What Technology Can I Use For...?

from Phoebe-Guidance Map Wiki at Oxford University

Released under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 license.
Overview

These pages are intended to help you if you know what activity you want your students to do and
want ideas for the sort(s) of technology that you might use. See What can I do with...? if you
want ideas for what to do with a specific tool.
Every teacher has their own words for describing a particular learning activity, so we list the
main forms of activity below as a set of general descriptions. To find out how you can use
technology to enhance the students experience (and yours!) of a particular activity, choose the
description that most closely matches what your students will be doing in order to achieve the
desired outcome. To help you, each description has set of keywords for the activity and its
constituents.
General learning activities

These activities are carried out primarily by students, although the teacher may be doing a
parallel activity at the same time (e.g. coaching the students while they conduct an experiment).
Although the order in which they are listed below may correspond roughly to the progression
through an activity sequence, it is not intended to be prescriptive: i.e. activities can occur in any
order and can even be repeated: seeSequence structures.
Cognitive activities tend to occur in traditional academic subjects and are associated with
analytical or problem-solving tasks, although they may have practical aspects (e.g. doing an
experiment).
Practical activities are mainly (but not always) associated with vocational subjects; making (and
repairing) things in manual and craft subjects, the fine arts, performing arts, physical exercise
and sport.
Description

Keywords

Receive instructions

Listen, read, view

Receive or take in

Listen, (skim-)read, scan, view, watch,

Technologies to
consider
* Email
* Instant
messaging
* Mobile phones
* Newsfeeds
* Digital audio
* Text-messaging
* Podcasts
* VOIP
* Blogs

information

observe, take notes, annotate

* Mobile devices
* Digital video
* Podcasts
* Interactive
whiteboards
* E-books
* Mashups
* Webinars
* Email
* Discussion forums

Review current knowledge and

understanding, formulate a (research)
question, formulate a hypothesis, scope
the problem

* Blogs
* Concept-mapping
tools
* Collaborative
writing tools
* Discussion forums
* Wikis

Research, gather
Search, locate, identify/select (relevant
information for either a
information), record
cognitive or practical task

* Blogs
* Search engines
* Repositories
* Social
bookmarking
* E-books
* Collaborative
writing tools
* Citation tools
* Newsfeeds

Define problem

Develop an understanding
Visualise, describe, define, summarise,
of (comprehend) a
annotate, classify, select, organise, answer
particular skill, piece of
questions (and receive feedback)
knowledge or concept

* Collaborative
writing tools
* Blogs
* Concept-mapping
tools
* Discussion forums
* Wikis
* Spreadsheets

Apply a specific skill,

piece of knowledge or
concept in a cognitive
task

Apply a method, solve a problem,

translate, infer, use, select, modify,
extend, edit, manipulate, model, simulate,
design

* Virtual learning
worlds
* Spreadsheets
* Databases (of
online resources)
* Simulations
* Games
* Remote
instrumentation

Investigate

Carry out an experiment, investigation or

research project in the classroom or
laboratory, or on a field trip.
Explore a problem or situation, build a
model, run a simulation, play a game

* Blogs
* Virtual learning
worlds
* Databases (for
storing and
analysing data)
* Simulations

* Games
* Remote
instrumentation
* Mobile devices

Analyse information or
data

Break down, compare (and contrast),

critique, differentiate, distinguish

Synthesise knowledge or
Explain, give arguments for & against,
understanding; make new
justify, generalise, summarise, refine
connections between
concepts, refine hypothesis
pieces of knowledge

Communicate, articulate
knowledge or
understanding

Write (an essay, report, dissertation etc.),

give a speech or presentation, draw, recall,
interpret, take a test or exam, express
opinion in a vote

Apply a technique or method, follow

Apply a practical,
instructions, use a tool, try, practise,
vocational or creative skill
rehearse, copy, imitate, play a game or
in a training/learning task
match
See, notice, hear, feel/sense
Respond to a kinaesthesic
(sensory/aesthetic/affective), respond
or aesthetic experience
(aesthetically, affectively)

Demonstrate, show, give

Perform, design, create, construct,
evidence of a practical,
interpret, compose, arrange, recite
vocational or creative skill

