{"id":1633,"date":"2016-09-07T19:36:32","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T19:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1633"},"modified":"2020-07-27T23:39:49","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T23:39:49","slug":"text-critical-and-creative-thinking-with-technology","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/chapter\/text-critical-and-creative-thinking-with-technology\/","title":{"raw":"Using Technology","rendered":"Using Technology"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Examine online learning in the context of organizing, communicating, reading, and researching online<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nWhy is there such a powerful thrust behind technology in education? How significantly is technology contributing to our ability to be critical and creative thinkers? After all, technology, by itself, cannot create critical or creative thinkers. But when it's used with\u00a0the guidance of a teacher who understands how to use it, and by students who also have sufficient technology skills and resources, the teaching and learning process can be considerably enhanced.\u00a0Consider the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Computer software<\/strong> and<strong> Internet resources<\/strong> allow students to record, defend, and challenge their thinking.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Digital camcorders<\/strong> allow students to observe and analyze the world\u2014to re-see and reimagine it in a way that appeals to them.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Interactive whiteboards<\/strong> are helpful for class discussions about\u00a0ideas or Web content; they facilitate whole-class display and hands-on participation.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Student-response systems, like clickers<\/strong>, allow students to respond to questions and then debate the answers.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Blogs<\/strong> can serve as personal journals, where students can record, share, and reflect on field experiences and research activities. Students can also use blogs as a pre-established environment for critically responding to assigned readings.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Wikis<\/strong> can help students coordinate, compile, synthesize, and present individual or group projects or research, as well as build and share group resources and knowledge. Wikis can also help students provide peer review, feedback, and critiques.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Discussion boards<\/strong> can help students establish a sense of community with their class and engage in ongoing threaded conversations on assigned readings and topics highlighting diverse points of view.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThe following graphic illustrates how different digital technologies can help faculty and students with critical and creative thinking. Notice the six main categories in the graphic. They correspond with Bloom\u2019s taxonomy, discussed in the section\u00a0on Patterns of Thought.\r\n\r\nThe red and blue arrows outside the diagram indicate the fluidity with which the tools can travel through the different levels in the taxonomy. All in all, the diagram, below, shows the interconnectedness of technology resources in helping users increase their critical and creative thinking skills.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-519 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1110\/2016\/02\/22154924\/visblooms02.jpg\" alt=\"A rhomboid shape contains logos from various technology tools, corresponding to Bloom's Taxonomy levels. From the top: &quot;Creating&quot;: Prezi, Wikispaces, VoiceThread, iTunes, YouTube, Powerpoint, Blogger, Moodle, Lectora, Camtasia. &quot;Evaluating&quot;: Moodle, Ning, YouTube, Tumblr, Del.i.cious, elgg. &quot;Analyzing&quot;: Mindomo, Zoho, Dmdm, YouTube, elgg, VoiceThread, Del.i.cious. &quot;Applying&quot;: Prezi, Jing, iTunes, iGoogle, Ning. &quot;Understanding&quot;: Skype, Tumblr, RSS, Gmail, Evernote, Blogger, Ning, YouTube. &quot;Remembering&quot;: Firefox, YouTube, Flickr, Del.i.cious. Outside the rhombus, a blue arrow on the left points down from the top; a red arrow on the right points up from the bottom. At the bottom is a credit for the image from https:\/\/visualblooms.wikispaces.com\/home\" width=\"610\" height=\"451\" \/>\r\n<h2>Getting Tech-Ready<\/h2>\r\nIf you are thinking about taking an online course or even a blended or hybrid-format course, you already know that it will require some basic technological skills. And while you don't necessarily need to be a computer scientist to take a class that involves\u00a0a lot\u00a0of online work, you should have a solid understanding of the basic technical skills needed to succeed. Understanding what these skills are up front will make things much easier for you as a student.\r\n\r\nThe Getting Tech-Ready tutorial, below, is from\u00a0the California Community College system. It is specially designed to help California\u2019s online community college students, but it is widely applicable to college students taking technology-enhanced courses anywhere. It will help you becoming familiar with the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>the hardware and software requirements of most online and hybrid courses<\/li>\r\n \t<li>the value of a fast Internet connection<\/li>\r\n \t<li>how to locate and download the free plugins that your course might require<\/li>\r\n \t<li>the basics of email<\/li>\r\n \t<li>how to obtain tech support when you need it<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<em><strong>NOTE<\/strong>: You will find additional tutorials, below, from the OEI Online Learner Readiness project. All are geared to help students develop skills required to be successful online learners. Remember that even though you may be a savvy smartphone, tablet, and\/or computer user, you may not be prepared for the particular challenge of college-level learning in the online environment. The tutorials below are engaging and interactive, and are designed to address the real challenges that both experienced and novice online students may encounter.<\/em>\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">Tutorial #1:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apps.3cmediasolutions.org\/oei\/02-Getting-Tech-Ready\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\"Getting Tech-Ready\" from the Chancellor's Office, California Community Colleges\u00a0<\/a><\/div>\r\n<h2>Contribute!<\/h2><div style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\">Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1ZfsOPXAno8h9UU-ggxTt-b2KX5LBeVrxsKTJ-N9R8Vw\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 600; color: #077fab; text-decoration: none; border: 2px solid #077fab; border-radius: 7px; padding: 5px 25px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5em;\">Improve this page<\/a><a style=\"margin-left: 16px;\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4\">Learn More<\/a>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Examine online learning in the context of organizing, communicating, reading, and researching online<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Why is there such a powerful thrust behind technology in education? How significantly is technology contributing to our ability to be critical and creative thinkers? After all, technology, by itself, cannot create critical or creative thinkers. But when it&#8217;s used with\u00a0the guidance of a teacher who understands how to use it, and by students who also have sufficient technology skills and resources, the teaching and learning process can be considerably enhanced.