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Experiential learning is the process of creating knowledge through the transformation of experience and has been adopted in an increasing number of areas. This paper investigates the possibility of technological support for experiential learning. A learning activity flow (or script) and a mobile technology system were designed to facilitate students in experiential learning. An experiment was conducted on two fifth-grade classes at an elementary school, one class using personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the other working without them. The results indicate that mobile technologies are effective in improving knowledge creation during experiential learning. The interplay between the mobile technology affordances and the proposed learning flow for experiential learning is thoroughly discussed.

Flickr is an effective Web 2.0 application for use in education; it is easy to use and navigate which makes it suitable for students on a practical level and its obvious use of imagery is an effective tool that caters for students with visual intelligence inparticular. Linguistic learners too will find the links between the pictures and the captions easier to grasp. However its benefit is not limited only to a couple of intelligences; the use of images in a learning environment greatly enhances the chance that all students have at learning because it provides a visual demonstration of the subject matter. In essence this makes the subject matter a reality as students are able to understand a more tangible link between their very visual world and the academic matter they are being taught. Bringing this element of reality to a students learning is an important thing to do because it grounds the learning onto a more ‘everyday’ plane. If students believe that the subject will be useful to them, and it is presented in an interesting and engaging manner, as are Flickrs aims, then students will be more likely to be willing to learn and be engaged by the material.

Checkout some photos of myself, just click on the link

WordPress is a web 2.0 tool useful for teaching and learning as it  provides an oppurtunity for students to post their thoughts, ideas and work online for perusal by their fellow classmates. Then these posts can be commented on and improved through this form of discussion. It is through this process that students are improving their knowledge through social interaction; fulfilling the role of both the teacher and the learner as students discuss their various ideas in an interactive environment. The medium that wordpress provides is one in which every students ideas can be discussed and built upon. This open nature allows for a greater variety of knowledge, opinion and ideas which ensures a fuller and hopefully a quality experience. Some teacher guidance is of course neccessary.

WordPress is similar to many other blogging websites and is very easy to navigate and use. It is also free to register. Students would have little trouble creating posts and commenting and in this sense it is very suitable for learning. One problem is that without the  email address of classmates it is difficult to locate other students’ blogs. However this problem is easily fixed if the class communicates with each other early on so that E-connections can be forged for the remainder of the course.

THE SKY IS YOUR LIMIT

So please feel free to comment on any of the postings