Issues+in+Educational+Technology

toc =Using Technology to Support Higher Order Thinking=

When students come up to a certain age they are required to think for themselves. They arrive at a paradox that there is no right or wrong answer to the situations that they are analyzing. The important lesson that they will walk away with is not necessarily what side they chose, but the information they have backing up their argument. There have been tools that I have encountered in my years in elementary school that help students with gaining skills. They are constructed in such a way that the students are not fully aware they are learning. This was mostly applied to mathematical skills. This is a useful tool, but it does not support higher order thinking.

A tool that can be used to support higher order thinking is the Supreme Decision. The students are presented with an issue that requires two separate viewpoints to be discussed. There is a chance to get right or wrong answers when analyzing the different viewpoints (matching up which person supports or is against which side), but the students get a chance to express what they think. They will be making an informed decision that will alter the direction of the game.

=Using Technology to Affirm Diversity=

Technology gives all people, who have access to it, the chance to travel the world. An issue that arises for many, when looking onto another culture, is that their vision is clouded by assumptions and stereotypes. A way to break through these issues is to let the students see the individual building blocks that make up the cultures at hand. Along with respecting the different cultures, students can even learn of different events that happen in a country and practice them in the classroom (holiday, festival, etc).

National Geographic for Kids is a strong example of how technology can be used in a classroom to affirm diversity. Students would get a choice in what country they wish to "visit" and are presented with a variety of pictures and topical facts that would hopefully open their eyes. Rather than just continuing with the assumptions and stereotypes, students would get to see people in their natural environments practicing traditions that have been going on for a very long time. =Using Technology to Support All Learners=

The wonderful thing about technology, when it is used within a classroom setting, is that it allows for communication opportunities that would otherwise be completely lost. On extreme cases children may appear as if they are not willing to exchange information through classroom interaction. For some of these examples, it is not that the children do not want to communicate, they just lack the means to communicate to the teachers and their fellow students. For students who are in their early years of education this is a very important time of their brain development. For the students who need assistance to communicate with others, technology can be used to close the gap of the "language barrier" that is between the student and their chance to gain knowledge.

One of the most effective aspects of technology is the range and diversity at which it can be used for students. For students who need aid in verbal communication, there are electronic devices which can be quite pricey. On the other end of the spectrum, this technology can be of the simplest matter. In my future classroom I hope to use my creativity in reaching out to the students who have special needs with the simplest of devices. Some students may have difficulty with holding a pencil, a task that would, to some, seem so simple. As we had seen in our EDU 290 class, plastic joints, that are normally used for plumbing work, were constructed together to help children color and draw. It is this kind of ingenuity that I hope to have in the future.