Issues+in+Educational+Technology+JG

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= = = = =**Using Technology to Support Higher Order Thinking**=

There are many ways students can use technology to support higher-order thinking. It's important for students to bring their knowledge to the table and create rather than just evaluate. Although evaluation is important, it's becoming crucial that students adapt to change and find new ways to learn. If students can use a website as a tool to create, they will be able to bring higher-order thinking into their studies. With technology growing, students will be expected to utilize many technologies and use them to their advantage. The days of using a pencil and paper and beginning to diminish and turn into computer assignments and hands-on activities. Teachers and students will begin to deal with this and work together to improve education. There are many websites students can use to improve their thinking and think critically.

Fractured Fairy Tales is a website that helps students incorporate creativity into their learning while still touching on, and practicing, writing skills. This website provides an example of a fairy tale and three fairy tales students can review. After reviewing, there are a series of helper questions that students must answer. They are required to change the characters and some main ideas of the story so they aren't just duplicating it. After answering a few questions, they are given a space to write their own story. Students must use their own ideas and creativity to write a story that is completely their own. By using their own ideas, students will have a variety of different stories and will be forced to explore their own ideas. In addition to creating their own story, they are able to practice their writing skills on the computer. It's becoming important for students to learn to use a computer and become comfortable with it. By simply typing on the computer, they are becoming familiar and expanding their knowledge. All these factors together display a student's higher order thinking,

=Using Technology to Affirm Diversity=

It's important for teachers as well as students to appreciate, learn, and model diversity. There are many ways teachers can accomplish this and many technologies that teachers can utilize. By using technology, students can receive an accurate idea of what a variety of cultures are like on authentic websites. When students sit in a lecture, they may learn many knew ideas about people different than them, but if they use a website as a learning tool, they can actually put themselves in that atmosphere. Students can look at many different pictures and even hear voices of native speakers from other countries so they can hear people that don't sound like them. In addition to learning about other cultures, students can learn how to interact with students who have learning disabilities. By being aware, students will learn how to be open minded and accept people. Technology is an easy tool to use because within 30 seconds, students can have a variety of websites they can go to in order to learn more.

There are many websites that can be used to learn about other cultures, but one I found very useful was called Living Voices. This website is about Native Americans and gives viewers the chance to take a step into another world. Upon entering the site, viewers can see many different authentic Native Americans and even hear their voices. The website also includes the chance for students to listen to a variety of people tell their stories. If students get the chance to listen to many people rather than one, they can learn even more. This website helps students put themselves in their shoes and gives them the chance to compare their experiences to others. This technology tool will help students broaden their horizon and get close to a real experience. If students can find websites like this one about many different cultures, they will have the chance to learn about many different kinds of people they might not get the chance to sitting in a classroom.

=Using Technology to Support All Learners=

Many students grow up with learning disabilities and it's important for teacher to recognize and accommodate this. Every student has the right to learn to their full advantage, therefore, teachers must discover ways to help their students. If students are in a comfortable environment, they will be able to learn to their full advantage without feeling embarrassed or self conscious. There are many different helping tools teachers can use for their students. For example, technologies as simple as spell check can help students practice their spelling so they can remember how to spell words they previously couldn't. Hand held thesauruses and dictionaries can broaden a student's vocabulary and sentence structure. There are also special tools for students with hearing disabilities, or students who can't see. Audio will help a vision impaired student listen along with a lesson and a video will help a hearing impaired student watch a lesson. Both are helpful and easy tools teachers can use to supply their students with anything they may need.