Reading about the lower-order and higher-order thinking skills made me think of my daughter in elementary school (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 163). She was diagnosed with dyslexia in second grade, and each week trying to do spelling words was a nightmare. Naturally, I was worried about how she would do as the work got harder. I see now that memorizing spelling words is a lower-order thinking skill. Even now, as a high school senior, she is still a weak speller. Luckily for her, she is an amazing problem solver. When she was re-tested for a disability last year, she scored at the genius level on the puzzle solving portion of the test (and yes, she is still dyslexic). Her counselor at school said many students with disabilities like hers have an easier time in college than their non-disabled peers because they are used to having to find different solutions and ways to solve problems due to their disabilities. Her higher-order thinking skills have definitely made up for her weaknesses in some of the lower-order thinking skills. Those weaknesses may have even made her higher-order thinking skills stronger.
I found it interesting to read about Kid Pix and the variety of ways it can be used in the classroom (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 166). I remember it from my children’s elementary school, and I know it was always really popular with the students. I loved all the different ways it can be used with math for both younger and older students. You don’t really think of art software being used for math, but it totally can be.
I also thought it was interesting to learn about the visual-thinking and concept-mapping software. I can see how it could be helpful to get started on something, especially for today’s digital learners. When I am starting to do any type of writing, including these blogs, I have to have a pen and paper. I write everything down on paper before I start typing it on the computer. Most of my changes are made on the paper, but some editing is also done as I go through the material while typing. I can’t imagine using digital writing, where you write directly onto the computer (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 165). For many of today’s learners, it is probably very natural since they have always done things that way. I know my daughter thinks it is a waste of time for me to write it down and then type it up. Just goes to show how different students today are from past generations.
I really enjoyed learning about the selection and evaluation of software and apps. It was also mind-opening to discover the surprising ways that common programs such as Kid Pix and Google Earth can be used in the classroom.
Resources
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2014). Transforming learning with new technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Roberson, C. (2015, February 9). Ways to use Kid Pix. Created with Gliffy. http://www.gliffy.com/go/publish/7182071
The creative tools such as Kid Pix can be great springboards for critical thinking - and, as much as I like Google Earth, I like Google Maps better since it is a bit more accessible and it also allows plenty of one's own creation. There are really quite a few tools that can be transformational in terms of allowing for higher level thinking, creativity, and problem-solving.
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