to create anything from simple 3D shapes, to complex real-world 3D models and structures (Liveri, 2012). It facilitates creating, editing and transforming models from 2D to 3D, through a ‘Push and Pull’ tool, which extrudes flat surfaces into 3D shapes, by clicking an object and then pulling/dragging with the cursor (Liveri, 2012). 

Models I created using sketchup

A Cupboard

A Swimming Pool

A House

Beagon & Holmes (2014), identifies 3D modelling in education as constructivist learning, as students are actively constructing knowledge, through activated schemas and stored knowledge, allowing usage of their knowledge and capabilities to construct and acquire consolidated and upgraded knowledge. Beagon & Holmes (2014), highlights this as a robust alternative to rote learning 3D shapes, as ‘creating’ is the top thinking behaviour in Anderson & Krathwohl (2001) learning taxonomy and ‘remembering’, is located on the bottom. Experiential learning opportunities are also provided, through students’ experimentation with different design and building features and reflection, through editing and adjusting to achieve design solutions (Beagon & Holmes). 3D modelling limitations include, decreased divergent thinking opportunities compared to traditional sketching/modelling, through ‘fixed’ technological functions (Eun MC, 2016). 

Reference list

Beagon U & Holmes N (2014), The Role of Model Making as a Constructivist Learning Tool to Enhance Deep Learning in a Building Technology Module, Irish Journal of Academic Practice, 3 (1), 1-27.

Chang S.Y, Chien H.U, Lin C.H, Chen Y.M & Hsieh H.H (2016), Effects of 3D CAD applications on the design creativity of students with different representational abilities, Computers in Human Behaviour, 65 (6), 107-113. 

Eun MC (2016), The Effect of the Digital Design Environment on Creative Design Thinking and Cognitive Processes – Focused on AutoCAD and Sketchup -, Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning and Design, 32 (9). 67-75. 

Gonen O (2012), Sketch based 3D modelling with curvature classification, Computers & Graphics, 36 (5). 521-525.

Liveri A (2012), The Google Sketchup Software as a Tool to Promote Creativity in Education in Greece, Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences, 69 (24). 1110 – 1117.

Blog 1. Task 1. Emerging Technology Critique: Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is an internet-based technology that provides and facilitates access to resources, services and storage space on demand, through eliminating users’ requirements to download or install anything onto devices (Kop & Carrol, 2011). Consequently, millions of people can gain access to services and data, without the need for data centres, through any device that has Internet connection. There are three different areas; Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service and Software as a Service. Through these services, software and data that is used and generated is hosted and stored remotely (Kop & Carrol, 2011). Kop & Carrol (2011), identifies cloud computing as, flexible, on-demand and accessible, through providing opportunities for interaction, exchange of ideas and information amongst users and providing solutions to all users’ needs, through enabling adaptions of cloud solutions, to ensure users collect what they want and need. This is done through displaying a repertoire of different clouds and cloud content (Kop & Carrol, 2011). 

Cloud computing fosters creativity through providing students opportunities for extending their creative capabilities in organisation and time management (Shi, 2014). Through creating a repertoire of different clouds and cloud storages, which involves planning ahead the required resources for gathering information and tools to completing assignments and tasks and storing these resources in an organisational manner, which facilitates locating the appropriate resources for usage, when completing each step of a task (Shi, 2014). It also fosters creativity in creating new and easily accessible knowledge, through providing opportunities for students to create a more substantial resource, containing knowledge from resources created by the user and previously created resources, which are then consolidated to create a new digital resource containing new and consolidated knowledge (Shi, 2014). 

This technology establishes a connectivist pedagogical approach in schools, as it provides a consolidated network of knowledge and resources. Kuys & Renda (2015), claims that this promotes greater integration, diversity and distributed knowledge and further fosters creativity through generating students’ divergent thinking, through multiple solutions in the clouds and Dunaway (2011) claims, students view these existing solutions in a new way and make links to create new sources.

Below are videos further discussing/demonstrating the Connectivist pedagogical benefits of this technology for schools in Australia and the USA.

Pedagogical issues include, requiring an internet-connection. If institutions or devices lose connection, creative advantages provided become redundant to impossible and alternatives such as sharing flash drives become more time consuming in accessing multiple users’ devices and don’t offer the same amount, diversity and exchange of content (Kadhim et al. 2017). 

Reference List

Dunaway K.M (2011), Connectivism: Learning theory and pedagogoical practice for networked information landscapes, Reference Services Review, 39 (4). pp. 675-685

Kadhim K.Q, Yusof R, Mahdi S.H, Al-Shami A & Selamat R.S (2017), A Review Study on Cloud Computing Issues, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1018 (2). pp. 252-274.

Kop R & Carroll F. (2011). Cloud Computing and Creativity: Learning on a Massive Open Online Course, European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 11 (13). pp. 1-11.

Kuys A & Renda C. (2015). Designing a Knowledge Review, Based on Connectivism of Cloud Computing for Developing Critical Thinking, International Journal of Information and Education Technology 6 (6). pp. 492-495.

Shi W, (2014), Trends of Cloud Computing in Education, Hybrid Learning: Theory and Practice, 85 (4). pp. 116-128.