Using Mindtools in Education

##AUTHORSPLIT###- -->

Mindtools are cognitive tools such as selected computer programs that stimulate learning and thinking in students. This technology is being used in today’s schools to “teach” students in much the same way that educators “teach” students (i.e., instruct students about what they know and assess their recall and comprehension of what they were told). Mindtools in education are a set of five tools that students and teachers can use in combination with “traditional” teaching and learning methods. The combination of technology and traditional methods of teaching work great together. Thus, both teachers and students alike will be better served by programs that devote a greater percentage of instructional time to problem solving and active learning. The teacher can even use mindtools for successful assessments while adhering to standards. The following are descriptions of the five types of mindtools:

The Database Mindtool. Database management systems are nothing more than electronic filing cabinets that are easier to scan through. It’s important to remember that the goal of successfully using mindtools is to incorporate basic, creative and complex thinking skills, while using the database and its functions in conjunction with the lesson being taught to stimulate learning.

The Graph Mindtool. A picture is worth a thousand words. As teachers, we know that graphing is one of the great organizational skills in learning. Graphs and charts work well because they communicate information visually. For this reason, graphs are often used in newspapers, magazines and businesses worldwide. This mindtool can really help students see their work and what it means. Sometimes, complicated information is difficult to understand and needs an illustration. Other times, a graph or chart helps impress people by getting your point across quickly and visually. For information on how to graph using Microsoft Excel, visit www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/res/gt/gt-menu.html.

Concept Mapping. A student or teacher uses the semantics mindtool area of concept mapping when wanting to organize thoughts, ideas or situations. There are three popular, easy-to-use concept mapping programs: Inspiration, Kidspiration and The Brain.

The Search Internet Mindtool. The Internet has revolutionized the world we live, learn and teach in. Therefore, successful learning while using the search Internet mindtool in education is possible. It is of utmost importance for a student to know and explore at least 20-30 different search engines. These search engines go throughout the Web and “hit” on the search terms you enter into the box. Some of the better search engines that I recommend for educational purposes include Google, Yahoo!, AlltheWeb.com, Yahoolihgans.com, Dogpile.com, and AskJeevesforKids.com.

The Visualization Mindtool. The final mindtool that can be created by a teacher or student is visualization. With this mindtool, a complete lesson can be covered through pictures and words by using a multimedia program such as PowerPoint or HyperStudio, or even by utilizing a WebQuest. This tool can be used by the teacher to complete an entire lesson, part of a lesson, or to sum up a lesson. This visualization mindtool can also employ sound and video in the creation of a lesson. While this is a hard tool to master, it is most beneficial in teaching and learning once it is done. Plus, it’s a lot of fun.

Conclusion

How teachers can properly assess their students while keeping standards high is a problem that will continue to be faced in the years to come. With the advent of the computer, and properly integrating the computer into a classroom setting, assessing students can now be done in a variety of ways.

Assessment used to be done with paper and pencil, now those same rubrics have gone online. Students’ ease of comfort with the computer is prevalent, and that should be foremost in a teacher’s mind. When educators combine both elements (traditional methods and using technology) in their teaching, new benefits arise for the teacher and the student.

