How can emerging technologies enhance creativity in the classroom?
ThingLink is a multimedia tool that allows users to develop interactive images and videos. The app/online software uses tags to anchor text, images, audio, links and videos. It has the potential to act as a collaboration medium, be used for concept mapping and explaining, as well as delve students into augmented and virtual reality. This last element is enabled through using 360o images and videos as a base. ThingLink has an explore library, with virtual tours/views of things such Egyptian temples, Yosemite National Park, and Lagoons of New Caledonia, amongst instructional diagrams and concept explanations.
Creativity can be harnessed and developed with ThingLink as it can be used to lay out understanding and ideas in layers, with the opportunity to be built upon. In the classroom, it could be easily integrated into the percolating stages of design thinking, be used as engaging mode for presentations, or act as an immersive experience when researching. Furthermore, creativity is harnessed in active, engaged learners given the openings to construct and co-construct knowledge and understanding. The limitations of this digital tool come with it’s physical constraints; whilst there is a lot of freedom in creation, it cannot be used to invent necessarily.
Digital learning technologies have the power to promote the development of intrinsic motivation through freedom and challenge (Lewis, 2009; Liu, Tsai & Huang, 2015). Having the chance to ideate multiple solutions to a design or inquiry problem then evaluate and modify choices is aided by visual and mental models (Lewis, 2009). Exposure to such processes, when facilitated by digital technologies that assist in mapping and exploring, results in higher order thinking; higher frequency of activities involving these elements increases student technological competence and confidence (Bers, Doyle-Lynch & Chau, 2012; Lewis, 2009). This affect is compounded further when the skills learnt with one digital technology are transferred and applied in other situations (Bers, Doyle-Lynch & Chau, 2012). Combined, these skills and experienced boost creativity and creative thinking (Liu, Tsai & Huang, 2015; Lewis, 2009; Bers, Doyle-Lynch & Chau, 2012; Schrand, 2010). Furthermore, collaborative and active-tasks promote discussion and peer learning which develop interpersonal and metacognitive skills necessary for creative contribution to communities (Schrand, 2010; Bers, Doyle-Lynch & Chau, 2012)
“Students not only showed a high level of engagement in the activities, but they also communicated and shared knowledge in a more spontaneous and authentic way than they had in any other kind of active-learning exercise.”
Schrand, 2010 p81
Immersing myself in ThingLink as an unknown technology gave me firsthand experience on how students may approach tasks enables by digital technologies and perceive how the learning process is benefited. I was able to apply previous knowledge on digital tools and map my knowledge spatially with ThingLink. This showed me where the gaps in my understanding were, whilst producing an engaging presentation tool! I feel as though it allowed for student ownership of learning (which would be more authentic with a research task about a science concept, geographical place. historical time etc). Ideation was fostered, connection and contribution allowed for, and student-centered learning enabled. Schrand (2010) explores the notion that such processes create a feedback loop around the created meaning, which is very beneficial for student learning.
References
Bers, M., Doyle-Lynch, A. & Chau, C. (2012). Positive technological development: The multifaceted nature of youth technology use towards improving self and society. Constructing the self in the digital world, 110-136. Available at: https://sites.tufts.edu/devtech/files/2018/02/BersLynchChau.pdf
Lewis, T. (2009). Creativity in technology education:providing children with glimpses of their inventive potential. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 19, 255-268. Available at: https://link-springer-com.simsrad.net.ocs.mq.edu.au/content/pdf/10.1007/s10798-008-9051-y.pdf
Liu, S.H., Tsai, H.C. & Huang, Y.T (2015). Collaborative Professional Development of Mentor Teachers and Pre-Service Teachers in Relation to Technology Integration, Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 18(3), 161-172. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/jeductechsoci.18.3.161
Schrand, T. (2010). Tapping into Active Learning and Multiple Intelligences with Interactive Multimedia: A Low-Threshold Classroom Approach. College Teaching, 56(2), 78-84. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3200/CTCH.56.2.78-84
Sophie's Blog 
4 replies on “Task 1: Digital Technology Critique”
Hi Sophie,
Thank you for introducing me to ThinkLink, I’d never heard of it before and it has so many useful features. Having a look around on their website I got especially excited about the possible opportunities that interactive 360 degree images present! My only concern, however, is that the majority of the resource is not free. Looking at the pricing page, it appears that only one (unsaveable) project can be created at a given time. It is only when you begin to pay (starting price) $35 per year that you can involve your class, assign projects, return to them, etc. As cheap as $35 is, it is always a process asking for funding, making it less immediately accessible. Have you worked with this technology before? Is this the case? I hope I have interpreted that incorrectly because it looks amazing. I’d love to use it in a classroom! Good find.
Miss Wilkes.
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Hi Miss Wilkes!
Great pick up about the pricing, I completely skipped over ease of use classwide. Thank you for bringing it to my attention! I got so excited thinking about the applications; no use if it’s so pricey!
I similarly would have loved to use it in the classroom.
Great critical thinking!!
Sophie
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Thanks Sophie.
That said, at $35, I’m the sort of teacher who would probably just pay it out of my own pocket if my school couldn’t afford it. But then there is the issue of some students getting opportunities that other aren’t…. it’s a tricky thing to navigate isn’t it! Either way, I can certainly still see great opportunities for this technology even if you could only work on one project at one time; there is still opportunity for all students to get involved in a smaller project, for sure.
Again, great find.
Miss Wilkes
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Hey Sophie,
I really like your interpretation of how thing link could be used as a mind mapping and design process tool, I would have loved to see some pictures in this post as it will help break up the text and show the components and uses better. The augmented/ virtual reality component sounds really interesting, so again would have loved to see some images or something showing how it works. I also really liked how you put yourself in your student’s shoes and thought about how they would think about / approach this technology.
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