TECHNOLOGY PLAN:

Instructional Implementation and Integration Strategies

Mindtools for Cognitive Thinking:

An Example

The term Mindtools represents a concept, not a real entity. The following is based upon ideas expressed in the text Computers in the Classroom written by David H. Jonassen. ISBN 0-02-361101-X. The concepts discussed in this book are clearly a different way of approaching a technology curriculum in the classroom. The text truly represents best practices and futuristic ideas on how technology can be used to enable children to become more analytical thinkers. The focus is not on "how to use computers", but on "why" and "now that we have all this information, what does it mean?"

Mindtools are computer applications that require students to think in meaningful ways in order to use the application to represent what they know. The tools include databases, spreadsheets, semantic networks, expert systems, computer conferencing. multimedia and hypermedia construction, computer programming, and microworld learning environments.

Mindtools can be used in any curricula area and most are suitable for any age student. The book explains in succinct language how to implement mindtools in an educational setting. The following examples outline various strategies for the implementation of technology utilizing the mindtools paradigm.

Using a Database as a Mindtool
Using a Spreadsheet as a Mindtool
Using a Semantic Network as a Mindtool
Using Expert Systems as a Mindtool
Using Computer Conferencing as a Mindtool
Using Multimedia Construction as a Mindtool
Using Computer Programming as a Mindtool
Using Microworld Learning Environments as a Mindtool

Using Databases as a Mindtool

In order to use databases as mindtools, you will use the same functions to analyze and enter subject-matter into databases, which you can then search and sort to answer questions or find relationships and inferences. The process of creating the databases, including the decision as to which fields and their sizes will be needed and how the fields should be ordered is an excellent instructional activity.

There are a large number of critical, creative, and complex-thinking skills used in the construction of knowledge-based databases. Critical thinking skills are predominate because database construction and use is an analytic process that uses logical thinking extensively.

An outline on how to construct and use content databases in the classroom:

Students query completed databases.
Students complete existing data structures.
Students adapt existing data structures or design new data structures for other students to complete.
Students create and complete data structures.
Students write queries for other students.
Students extrapolate from databases.

Advantages of content databases as mindtools:

Creating and using a database is an exercise that requires learners to be actively engaged in learning rather than just responding to questions.
Learners must define the relationships between concepts and then construct records and fields that map those relationships.
Databases can search and sort information very rapidly.
Databases are fairly easy to learn and data entry is easy.

Conclusion

Databases aid the storage and retrieval of information in an systematic method. To create and query a database requires analytical skills. When students construct a database to organize the content they are studying, they will use it to compare and contrast relationships among information contained in their models. Higher order thinking skills are developed.

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Using Spreadsheets as a Mindtool

Being able to visualize data instantaneously in several ways affords new ways of thinking about numbers. Originally, spreadsheets were developed, and are most used today, to support business decision making. Schools have begin using content spreadsheets.

Some examples of this use are:

Functioning as a calculator and demonstrating multiplicative relationships in elementary mathematics;
Analyzing lunchroom trash and projecting waste;
Solving complex chemistry problems;
Doing statistical analysis;
Helping children to visualize large numbers by comparing quantities to everyday things; and
Performing demographic analysis.

Spreadsheets are a cognitive technology that amplifies and reorganizes mental functioning. Many of the mental processes utilized in designing spreadsheets engage the student in critical thinking.

An outline on how to construct and use spreadsheets in the classroom:

Provide a spreadsheet template.
Students adapt existing spreadsheets or design new spreadsheets for other students to complete.
Students create and complete a problem-oriented spreadsheet.
Students extrapolate from spreadsheets.

Advantages of spreadsheets as mindtools:

Spreadsheets support problem-solving activities.
Spreadsheets integrate graphics and calculations easily.
Spreadsheets demonstrate values and relationships in any problem or content domain in numerical form.
Students understand calculations because they are actively involved in the various components of the spreadsheet.

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Using Semantic Networks as a Mindtool

Semantic networks are representations of human memory structures. Current thinking is that these structures are organized semantically, that is, according to meaning that defines the relationships among the ideas in memory. These ideas, known as schemas, are arranged in networks of interconnected and interrelated ideas known as semantic networks. Semantic networking programs are computer-based visualizing tools for developing representations of these semantic networks in memory.

The semantic networks in memory and the maps that represent them are composed of nodes (concepts or ideas) that are connected by links (statements of relationships). See the graphic on the left.

Semantic networking aids learning by requiring learners to analyze the underlying structure of the ideas they are shaping.

An outline on how to construct and use semantic networks in the classroom.

Set perspective for analyzing domain.
Identify important concepts.
Create, define, and elaborate nodes.
Construct links and link concepts.
Evaluate the semantic net.

The best semantic nets are very large. The best use of semantic networking is to spend the entire year mapping the ideas studied through an entire course. The most common semantic networking software is Inspiration which is available for Macintosh and Windows. Some other titles are SemNet, Learning Tool, TextVision and CMap. Some are freeware.

Advantages of using semantic networks as mindtools

Semantic networks are easy to use. Most users become proficient in 1 to 2 hours.
Semantic networking tools provide for spatial representations of content, which helps memory.
Semantic networking tools enhance comprehension of ideas being studied by helping learners construct structural knowledge. In addition to improving comprehension, structural knowledge improves retention of content being studied.

Semantic networks demonstrate the interconnectedness of ideas from different subjects and different courses.
Semantic networking should improve problem-solving performance in learners.

Conclusion

Semantic networking programs provide a set of graphic tools for creating concept maps. These maps represent the structure of ideas in memory and how they relate to each other. Semantic networking assists learners to analyze what they know and organize their knowledge for better comprehension and retention. Semantic networking is also effective for planning other kinds of productions and knowledge bases. Semantic networks are among the most versitile of Mindtools.

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Using Expert Systems as a Mindtool

We are all familiar with experts. Experts called doctors treat our illnesses. Experts called auto mechanics treat our automobiles. Expert based systems are computer-based tools designed to function as intelligent aids to facilitate decision making in all sorts of tasks.

Expert systems are a natural evolution of the field of artificial intelligence. Machines make decisions that can also be done by people and are regarded as intelligent. Expert systems are computer programs that try to simulate the way a human would solve a problem. MYCIN is an expert system that assists physicians to diagnose bacterial infections with which they are not familiar. One computer expert system that most of are familiar with is the computer program that determines elligibility for a home loan. Information regarding our age, past credit history, loan ammount, etc. are inputed, then the computer advises the loan officer regarding a prudent decision. This system is rarely used if you are related to the loan officer.

The components of an expert system are User, Current Problem Information, User Interface, Knowledge Base, Expert Editor, Inference Engine, and Solution/Advice. Expert sustems have many uses in education because they provide the intellectual environment that demands the refinement of domain knowledge, supports problem solving, and monitors the acquisition of knowledge. Lippert (1988) was one of the early advocates of using Expert Systems as Mindtools. He argued that having students construct small knowledge bases is a valuable method for teaching problem solving and knowledge structuring for students from sixth grade to adult. Learners not only evaluate their own thinking processes but also the product of those processes, the resulting knowledge base. Developing the knowledge base requires learners to isolate facts, variables, and rules about the relationships in a domain. The author references five other studies which concurred with Lippert. Mindtools are cheap. One named PC Expert is free.

An outline on how to construct and use Expert Systems in the classroom:

Identify the purpose for building the expert system and the problem domain.
Specify problem solutions or decisions.
Isolate problem attributes, factors, or variables.
Generate rules and examples.
Refine logic and efficiency of decision making.
Test the system.

Advantages of Expert Systems as mindtools:

Expert Systems focus thinking on causal reasoning and problem-solving activities.
Learners are engaged in metacognitive reasoning.
Inferential and implicational reasoning is involved. Few school activites encourage this.
The natural complexity that exists in most problem-solving is highlighted.

Conclusion

The thinking required to build expert systems is probably the most difficult of all the Mindtools because of the formal, logical reasoning. They are perhaps the most intellectually engaging and challenging of all the Mindtools. PC Expert is free and takes less than one hour to learn. Free software that teaches students AND teachers how to think better. Give that some thought.....

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Using Computer Conferencing as a Mindtool

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) begins with a different set of assumptions about learning and instruction- Do you really need to be face to face for learning to occur? CMC enables people who are not proximate to each other to share programs, files and gives them the ability to work and learn together. The Internet is the main ingredient that facilitates CMC. Distance learning and email are perhaps the most familiar of the CMC technologies, though CMC can be useful to teachers in the same building.

CMC can be synchronous (real-time) or asynchronous (delayed) communication. The types of CMC are:
Information Access and Retrieval (One Alone);
E-Mail (One-to-One);
Bulletin Boards (One-to-Many); and
Computer Conferencing (Many to Many)

The process of information retrieval, e-mail, bulletin boards and computer conferencing produce a variety of artifacts such as files, messages, bulletin boards and online journals and news networks.