Top | Contents page

* Concept-mapping
tools
* Collaborative
writing tools
* Blogs
* Statistical
analysis tools
* Wikis
* Argumentation
visualisation tools
* Wikis
* Discussion forums
* Blogs
* Concept-mapping
tools
* Conferencing
* Writing tools
* Wikis
* Blogs
* Conceptmapping/mindmapping tools
* Discussion
forums
* Electronic voting
systems
* Presentation tools
* Mashups
* Argumentation
visualisation tools
* Games
* Simulations
* Virtual learning
worlds
* Digital media
* Presentation tools
* Blogs
* Wikis
* Virtual learning
worlds
* Modelling tools
* Digital media
* E-portfolios

Evaluation and assessment activities

Either the teacher or the students can carry out these activities. Where students carry them out,
they can promote self-assessment and peer-assessment.
Description

Keywords

Technologies to
consider

Be assessed

Carry out any of the above general learning activities in

order to show that ones skills, knowledge and
understanding meet the assessment criteria.
Take a test or exam (written, oral, practical); audition;
submit a project/report/dissertation/thesis; submit a
portfolio or e-portfolio.

Any of the above

tools
* Assessment
banks
* Assessment tools
* E-portfolios
* Quiz tools

Judge, criticise, draw conclusions, decide, give

feedback, peer review/assessment

* Assessment
tools
* (Collaborative)
writing tools
* Blogs
* E-portfolios
* Quiz tools
* Wikis

Set assignment, review work, diagnose, assess, mark,

score, critique, give feedback

* Assessment
banks
* Assessment tools
* (Collaborative)
writing tools
* Electronic voting
systems
* Blogs
* Email

Evaluate
(own, others
work)

Conduct
assessment

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Management/metacognitive activities

Either the teacher or the students can carry out these activities. Having students carry them out
can be beneficial in a number of ways:

Co-ordination and information-giving activities are useful in collaborative learning.

Supportive activities can be used to promote peer-learning.
Learning to plan, review and reflect on ones own work are integral to the development
of active, autonomous learners.

| Description

Keywords

Co-ordinate,
manage,
orchestrate, give

Chair (discussion), lead, co-ordinate (group work),

assign tasks

Technologies to
consider
* Email
* Instant
messaging

instructions

Present
information, share
content

Support

* Mobile phones
* Newsfeeds
* Digital media
* Podcasts
* Telephony

Present, read out, tell, inform, instruct

* Presentation
tools
* Blogs
* Mobile devices
* Digital video
* Podcasts
* Interactive
whiteboards
* E-books
* Mashups
* Email
* Webinars
* Discussion
forums

Coach, demonstrate, model (task, skill), scaffold,

mentor, supervise, tutor, advise, counsel, give
feedback

* (Collaborative)
writing tools
* Blogs
* Email
* Discussion
forums
* Telephony
* Chat

Plan

Decide goals, decide tasks, decide criteria for

success, plan task, acquire and manage resources

* Telephony
* Email
* Wikis
* Chat
* Collaborative
writing tools
* Conceptmapping tools

Review, reflect

Evaluate actual outcomes against intended

outcomes, evaluate task performance, evaluate
changes in skill/knowledge/understanding, review
goals

* Blogs
* Wikis
* E-portfolios

Top | Contents page

Collaborative dimensions of learning

These are not activities as such; rather, they suggest ways in which you can foster social skills
and collaborative learning within the other activities on this page.
Where the focus is on:

Consider encouraging students to:

Interactivity (e.g.

Participate, discuss, listen, explain, facilitate

Using these
technologies:
* Email

developing
communication skills)

Clarifying and
developing individual
points of view

Collective outcome or
product

Creating and sharing

content

* Instant
messaging
* Mobile phones
* Newsfeeds
* Digital audio
* Text-messaging
* Podcasts
* VOIP

Discuss, debate, argue, question, clarify,

explain, justify, dispute, support,
evaluate/critique

* Discussion
forums
* Email
* Wikis
* Electronic
voting systems
* Blogs
* Collaborative
writing tools
* Webinars

Seek opinions, express opinions, reach

decisions, agree and assign tasks, collaborate,
work in pairs/groups, integrate outcomes, reach
consensus

* Social
bookmarking
* Discussion
forums
* Wikis
* Email
* Collaborative
writing tools
* Social
networking

Any of the above

*
*
*
*
*
*

Wikis
Blogs
Webinars
Mashups
Podcasts
Social software