April 2012 Volume 15 Number 2 - Educational Technology & Society

Students 10 and 11: My classmate Eddy and I saw thousands of crabs marching on the sand. He asked me
“Do you know approximately how many crabs are there?” I immediately counted the number of crabs
within a square of 20 centimeters (twelve crabs) and estimated the area of this sand land (about 12 square
meters). Later, I used the calculator on the PDA to determine that there were about 3600 crabs on this sand
land.
In the interviews, the students said, “After completing our report and submitting it to our teacher, our teacher
immediately graded our report and presented it to other classmates.” Therefore, the students could apply the skills for
sharing information, discussing issues, completing common tasks, and cultivating problem-solving ability.
Methodical Analysis—analysis means to break material into its constituent parts and to determine how the parts
relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). Methodical analysis
helps students enhance their problem solving skills. A student noted the following in his survey response:
Student 8: We could not observe how bacteria decompose fallen leaves and how planktons eat organic
substances. On the basis of our data and observations, we concluded at the end of our discussion that the
interdependent relationship in the wetland should be as follows: The fallen leaves will first be decomposed
by the bacteria in the water or mud and then absorbed by planktons, which mollusks, shellfish, shrimp,
crabs, and fish feed on. Mollusks, shellfish, shrimp, crabs, and fish constitute the diet of various bird
species.
According to the observations, students could learn how to analyze a problem and then form a conclusion. Therefore,
the analytical process emphasizes students’ abilities to differentiate, organize, and attribute abilities.
Creative Synthesis—synthesis is combining elements and parts to form a whole. This involves the process of
working with pieces, parts, elements, etc. and arranging and combining them in such a manner as to constitute a
pattern or structure which was unclear or not explicit before (Bloom, 1956). Creation is to combine elements to form
a coherent or functional whole, compiling information in different ways by combining elements in new patterns or
proposing alternative solutions (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). A student noted the following in his survey response:
Student 32: The test results of our team were unsatisfactory. However, we were good at using the image
capturing tool (m-Capture), audio recording tool, and editing tool (m-Notes) provided by the system, so
our report was highly rated. With this report, our overall performance was not too much behind that of
others.
In the interview, students stated that they utilized the editing tool (m-Notes) to integrate collected files into a vivid
multimedia-based report comprising text, sound, graphics, and video. Therefore, the editing tool helps the skill of
student to synthesize.
Ubiquitous revision—if every student is given sufficient time to learn and is instructed with proper teaching tactics,
all students can achieve the same learning achievement (Bloom, 1968; Levine, 1985). Ubiquitous learning
environment provides students many more opportunities to review course materials. A student noted the following in
his survey response:
Student 7: I stored class handouts and teaching materials in the PDA and reviewed them while waiting for
buses. These tools allowed me to review lessons at any time and any place, and they deepened my
understanding and memory of the lessons.
In research observation, handheld learning devices offer advantages in portability, storage capability, and multimedia
functions. Students usually reviewed learning materials stored in PDAs during leisure hours, thus increasing their
familiarity with the lessons.
Seamless Collaboration—collaborative learning means that students learn together, share experiences, solve
214