Tech+Activities+Critical+Thinking

Using Collaborative Tools to Promote Critical Thinking
 * Tech Activity: Critical Thinking**

Web 2.0 tools enable students to develop 21st century critical thinking skills of evaluation, analyzing cause and effect, and developing logical arguments based on evidence. In this assignment you will explore two online thinking tools and reflect on ways to use each of them to promote critical thinking. 1. Intel Seeing Reason tool helps students to create visual maps of the factors and relationships in a cause-and-effect investigation. 2. Intel Showing Evidence tool helps students construct well-reasoned arguments and prove their case with credible evidence.

NETS-Teachers 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.


 * Click on** []


 * 1.** Explore the Intel Seeing Reason Tool. Click on the Overview and Benefits link. How does the tool facilitate students’ critical thinking?


 * Helpful Suggestion:** Consider the type of reasoning students demonstrate as they use Seeing Reason and how their activity involves multiple intelligences.


 * 2.** Click on Try the Tool and then click on the Demo and read the Project Description Road Safety. The map shows student’s ideas about causes of traffic jams. Create a new factor, describe its relationship to traffic jams, and add it to the map. Explain what you did.


 * Helpful Suggestion:** Factors are in boxes; arrows indicate relationships (red for decreasing and blue for increasing) and size of the relationship (thicker lines show a greater relationship). Use the icon to create a new factor, and the second icon to add a new relationship between the factors. Watch what happens on the map.


 * 3.** Next click on the Tutorial (underneath Demo on the Try the Tool page) and view the animation. What are the key steps a teacher must take to set up the Seeing Reason Tool and engage students in using the tool?


 * Helpful Suggestion:** View the Animation and read the directions on pages 1-6 of the tutorial.


 * 4.** Click on the Project Examples link and explore the Project Ideas and Unit Plans. How do the examples stimulate your thinking of how to use the Seeing Reason Tool?


 * Helpful Suggestion:** Consider the grade level and subject area you plan to teach and how you could modify one of the projects or create your own from scratch. What curriculum goals would your Seeing Reason Project address?


 * Click on:**[]


 * 5.** Explore the Intel Showing Evidence Tool. Click on the Overview and Benefits link. How does the tool facilitate students’ critical thinking?


 * Helpful Suggestion.** Consider the type of reasoning students demonstrate as they use Showing Evidence and how this activity develops both critical reasoning and content knowledge.


 * 6.** Click on Try the Tool and watch the Animated Overview to learn how to set up an account and copy a project into the Teacher Workspace. Next click on the Secondary Demo and read the Project Description for Serious Malady Explain how each of the assessments provides guidance to students throughout the project.


 * Helpful Suggestion:** There are embedded assessment links throughout the instructional procedures.


 * 7.** What are the key steps a teacher must take to set up the Showing Evidence Tool and engage students in using the tool?


 * Helpful Suggestion:** Click on the Tutorial (on the Try the Tool page) and view the animations. Also read the directions on pages 1-6 of the tutorial.


 * 8.** Click on the Project Examples link and explore the Project Ideas and Unit Plans. How do the examples stimulate your thinking of how to use the Showing Evidence Tool?


 * Helpful Suggestion:** Consider the grade level and subject area you plan to teach and how you could modify one of the projects or create your own from scratch. What curriculum goals would your Showing Evidence project address?