8 Reasons for Using Mindtools in Education

  1. Educational Reasons. With the use of mindtools, the teacher is able to perform lower-level operations that enable the learner to devote more time to meaningful mental processes. The teacher and student provide the intelligence, not the computer. It is best to learn with the computer and not from it because more responsibility is placed on the student, who becomes a more self-reliant thinker and problem-solver. These mindtools also help students transcend mental limitations such as memory, giving them the opportunity to see their work and ask more questions.
  2. Theoretical Reasons. Mindtools facilitate knowledge construction in which students organize and represent what they know. Mindtools also engage learners in reflective thinking, which leads to knowledge construction and the extension of constructivism. The student can then construct his or her own knowledge when building an external or sharable product such as a hypermedia computer project.
  3. Practical Reasons. A lack of available software, cost and efficiency are reasons for using mindtools. Computer-assisted instruction materials only cover a fraction of the curricula; then, there is the cost issue. When purchasing even just a few computer-assisted instructional programs, many school districts opt out due to the great expense. The use of these mindtools is more time-efficient because less time is spent learning to use different programs.
  4. Pedagogical Criteria for Evaluating Mindtools. All mindtool applications can be used in assessing a student's progress. Mindtools often yield many solutions and involve multiple, sometimes conflicting, criteria. Mindtools also require considerable mental effort, so the student is compelled to make elaborations and judgments.
  5. Critical Thinking Skills. Critical thinking is the dynamic reorganization of knowledge in meaningful, usable ways. It involves making judgments, measuring against a standard, as well as assessing reliability and usefulness. When separating a whole lesson by using mindtools, a student is able to understand the relationships of the lesson (recognizing patterns, categorization and sequencing, as well as being able to identify assumptions and main ideas) and can compare, contrast, think logically, make inferences from data, identify causal relationships, and predict outcomes.
  6. Creative Thinking Skills. Creative thinking is closely related to critical thinking. Creativity requires going beyond accepted knowledge to generate new knowledge. This involves the following mental processes: A student is able to summarize main ideas into his or her own words. Through mindtools, students can also hypothesize, process information, express ideas fluently, predict outcomes while wondering, use their intuition, and add personal meaning.
  7. Complex Thinking Skills. Complex thinking combines the basic learning and recall of both critical thinking and creative thinking into larger processes. Using mindtools, students produce new ideas and make decisions by selecting between alternatives in a systematic way (i.e., identifying an issue, generating alternatives, assessing consequences, making choices and evaluating).
  8. Collaborative Use of Mindtools. The use of mindtools can make better communicators and more sensitive students who are better at organizing content and clearly identifying the group goal and content domain. By using mindtools, one can delegate tasks and subtasks to individuals. Also, communication skills are made when mindtools are used. Leadership skills should be modeled by the teacher and then assigned to students. Cooperation with others (group members) can be assessed by having students share, accept, and support the needs and wants of others.

References

Archer, J. 2000. "The Link to Higher Scores." The Jossey-Bass Reader on Technology and Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Averill, D. 2003. "Implications for Education: Copyrights." Journal of Educational Media 28 (2-3): 235-240.

Brooks, J., and M. Brooks. 1993. In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Clements, D., and D. Gullo. 1984. "Effects of Computer Programming on Young Children's Cognition." Journal of Educational Psychology 76: 1051-58.

Cradler, J., and E. Bridgforth. No date. "Recent Research on the Effects of Technology on Teaching and Learning." San Francisco: WestEd. Retrieved March 20, 2004, from www.wested.org/techpolicy/research.html .

Dodge, B. 1997. "Some Thoughts About WebQuests." The WebQuest Page. Retrieved on March 20, 2004, from http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.html. (URL updated April 5, 2013)

Education Development Center. 2000. Make It Happen!: The I-Search Unit. Retrieved June 29, 2004, from www.edc.org/FSC/MIH/.

El-Hindi, A., and D. Leu (Eds.). 1998. "Beyond Classroom Boundaries: Constructivist Teaching With the Internet." The Reading Teacher 51 (8): 694-700. Retrieved July 20, 2004, from www.readingonline.org/electronic/RT/constructivist.html .

Franklin, U. 1990. "The Real World of Technology." CBC Massey Lecture Series. Concord, ON: Anansi.

Gardner, H. 1983. Tapping Into Multiple Intelligences. Retrieved April 2, 2004, from www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/month1/index.html .

Gavelek, J., and T. Raphael. 1996. "Changing Talk About Text: New Roles for Teachers and Students." Language Arts 73: 182-192.

George Lucas Educational Foundation. 2004. Instructional Module: Why is Project-Based Learning Important? Retrieved June 29, 2004, from www.glef.org/modules/PBL/whypbl.php .

Gros, B. 2002. "Knowledge Construction and Technology." Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia 11 (4): 323-343.

Haugen. K. 1999. "Multiple Intelligences and Technology." Retrieved on July 5, 2004, from www.exceptionalcomputing.com/Curriculum%20pdf/multinte.pdf .

