Category: Technology

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How can technology develop higher order thinking and problem solving?

Technology can promote retention and higher order thinking skills.” For instance when students are working on a video project for a history project, they must take notes, write the content, collaborate with their group, and make the presentation. A CAST study found that when the internet is used for group presentation projects, the students become “independent, critical thinkers.”

“The process of integrating relevant words and images is a key step in meaningful learning and is facilitated by presenting an explanation using words and pictures in close proximity to one another. ”

“Presenting projects online makes a large audience available. Computers link students to the world, provide new reasons to write, and offer new sources of feedback on ideas.”

The above information was retrieved from:http://caret.iste.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=evidence&answerID=9

Resources: from the above website:

  • Lehrer, R., Erickson, J., & Connell, T. (1994). Learning by designing hypermedia documents. Computers in Schools, 10(1-2), 227-254.
  • Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multimedia learning. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Peck, K. L., & Dorricott, D. (1994). Why use technology? Educational Leadership, 51(7), 11-15. Retrieved February 5, 2003, from http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/9404/peck.html.
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How do you define technology integration? 21st century skills?

How do you define technology integration? 21st century skills? What does effective technology integration look like in your classroom or a classroom you have visited? How does technology integration help students achieving 21st century skills?

These are questions for my Computer Applications Class but they are important questions for ALL my classes.

One of the ways technology helps students use 21st Century skills when they learn to use computers and software. Most businesses require at the very least keyboarding skills. Knowing how to use programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, computer drawing programs and web programs are necessary in many fields. If a student gains these skills while working on a term paper, science project, etc, then the student is not only gaining core knowledge, the student is also gaining 21st century skills. In addition, many of these programs are tools that help a student organize, interpret, develop, and evaluate their own work. (Peck & Dorrcott, 1994).
Retrieved from http://caret.iste.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=evidence&;answerID=13

Along these same lines, I thought :“What does effective technology integration look like in OUR journey for this master’s degree?” How has it helped ME?”

We are only two weeks into classes and I have already integrated technology to help me comprehend and organize the material. Yesterday I started a blog about my classes.  A blog for internalizing my learning is something I would have never done before these classes. However, I decided that by writing down what I am learning, I am making a record of my progress, and if I forget something that I thought was important, I can always go back and review my blog.

An added plus is that I used WordPress. Normally I would create my own simple website. However, if I am going to work in higher education coaching faculty and staff, I realize that most of those people don’t want to touch coding. Many are even nervous with content management systems like WordPress. Therefore, I feel I need to work in these types of programs in order to be useful. (Next blog Drupal). In the end, I am learning the material for the class AND a new 21st century skill.