Issues+in+Educational+Technology

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=Using Technology to Support Higher Order Thinking = Technology can be used in many ways to support higher order thinking. Higher order thinking is the ability to think beyond simple recall of information. There are many different online services that allow students to engage in complex thinking. There are also programs on computers that can involve higher order thinking, such as Inspiration and Excel. These programs involve using intricate thinking skills to organize and sort through a variety of information. Using Technology to Support Higher Order Thinking Technology can be used in many ways to... An example of an online source that promotes higher order thinking is Supreme Decision. This supports higher order thinking because it causes the students to thoroughly read through a court case and decide what would be the smartest and best decision. After going through the tutorial students have a better understanding of the importance of supreme court cases and their role in our history. =Using Technology to Affirm Diversity= Technology can be used to affirm diversity in many ways. Technology can be used directly in the classroom to teach and inform students on all the different aspects of diversity. Technology helps respect diversity, celebrate diversity, and model diversity. The internet offers a broad range of sources to help one teach about diversity as well. A teach, a student, or a group of students could create a podcast, wiki, online video, blog, or video conferencing to teach about diversity. These would be useful for students to learn about different aspects of diversity today.

An example of a technology that affirms diversity is Google Language Tools. This device can be used to translate one language to another language. There is a list of every single language you could think of that is able to be translated. Google Language Tool supports diversity because it allows someone who speaks English say to translate either one word or a whole phrase to another language.

__Using Technology to Support All Learners__
Technology is an essential part of every class. It can be even more important for those classes with special needs children in them. All students learn differently, and it is the teacher's duty to accommodate for all learning styles. Some learners only learn visually, some only by listening to audio, some learn best by reading the information themselves. A teacher is responsible for applying all of these to one lesson.

Technology can be used to create online podcast for blind students to listen to, or create a PowerPoint or video with subtitles for a deaf person to learn from. Another technology that can be used is the language learning pad. This could be used for a student who has a hard time speaking. The student uses it to speak for them. It vocalizes what they want to say. It helps the student to feel welcome and comfortable in the classroom. They feel more like the other students because they can communicate with them.