Technology+Issues+AZ

__Technology Issues__

__Using technology to support HOTS__ //How can technology be used to support higher order education?// Technology can be used to support higher order education because it gives the students and the teachers more of an opportunity to interact with what they are learning. They have the opportunity to create and explore new places and ideas so that they will learn how to use the information. The students have the option to think critically about things because of the decisions they make within the technology. It also allows students to problem solve on their own. They will use the information that was taught to them in class and they can use that information to solve real word problems.

// Example of a technology that supports higher-order thinking. // One specific example of technology that supports higher-order thinking is the virtual 360 panorama of the 7 wonders of the world. This allows for higher-order thinking because it allows the student to use the knowledge that they have of the 7 wonders to create a full mental image of the wonders. For example, one panorama was of [|Petra Jordan]. Since the picture is a 360 degree view of Petra, the students can form a more accurate image of Petra; one that they could not get if the only saw one image that only showed one side of it.

__Using technology to support diversity__  //How can technology be used to affirm diversity?// Technology can be extremely helpful in affirming diversity. Many schools are very mono-cultural, so there is less interaction between people of different beliefs, cultures, and backgrounds. There are many technologies available to teachers and students that make it easy for them to interact with different cultures and groups of people. With these technologies, there is a larger variety of groups that the children can interact with, giving them a greater understanding of people other than themselves.

// Example of a technology that supports diversity .// One example of a technology that supports diversity is the website is the [|National Geographic for kids] site. This website gives the children the ability to virtually visit other countries. It offers them pictures of the land and people, videos about customs and culture, shows them where it is located, and describes things that have to do with the country itself. Sites like this promote diversity because they allow the students to learn about cultures that they may never experience. It allows them to have a more diverse cultural knowledge which will help them when they meet new people.

__Using technology to support all learners__ //How can technology be used to address the needs of learners with special needs?// Technology can make learning so much easier for learners with special needs. It allows students who may have issues learning, like those that are mentally or physically challenged, those who have behavior disorders, and other learning issues. What technology can do for these learners is allow them to participate and it allows them to do things that they would not be able to without the assistive technology.

//Example of technology that supports learners with special/diverse needs.// There are many tools that are made specifically to support students with special and diverse needs in the classroom, some low tech and some high tech. One example of a low tech technology that supports special learners are large pencils with pencil grips. By using a oversize pencil, the child has a better grip on it. Pencil grips work in the same way. By adding the grip, the child can hold onto the pencil better. Both of these technologies give students with special needs the ability to write both easier and clearer.