Technology+Issues+(JN)


 * __Using Technology to Support Higher Order Thinking__**

Technology can be used to support higher order thinking in many ways. Technology can help students use complex thought to grow as individuals, and give them the ability to problem solve in their everyday life. Interactive learning tools, such as Google Earth, allow students to explore the world from the safety of the classroom. Students can start from any point, possibly their own home, and travel north, south, east, or west, exploring their neighborhood, or venturing across oceans to unknown lands. Other interactive websites allow students to explore famous museums, or to use complex thought to upgrade from one location to the next. Many games have made using complex reasoning necessary in order to advance further, supporting higher order thinking outside of the classroom as well.


 * __Using Technology to Affirm Diversity__**

There are many ways in which technology can be used in the classroom to help affirm diversity. It is imperative for students to not only be aware of, but also to understand, different ways of life than their own. Students need to have a knowledge base to help with openness and acceptance of students with varying backgrounds. With the internet being as vast and full of information as it is, there are many sites that offer interactive information about other cultures, religions, and ethnic backgrounds. Different websites contain information regarding different aspects of diversity, which can help support diversity in and around the classroom. One technology that is very useful in affirming diversity in the classroom, yet is incredibly easy to use, is the Google Language Tool. This tool allows users to type in words, sentences, or phrases in one language, and have it returned to them in another language of their choice. This can help immensely in classrooms of students coming from different ethnic backgrounds who are being taught in a language other than their native speech. In order for students to reach their full potential, they need to feel comfortable and safe in their educational settings.

__**Using Technology to Support All Learners**__

Technology is very useful in supporting students who learn in different ways than the norm. Students with learning disabilities may require special learning tools to facilitate their education. Learning tools, such as the Augmented Alternative Communication Device, allow students with communication disorders to interact with other students and teachers, therefor giving them the opportunity to learn both in and out of the classroom. Other technological adaptations can be implemented in the classroom to help students who learn in an atypical manner. Students with vision problems may find using a regular keyboard very challenging, so there are adaptive keyboards with larger letters, and even pictures, for younger learners. Students with the inability to read can use technological devices to turn written word into speech, so they can listen to assignments. Technology has made learning easier for students with disabilities, therefor giving them more opportunities later in life.