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edorigami discussion page

Page history last edited by mradford@... 14 years, 9 months ago

Andrew Church has structured much of edorigami around applying Blooms Revised Taxonomy to available instructional technology tools. He first provides an overview of Bloom's Taxonomy that will be familiar to most of you. (And if you have been around as long as Al, you are probably going to say, "They revised Bloom's Taxonomy?  Really?")  Church presents his take on this updated Bloom's as the Digital Taxonomy.  Read through his Bloom's Digital Taxonomy project page, paying special attention to the Bloom's Digital Taxonomy Summary Map. For each step on the Bloom's Digital Taxonomy he provides examples of instructional strategies that address that level. Take your time in reviewing these strategies.

 

Church also provides a tool box of software (some of which are free, open source applications) relevant to each level of Bloom'sDigital Taxonomy.  He also provides sample rubrics for evaluating student work using these ICT tools.  [Have you looked up ICT yet?] Look over these tools to see which are familiar and which might be useful to you.

 

After reviewing these pages on Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, each participant needs to add a comment to this page.  In your comment please address these points:

  • At what levels of the taxonomy do you think most instruction takes place at your school?
  • Would students benefit from concentrating on specific levels of the taxonomy, and if so, efforts at which level would benefit them most? 
  • Which ICT tools and strategies would work well with your students in your present assignment? 

Feel free to respond to your peer's comments, but play nicely!  :)

 

Comments (19)

Patricia Burk said

at 11:59 am on Jul 2, 2009

I think most instruction at school goes to the application level because that is emphasized with GPS--students must be able to apply their knowledge.
The HOTS lend themselves to collaboration and this skill is becoming more and more important in the work world.
I am really excited about the proliferation of tools available. I want to focus on the ones that promote collaboration.

Monica Dyess said

at 11:24 pm on Jul 3, 2009

I must agree with Tricia on this one; I feel that most instruction and assessment occurs in the realm of applications. I think many teachers want to do more creating, but time constraints and high-stakes testing keeps them from it. Of course, before students can participate in the HOTs, they must be able to remember the basic skills and fundamentals of what it is they are learning. Most students, in my experience, get stuck in the LOTs of understanding and remembering, never moving past those. I feel that students do need to be pushed to the higher levels of Bloom's, but a good foundation must be created before they can rise. I think blogging is a great way for students to write about what they've learned, helping to cement the content. I also think that collaborative tools will change the process of creating a piece of writing or a presentation. Requirements for online peer editing may be a new element for many rubrics.

Cathi Brown said

at 6:07 pm on Jul 5, 2009

I think our goal as teachers is to have our students REMEMBER the information we teach them. Most of our focus is on this level of Bloom's Taxonomy. What we need to realize is that in order for students to "truly" remember any information, they have to work with it, apply it, dissect it for it to remain in their memory. By implementing HOTS, students can do all these things. Collaboration is key! If they can explain what they have learned to others, they are teaching. They have to have a true grasp of the concepts in order to do this. I don't think we can focus on just one level of the taxonomy. We need to incorporate as many as possible. In this way, we are providing the tools our students will need in the real world. As far as ICT tools, I have to learn more about them myself before I can recommend one. I am just learning about bogging, wiki, podcasting, etc.

Matt Faircloth said

at 10:43 pm on Jul 5, 2009

As teachers, we want our students to understand, apply and then be able to explain or reteach concepts to others that they have learned. If our students can do this then we have made the information truely meaningful to them and they WANT to remember it for the long haul and not memorize it just for the test. As for where we are in our schools, I agree with Monica in that we want our students to be able to create new things and build on their understanding and memory, but the pressure to have students focus on the standards leaves little room for "extratechnilogical activities" during the PreCRCT time of the school year. My goal is to integrate the creating level into my PreCRCT time and do it effectively so that I can see my students not wasting time and at the end have a viewable artifact of the things they have learned.

lwhiddon@... said

at 9:48 am on Jul 6, 2009

I believe that we spend a lot of instructional time in having the students apply what they have learned, though not always in the way "application" is described here. In order for the students to adequately apply knowledge and show understanding in this taxonomy, they not only must be able to comprehend the basic content of whatever subject is being learned, but must also be able to understand and utilize the necessary technology to find, organize, and present what they know. There are really two equally important areas of learning taking place: the content itself and the technology. Students who are being taught in classrooms without the available technology or with teachers, like myself, who are not confident in their own ability to use the technology, are not going to arrive at the same level of higher order thinking..even if they are exposed to the same content. I agree with Cathi in how important it is to have the kids collaborate with each other. If they can discuss the information, share ideas, and effectively present their findings it will be easy to see whether they can analyse or evaluate the content. I will have to interact with the ICT tools before I can say anything about them. Hopefully I will not be the only novice in the group!

Amy Ruffo said

at 3:14 pm on Jul 6, 2009

In my opinion, most of the instruction at my school takes place at the understanding and remembering levels with great extension activities that hit the other higher order thinking skills occurring but less often. Since students benefit the most from the creating and evaluating activities by internalizing the information and actually hitting all the other levels along the way, I would love to see more of these activities occurring. As far as ICT tools go, in the past I’ve mainly used video tools with my students for digital storytelling projects, but I think my students will also do well with discussion boards and blogging and possibly even something like Google docs for peer editing and collaboration.

mdenly@... said

at 6:52 pm on Jul 6, 2009

I agree with Whiddon's approach to the posed questions. I think our school spends a lot of instructional time on application, but in order to apply what one knows, he or she must first understand it. Our brain is designed to lose it if we don't use it. Research states that 24 hours after a traditional lecture, 95% of the information has been deleted. It is imperative that students collaborate with one another, share ideas, and use or do something with what they have learned. They are social creatures just as we are. They must be have not only Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), but they also deserve Hands-On Teaching (HOT). In addition, many of the LFS ext and refining skills lend themselves to the Analyzing and Evaluating levels. Once students have opportunities to analyze and evaluate, they can create something new. I am really excited about integrating HOTS with technology. As Tricia pointed out, this is the way of the world.

christiclements said

at 11:20 pm on Jul 6, 2009

I believe a great amount of instruction takes place at the remembering and understanding levels. I think students must first remember and understand the concepts being taught before they are able to apply that learning to other activities that incorporate the initial learning. I believe that students must work at each level and move back and forth as needed in order for true learning to take place. As for the ICT tools, I have used several that are listed (Photostory, Movie Maker, Podcasting, etc.). I am excited the learn about many of the others listed and bring new and different technologies into my classroom.

locotech said

at 11:34 pm on Jul 6, 2009

You'll get just a taste over the next few days of the varied ICT tools that are available to engage your students. And don't worry about being a novice! This is an entirely new experience for us all.
I admire what Church has attempted with his Digital Bloom's. He acknowledges that this is a continuum of skills: our students must understand before they apply, etc. His emphasis on collaboration is dead on: our students must become adept with working with partners in their classrooms and across the globe. His relation of key ICT tools to each level of Bloom's will be very helpful in choosing instructional strategies. I have seen remarkable instances of students being engaged at the higher orders of thinking, but in some cases students seem to be gathering and re-posting information without operating on it. What we're not about is using technology for technology's sake. I'm looking for the most effective way for students to acquire fundamental concepts. Facts they can search for, but they need to be able to see relationships and to be able to communicate effectively using these ideas. The challenge will be to provide opportunities for students to apply knowledge to new situations, to work together to solve problems, and to create something new--in a sense, to take ownership in their learning. And technology will provide some valuable tools to engage students to those ends. I'm looking forward to what I'll learn from your students!

Nicole Hughes said

at 2:45 pm on Jul 7, 2009

I do understand the premise behind the revamped form of Bloom's Taxonomy. However, I also believe that many of the activities that are listed even at the level of creativity could require very few higher order thinking skills. More so than labeling the level of thinking skill, more thought should be put into the value of the assignment and what the students will benefit by completing the assignment. Relevance is what motivates me when creating lessons for my students.

Lindsey Raulerson said

at 3:02 pm on Jul 7, 2009

I always try to employ the Socratic method in my classroom and hold my students responsible for their own learning. In my gifted classroom, I want my students to use higher level thinking skills in most every activity they participate. I attempt to build in engaging work, using technology as a medium that will force them to use higher order thinking. My philosophy as an educator is to be a facilitator, and allow students to create and achieve and I am very rarely disappointed. I like what Church had to say about the changing needs of the 21st century learner, and this is one major misconception among many educators today. So many in education think that the students of today can learn using the same pedagogy from years past and that simply is not true. I hope that through this class, I can educate myself on ways to help my colleges (and myself) become more inept to the needs of the students in my classroom

