Encouraging Higher Order Thinking Skills

The concept of "Googleable vs Non-Googleable" questions was mentioned to me many months ago but I again stumbled over the reference to this brilliant concept.

Thanks to Ewan McIntosh for this insightful read:
http://notosh.com/lab/googleable-vs-non-googleable-questions/

Here is an example I conjured from a from a Year 6/7 unit on Ancient Mediterranean History I taught this year:
Googleable Questions
Who was Julius Caesar?
Did lions really kill Christians in the Colloseum?
How far and wide did the Roman Empire spread?
When were the pyramids of Eqypt built?
What food did they eat in Ancient Greece?
....you get the point!

Non-Googleable Questions
Why were killings of Christians allowed in Ancient Rome and wouldn't be allowed in 2013?
Which ancient society's legacies (inventions) have had the greatest impact on modern society?
Why are modern buildings not built in such a decorative manner as they were in ancient times (e.g. Greek Acropolis etc.)?

You can start to see why the internet itself is not innately a tool for deeper thinking, but it relies on the teacher to structure the unit appropriately. Use the internet for sourcing information and build upon that to reach that higher order thinking that we all strive for in our classrooms. Gone are the days of "integrating ICT" purely on the fact that students are using a search engine to retrieve information. The unit above could include an assessment in the form of a blog that students post their persuasive arguments and allow comments and rebuttal from their peers.

Presenting with Glogster (Module 5)

An exciting, engaging and super easy to use tool for presenting projects is Glogster!

*make sure you visit the EDU Glogster, not the glogster.com

Glogster is an online, interactive way to create project posters. Posters come to life by combining text, pictures, audio and video. Completed Glogs can be embedded into Google Sites (watch the how to video here). Another plus is that you can login with your Google account, therefore no separate password required (you will need to choose a unique username).

Teaching Ideas:

*Perfect for presenting projects (SOSE, Science, History etc) because it allows text, images, video and audio.

*As there is design elements in Glogster you can also assess visual art and technology if you set up the rubric and assignment focus on presentation as well as content)

*Present autobiographies.

Here is a quick one I whipped up myself & embedded into blogger:

News and Views Project

This term you will become a news blogger! 

What is that I hear you ask?

A news blogger reports the news but most importantly gives their opinion on the stories. Blogs are public pages on the web that also allow comments from other people.

Blogger (Module 2)

Blogging has a plethora of classroom uses and I can recommend "Blogger" as the most user friendly tool, particularly as it is integrated into the Google suite. This means students (and staff) with a Google account do not need to create a new username/password.

I believe blogging is essential in your classroom! It creates a genuine audience for student writing (therefore increases motivation), encourages collaboration, encourages a sense of class community and "commenting" encourages critical thinking and expressing of opinions. Wham...start blogging!

Click here for an example of using blogging in the classroom (Upper Primary).

Below are some help videos I created for students to help them get started with Blogger: