2.4 Higher Order Thinking Skills
Candidates model and facilitate the effective use of digital tools and resources to support and enhance higher order thinking skills (e.g., analyze, evaluate, and create); processes (e.g., problem-solving, decision-making); and mental habits of mind (e.g., critical thinking, creative thinking, metacognition, self-regulation, and reflection). (PSC 2.4/ISTE 2d)
Artifact: Multimedia WebQuest
For my Multimedia Design Project I created a webquest for my gifted second grade students. I wanted to create a webquest that would be beneficial to both my students and for me as well. My gifted students are emerged in a curriculum that has an academic focus and provides an interdisciplinary approach that is based on the Georgia standards. Many of our gifted units are developed into cross-curricular thematic units, but they are lacking technology integration. This webquest was a great opportunity to take an old unit and revitalize it with technology to add engagement and authentic learning for our students. This artifact was created in the ITEC 7445: Multimedia & Web Design course.
This webquest was developed to meet the needs of my gifted students. In our gifted classes we are always working with our students on how to use their higher order thinking skills. Higher order thinking skills takes our students learning to a whole new level, which also includes the sixteen habits of mind. Using higher order thinking skills and identifying the habits of mind, our students are able to move beyond memorization and truly understand facts, inferring them, making connections to other concepts, and learning from another person’s point of view. This artifact included a variety of learning opportunities for my students to use their higher order thinking skills. Several of the processes, that encouraged higher order thinking skills, which I created for my students, encouraged them to compare and contrast their states, use graphic organizers to organize statistical state data, and use creative thinking to create unique state poems and visual tours.
I really enjoyed creating this multimedia project and my students also enjoyed this unit. I really enjoyed watching my students each week working through their tasks in cooperative groups or individually. There final projects really exceeded my expectations. If I could change one thing about this project it would have to be my time management. I had so many ideas that I wanted to include in this webquest. While looking over the unit, I need to start thinking about if I want to remove some tasks to give my students more time to discover and implement their Web 2.0 tools.
My Webquest was shared with the other gifted liaisons in my system to use with their gifted students. We are currently meeting several times a month, in person and through Google Hangouts, to redevelop our gifted units. I hope to share other webquests with these teachers. The impact that this artifact has had can also be assessed by examining the quality of my students culminating projects using the project rubric and feedback from my students and from me.
This webquest was developed to meet the needs of my gifted students. In our gifted classes we are always working with our students on how to use their higher order thinking skills. Higher order thinking skills takes our students learning to a whole new level, which also includes the sixteen habits of mind. Using higher order thinking skills and identifying the habits of mind, our students are able to move beyond memorization and truly understand facts, inferring them, making connections to other concepts, and learning from another person’s point of view. This artifact included a variety of learning opportunities for my students to use their higher order thinking skills. Several of the processes, that encouraged higher order thinking skills, which I created for my students, encouraged them to compare and contrast their states, use graphic organizers to organize statistical state data, and use creative thinking to create unique state poems and visual tours.
I really enjoyed creating this multimedia project and my students also enjoyed this unit. I really enjoyed watching my students each week working through their tasks in cooperative groups or individually. There final projects really exceeded my expectations. If I could change one thing about this project it would have to be my time management. I had so many ideas that I wanted to include in this webquest. While looking over the unit, I need to start thinking about if I want to remove some tasks to give my students more time to discover and implement their Web 2.0 tools.
My Webquest was shared with the other gifted liaisons in my system to use with their gifted students. We are currently meeting several times a month, in person and through Google Hangouts, to redevelop our gifted units. I hope to share other webquests with these teachers. The impact that this artifact has had can also be assessed by examining the quality of my students culminating projects using the project rubric and feedback from my students and from me.