Jennifer Sherouse said

at 5:49 pm on Jul 7, 2009

I agree with several others who have posted stating that mostly in our classrooms we see remembering and understanding. This seems natural considering that we are most often presenting new content and those are the first steps in learning. However, I do believe it is our duty to always strive to take our students beyond those LOTS and push them towards HOTS...even if it isn't an everyday occurance. The higher the level of thinking...the more meaningful and long lasting the learning. As also previously mentioned, I believe that LF strategies have helped us to be aware of the HOTS and make them more prevalent in our classroom instruction. It seems wrong to say that a student would benefit more from one level of thinking than another but I do believe that the basis of all learning starts at the remembering and understanding levels. Therefore, true learning probably can't happen if those levels aren't developed. That said, I believe it is crutial to also go beyond those levels. That is the foundation but we must rise and take our students higher.
I am new to most of these ICT tools and strategies so can't say which I feel would work well in my classroom. I am eager to learn more about them and excited to see how they engage my students in the upcoming year.

Donna Harris said

at 7:43 pm on Jul 7, 2009

I do believe that a great deal of our instructon time takes place at the remembering and understanding levels. Which leads us to not only do we we want our students to remember what we have taught them but we want them to be able to apply what has been taught. Being a 2nd grade teacher I sometimes feel this is a hard task to make the younger students understand and be able to apply.

Cynthia Flowers said

at 9:09 pm on Jul 7, 2009

For the most part, I believe more instructional time is spent at the lower order thinking levels of the continuum. Therefore, a base (remembering and understanding) must be established before students can engage in High Order Thinking skills (HOTS) such as analyzing, evaluating and creating. However, the overall content emphases should be on analyzing, evaluating, and creating. I am excited about learning and trying different ICT tools and strategies.

Renee Griffin said

at 9:20 pm on Jul 7, 2009

Most of the comments seem to agree about where we generally fall in Bloom's Digital Taxonomy regarding GPS content. I also agree. As a 2nd grade teacher, my struggle is finding a balance between effective direct instruction followed by the 2 lower levels (understanding & remembering) and the essence of who a child is naturally...a creator. In the lower grades, cementing the foundational skills is essential, but then what? Young children are constantly creating. My challenge is to untilize this creative ability without stifling it through regurgitation of information. As Church illustrates, technology is the vehicle to accomplish this goal. Contrary to what some of my peers believe, young children do not struggle with using technology. I have found that even those students who may not have internet access or a computer at home are far more confident using technology than many adults surrounding them in the classroom. I hope to be able to take their "tech-confidence"(my own lingo...sorry) & natural creativeness all the way to the top of the "HOTS".
Last year I did try some collaborative writing using a class wiki and plan to again this year. A CPS system became a part of my classroom in the middle of the year. I relied heavily on the CPS for CRCT preparation. Since I have only been back in the public education arena for 2 years, I am still learning, but willing to try anything.

acarr@lowndes.k12.ga.us said

at 8:43 am on Jul 8, 2009

I believe learning takes place at the lower and middle levels of Bloom's at my school and at most other schools in our county. We have room to improve and room to go deeper with our students. As we design our instruction, we need to strive toward the deeper areas of Bloom's such as critical thinking. It will require more work for us to plan but the results would be worth it to inspire our students to stretch themselves. All level's of Blooms are important for our students to experience but they are pretty used to the bottom four. If we can get them analzying and critically thinking they would be able to encompass all aspects of Bloom's into one. I am inspired by Church's statements and I want to seek out opportunities to use the upper levels of Bloom's taxonomy.

kcates@... said

at 8:43 am on Jul 8, 2009

If you get a chance, go to the discussion page on Church's Wiki. There are many technology querries that are discussed from Facebook to gender studies. In American Lit. I must teach the lower order skills, so they will excel on the EOCT. However, they learn more and are more engaged when we do the higher order thinking skills. Thus, we do that too! In journalism I make sure they have a foundation; then they can fly and create. This Wiki is full of interesting research and ideas. I think I'll use it often.

Mrs. Walker said

at 8:56 am on Jul 8, 2009

I have to agree with Patricia. The application level is strongly emphasized because of the standardized testing. Students are expected to be albe to apply the knowledge learned and based on their ability to apply the knowledge, it is often assumed they have gone through all other levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. This method, while it may seem reasonable if students perform well on testing, only promotes memorization. My desire is to have students perform well on all levels of the taxonomy and not sweat or have anxiety during the application stage.

jeannawilson@lowndes.k12.ga.us said

at 8:23 am on Jul 10, 2009

Bloom's Taxonomy while being revised is still an educator's best tool. Without it we don't know how to allow our students to take in new knowledge and move it into long term memory.Sometimes we can be guilty of being in a rush to get it all in that we neglect the best way to help our students .

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