應用行動裝置輔助野外實察教學之研究

Abstract

野外實察是地理科教學不容忽視的必備課程，但是高中教師經常難以實施野外實察教學，碰到的阻礙因素包括：時間安排不易、學生人數眾多、缺乏協助人手‥等。為了改善野外實察教學面臨的困境，此研究應用行動科技成熟的技術，發展以PDA為平台的野外實察系統，讓學生在無教師引導的情況下，藉由此系統的輔助能夠獨立到達每個實察點，並完成學習任務。研究設計的野外實察教學採用探究式教學法，以都市水圳議題探討為核心，另外建置虛擬野外實察(virtual field trip, VFT)網站，作為學生實察前的準備工具及實察後的資源分享與作品展示平台。教學實驗邀請兩所高中共14位學生和3位合作教師參與，評估結果顯示學生在技能方面有顯著的學習成效，整個過程學生覺得獨立自主，既新鮮又印象深刻。教師則肯定行動裝置輔助的探究式野外實察設計比傳統導覽解說的方式能夠引起學生的興趣。Fieldwork is always mentioned as an important means in geographical education. However, there are obstacles to high school fieldwork execution, such as coherent time management, exceeded student amount, lack of assistance manpower and many others. This study develops a mobile learning system trying to improve the above difficulties using two main supporting tools. One is a virtual fieldtrip website functioned as a platform to prepare students for fieldwork, share field logs, and display student works. The other is a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) program to guide students throughout fieldwork without teachers’ presence. Students with the mobile device can answer questions and collect data according to location-based message prompts. To make students become active learners, the overall system is designed with the inquiry-guided pedagogy. We utilized local irrigation channel issues as the fieldwork contents to implement the mobile learning system. We gathered results based on 3 teachers and 14 students from 2 local high schools. Students made significant improvements especially in transferable skills. They also obtained independent, new, and impressive learning experiences over the whole learning process. Teachers agreed that this kind of mobile learning fieldwork is more interesting than the traditional lecture-based fieldwork.