Issues+in+Educational+Technology+JB

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=Using Technology to Support Higher Order Thinking=

There are different ways that technology can be used to support higher-order thinking. Like in the video we saw, there can be video games and other online website resources that support higher-order thinking for students. It is a helpful tool for students because they can enjoy playing games that have to do with learning about real life issues. The students can get more involved in the learning process rather than just trying to memorize and remember certain information.

The Fractured Fairy Tales website is a good example of technology that supports higher-order education. The reason this is a good example is because of what the website enables you to do. It gives you an example of a fractured fairy tale and then allows you to choose from a few different fairy tales and create your own fairy tale using what you learned. This supports higher-order thinking because it is using what you learned to be able to do something on your own and create something that has to do with it. It is complex thinking that allows you to go beyond just recalling facts and put effort into something to make it known that you understand the problem.

=Using Technology to Affirm Diversity=

Technology can be used to affirm diversity in many ways. Instead of just teaching about diversity, using the web and different websites will be more affective and authentic for someone learning about a different culture. A student would be able to get a better feel of a different culture by seeing pictures, seeing videos or hearing voices, and being able to read and learn about the different history. Technology is becoming more important and allowing people to do better things on the computer, and being able to affirm diversity online or with technology is important. Using powerpoints or podcasts would also help a lot, you could have someone of a different culture make a podcast or powerpoint so it comes from the perspective of a person who actually is diverse.

The Chinese-American Teens on Ancestor Worship Day is a good website and technology that helps affirm diversity. It is a good example because if you navigate through the website you see real pictures, pictures of real life that actual people who are Chinese-American took. Next to those pictures are descriptions explaining what the picture means to their culture and what happens during those events. If a student wanted to learn more about the Chinese-American culture, this would be a very good website to find the information. This website is a great example of affirming technology because it allows you to research another culture.

=Using Technology to Support All Learners=

There is a lot of different technology out there that is used to support all learners with special needs. Videos and other audio programs on the computer would definitely be a big help for deaf children or others who have trouble listening or watching things. If teachers change their lessons and the things they do with technology to help the needs of special students it would be a lot easier. There are many different machines and websites out there that are specific to special needs students, it's just trying to find those things that is the hard part. Being able to help a special needs students in your class in any way that you can is what's most important, even if that means doing research and figuring out what will work well for the student and what can help the student learn. It's also important to be able to keep the needs of other students in mind, special needs students and non-special needs students.

In one of the videos we watched in class, we saw that there was a machine for children who can't talk, it allows them to press a button that will say exactly what they want to say. The young girls' mom and sister were able to program in different sayings, in their language and in English, for the girl so that she could just press the button and have the words and sayings right there for her. It's definitely something very impressive and a new piece of technology that could end up going a long way and getting more and more advanced as we go further into society.