\u00a0Consider the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Computer software<\/strong> and<strong> Internet resources<\/strong> allow students to record, defend, and challenge their thinking.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Digital camcorders<\/strong> allow students to observe and analyze the world\u2014to re-see and reimagine it in a way that appeals to them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Interactive whiteboards<\/strong> are helpful for class discussions about\u00a0ideas or Web content; they facilitate whole-class display and hands-on participation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Student-response systems, like clickers<\/strong>, allow students to respond to questions and then debate the answers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Blogs<\/strong> can serve as personal journals, where students can record, share, and reflect on field experiences and research activities. Students can also use blogs as a pre-established environment for critically responding to assigned readings.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wikis<\/strong> can help students coordinate, compile, synthesize, and present individual or group projects or research, as well as build and share group resources and knowledge. Wikis can also help students provide peer review, feedback, and critiques.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Discussion boards<\/strong> can help students establish a sense of community with their class and engage in ongoing threaded conversations on assigned readings and topics highlighting diverse points of view.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The following graphic illustrates how different digital technologies can help faculty and students with critical and creative thinking. Notice the six main categories in the graphic. They correspond with Bloom\u2019s taxonomy, discussed in the section\u00a0on Patterns of Thought.<\/p>\n<p>The red and blue arrows outside the diagram indicate the fluidity with which the tools can travel through the different levels in the taxonomy. All in all, the diagram, below, shows the interconnectedness of technology resources in helping users increase their critical and creative thinking skills.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-519 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1110\/2016\/02\/22154924\/visblooms02.jpg\" alt=\"A rhomboid shape contains logos from various technology tools, corresponding to Bloom's Taxonomy levels. From the top: &quot;Creating&quot;: Prezi, Wikispaces, VoiceThread, iTunes, YouTube, Powerpoint, Blogger, Moodle, Lectora, Camtasia. &quot;Evaluating&quot;: Moodle, Ning, YouTube, Tumblr, Del.i.cious, elgg. &quot;Analyzing&quot;: Mindomo, Zoho, Dmdm, YouTube, elgg, VoiceThread, Del.i.cious. &quot;Applying&quot;: Prezi, Jing, iTunes, iGoogle, Ning. &quot;Understanding&quot;: Skype, Tumblr, RSS, Gmail, Evernote, Blogger, Ning, YouTube. &quot;Remembering&quot;: Firefox, YouTube, Flickr, Del.i.cious. Outside the rhombus, a blue arrow on the left points down from the top; a red arrow on the right points up from the bottom. At the bottom is a credit for the image from https:\/\/visualblooms.wikispaces.com\/home\" width=\"610\" height=\"451\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Getting Tech-Ready<\/h2>\n<p>If you are thinking about taking an online course or even a blended or hybrid-format course, you already know that it will require some basic technological skills. And while you don&#8217;t necessarily need to be a computer scientist to take a class that involves\u00a0a lot\u00a0of online work, you should have a solid understanding of the basic technical skills needed to succeed. Understanding what these skills are up front will make things much easier for you as a student.<\/p>\n<p>The Getting Tech-Ready tutorial, below, is from\u00a0the California Community College system. It is specially designed to help California\u2019s online community college students, but it is widely applicable to college students taking technology-enhanced courses anywhere. It will help you becoming familiar with the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the hardware and software requirements of most online and hybrid courses<\/li>\n<li>the value of a fast Internet connection<\/li>\n<li>how to locate and download the free plugins that your course might require<\/li>\n<li>the basics of email<\/li>\n<li>how to obtain tech support when you need it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>NOTE<\/strong>: You will find additional tutorials, below, from the OEI Online Learner Readiness project. All are geared to help students develop skills required to be successful online learners. Remember that even though you may be a savvy smartphone, tablet, and\/or computer user, you may not be prepared for the particular challenge of college-level learning in the online environment. The tutorials below are engaging and interactive, and are designed to address the real challenges that both experienced and novice online students may encounter.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox\">Tutorial #1:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apps.3cmediasolutions.org\/oei\/02-Getting-Tech-Ready\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;Getting Tech-Ready&#8221; from the Chancellor&#8217;s Office, California Community Colleges\u00a0<\/a><\/div>\n<h2>Contribute!<\/h2>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\">Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1ZfsOPXAno8h9UU-ggxTt-b2KX5LBeVrxsKTJ-N9R8Vw\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 600; color: #077fab; text-decoration: none; border: 2px solid #077fab; border-radius: 7px; padding: 5px 25px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5em;\">Improve this page<\/a><a style=\"margin-left: 16px;\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4\">Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1633\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>College Success. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Linda Bruce. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Image of technology paired with Bloom&#039;s Taxonomy. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: M. Fisher. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/visualblooms.wikispaces.com\/home\">https:\/\/visualblooms.wikispaces.com\/home<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Getting Tech Ready. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: California Community Colleges. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apps.3cmediasolutions.org\/oei\/02-Getting-Tech-Ready\/index.html\">https:\/\/apps.3cmediasolutions.org\/oei\/02-Getting-Tech-Ready\/index.html<\/a>. <strong>Project<\/strong>: Online Education Initiative. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":19,"menu_order":14,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"College Success\",\"author\":\"Linda Bruce\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of technology paired with Bloom\\'s Taxonomy\",\"author\":\"M. 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