How to use computer-mediated communication in the classroom

Be sure that you are comfortable with all aspects of telecommunications. In other words, practice first.
Conduct chalkboard and paper simulations before going online. (Skip this if the kids are pretty literate.)
Test the network. How reliable is it for using with kids. Slow or intermittent connections will rapidly tire the students.
Demonstrate the actual search process to the students. Teach them how to do digital searching.
Organize the students in pairs or small groups so that they can assist each other while searching databases.
Monitor the students while they work. They may need assistance.

Advantages of computer-mediated communication as a Mindtool

Students can develop their social skills on a national and international level.
Some research indicates that many students, especially the shy ones, are better able to interact using CMC.
CMC provides opportunities for professional growth without traveling. Long term electronic dialogues can be established.
CMC is never closed. Never.
Students can disagree without excessive conflict.
CMC facilitates collaborative learning.
Students contribute far more to discussions using CMC. The instruciton is far less teacher centered.

Conclusion

CMC is the fastest growing of all mind tools. Its potential appears to be unlimited. Its problems may be unlimited as well.

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Using Multimedia and Hypermedia Construction as a Mindtool

Multimedia involves the integration of more than one medium into a form of communication. We have had multimedia for a long time. Slides, tape recordings, movies and filmstrips are good examples.

Multimedia is a hot topic in the education world. Kids love it. Many educators believe it is essential when working with today's "Video Kids." Are we sure? Mulitple-channel research from the past tells us that when the channels provide complementary information, learning may increase. When the information in different channels is redundant, no improvement occurs. When the information in different channels is inconsistent or distracting, learning decreases are likely to occur. Of course, more research is needed to determine where modern multimedia fits in education.

Hyperstudio and Powerpoint are two powerful software programs that enable users to create dynamic multi sensory presentations. Hypermedia authors appear to benefit from their computer-based experiences in many ways, all of which seem to fall into the category of superior knowledge representation and thinking skills.

Advantages of multimedia and hypermedia as Mindtools

Learners are much more mentally engaged by developing materials than by studying materials.
Multimedia permits concrete representations of abstract ideas.
Students are actively engaged in creating representations of their own understanding by using their own modes of expression.
Motivation is high when students construct multimedia.
The learning becomes less teacher centered and more learner centered.
Multimedia promotes the development of critical theories of knowledge.

Conclusion

The combination of creativity and complexity required to author hypermedia in a form that is intrinsically motivating to

students (multimedia) makes it probably the the most compelling and potentially effective of all the Mindtools.

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Using Computer Programming as a Mindtool

Computer programming is a Quasi-Mindtool. Programming is computer-based, readily available and affordable. List processing and languages such as Logo are better used as knowledge representation tools. Computer programming engages critical thinking, has simple yet powerful formalism and is reasonably easy to learn.

At this time computer programming is not the primary application of computers in schools. Perhaps it is being overlooked as a tool for learning. Computer programming is probably the among the most engaging and difficult of all the Mindtools in terms of critical thinking. Programming is an analytical process.

Generally speaking it is best to teach children computer programming as a problem solving tool rather than as a subject.

Conclusion

Learning computer programming requires considerable intellectual investment and calls on skills that are more difficult for some learners. Once these skills are mastered, programming can become the most versatile and flexible knowledge representation tool available. I suggest that to gain a complete understanding of Mindtools and their use one needs the text, "Computers in the Classroom" written by David H. Jonassen. ISBN 0-02-361101-X.

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Using Microworld Learning Environments as a Mindtool

The term microworld was coined by Seymour Papert in Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. Microworlds are constrained problem spaces that resemble existing problems in the real world. Not all microworlds are computer-based. They can occur anywhere and are relative to the child's age and interests. Microworlds should have the following characteristics:

simple, so that they can be understood
general, so they apply to many areas of life
useful, so that the ideas are important to learners in the world
syntonic (resonant with ones experiences), so learners can relate them to prior knowledge and experience.

Some computer programs that are examples of microworlds are Interactive Physics, Bubble Dialogue and Geometric Supposer. Microworld software is readily available and relatively inexpensive. They are applicable in different subject areas, engage critical thinking, facilitate powerful formalism and are easy to learn.

Conclusion

Microworlds are quasi-Mindtools that engage learners in hypothesis testing and mental model building. Microworlds enable learners to construct and define their own problems ot solve. Allowing the learner to redefine the phenomena and the tools for exploring natural phenomena makes microworlds even more popwerful Mindtools. I suggest that to gain a complete understanding of Mindtools and their use one needs the text, "Computers in the Classroom" written by David H. Jonassen. ISBN 0-02-361101-X

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