2.

4 Higher-Order Thinking Skills

Candidates model and facilitate the effective use of digital tools and resources to support
and enhance higher order thinking skills (e.g., analyze, evaluate, and create); processes
(e.g., problem-solving, decision-making); and mental habits of mind (e.g., critical
thinking, creative thinking, metacognition, self-regulation, and reflection). (PSC 2.4/ISTE
2d)
Reflection
This artifact is a screencast presentation of a Multimedia Design Project/ WebQuest
that I designed and used in my classroom. This WebQuest was developed to help
students understand how the Earths tilt produces the yearly seasons and guide them in
the construction of their knowledge of natural phenomenon associated with the Earth
Moon Sun system. This learning experience culminated with the students creating a
multimedia presentation in which they had to explain and make predictions based on
knowledge gained in the completion of the learning activity.
The design and implementation of this WebQuest demonstrates my ability to model
and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to support higher order thinking skills,
processes, and mental habits of mind. This webquest facilitated the use of digital tools to
help my students develop a better understanding of how the Earths tilt produces the
yearly seasons. After completing the webquest my students were able to explain, describe
and predict natural phenomenon associated with the Earth Moon Sun system. My
students demonstrated these higher order thinking skills by creating a multimedia
presentation displaying the knowledge they constructed.
Completing this webquest demonstrated to me how digital tools can be used to
develop critical thinking skills. I have used technology in my class for many years but
after completing this artifact, sadly I realize that my use of technology has only been
supporting lower level thinking skills. Going forward I will be using technology less for
drill & practice and more for exploration and creative activities. In the future when I use
WebQuests I will design them with more inquiry and less mandatory sequential steps.
The design and implementation of this WebQuest impacted student learning by raising
the level of student participation and supporting higher order thinking skills in the
learning experience. The impact on student learning can be assessed by the evaluation of
the level of student engagement and the evaluation of the student created products.