Haugland, S. 1999. "What Role Should Technology Play in Young Children's Learning? Part 1." Young Children 54 (6): 26-31.

Hornbeck, D. 1990. "Technology and Students At Risk of School Failure." Paper commissioned for the Chief State School Officers' 1990 State Technology Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 29-May 2.

Houghton Mifflin. No date. Project-Based Learning Space: Background Knowledge and Theory. Retrieved on June 27, 2004, from http://college.hmco.com/education/pbl/background.html.

Jonassen, D. 1996. Computers in the Classroom: Mindtools for Critical Thinking. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Merrill.

Jonassen, D. 2000. Computers as Mindtools for Schools: Engaging Critical Thinking (2nd Edition) . Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill.

Lockard, J., P. Abrams, and W. Many. 1994. Microcomputers for Twenty-First Century Educators. New York: Harper Collins.

Logan, R. 2000. The Sixth Language: Learning a Living in the Internet Age. Toronto: Stoddart.

Loveless, A., and B. Dore (Eds.). ICT in the Primary School. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Lowe, J. 2001. "Computer-Based Education: Is It a Panacea?" Journal of Research on Technology in Education 34(2), 163-171.

March, T. 1999. "Ten Stages of Working the Web for Education." MultiMedia Schools May/June. Retrieved on June 31, 2004, from www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/may99/march.htm .

Marshall, J., and M. Hillman. 2000. "Effective Curricular Software Selection for K-12 Educators." Paper for the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference: Proceedings of SITE 2000. Online: http://www.aace.org/dl/index.cfm/fuseaction/ViewPaper/id/456/toc/yes.

Mergel, B. 1998. Instructional Design and Learning Theory. Graduate paper fromUniversity of Saskatchewan. Retrieved March 6, 2004, from http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm.

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL). 1999. "Critical Issue: Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement." Retrieved June 6, 2004, from www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te800.htm .

O'Connor, T. 2004. Center for Teaching and Learning: Learning Styles Site. Indiana State University. Retrieved June 6, 2004, from www.indstate.edu/ctl/styles/learning.html .

Papert, S. 1980. Mindstorms: Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas. New York: Basic Books.

Pea, R. 2000. The Jossey-Bass Reader on Technology and Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Reeves, T., and D. Jonassen. 1996. "Learning With Technology: Using Computers as Cognitive Tools. In Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology (Ed. D. Jonassen). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Macmillan.

Wang, X., M. Hinn, and A. Kanfer. 2001. "Potential of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning for Learners With Different Learning Styles." Journal of Research on Technology in Education 34 (1): 75-85.

Featured

  • abstract, minimalist illustration of an educator interacting with geometric shapes and lines representing AI tools in a classroom setting

    5 Lessons Learned from an AI Early Adopter

    A 6th grade ELA teacher offers best practices based on his experience using AI tools and features in the classroom.

  • simplified, abstract illustration focusing on the negative side of generative AI misuse, balancing the concepts of cybersecurity and human impact

    Researchers Provide Taxonomy of Gen AI Misuse

    To clarify the potential risks of GenAI and provide "a concrete understanding of how GenAI models are specifically exploited or abused in practice, including the tactics employed to inflict harm," a group of researchers from Google DeepMind, Jigsaw, and Google.org recently published a paper entitled, "Generative AI Misuse: A Taxonomy of Tactics and Insights from Real-World Data."

  • landscape photo with an AI rubber stamp on top

    California AI Watermarking Bill Supported by OpenAI

    OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, is backing a California bill that would require tech companies to label AI-generated content in the form of a digital "watermark." The proposed legislation, known as the "California Digital Content Provenance Standards" (AB 3211), aims to ensure transparency in digital media by identifying content created through artificial intelligence. This requirement would apply to a broad range of AI-generated material, from harmless memes to deepfakes that could be used to spread misinformation about political candidates.

  • school IT team battling cybersecurity threats

    Today's K-12 Cybersecurity Threats — And How to Combat Them

    An analysis of the cybersecurity landscape for education institutions and tips on how defenders can comfortably face new and emerging threats.