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Stimulating critical thinking using technology has the potential to create more in depth understanding of science and math content by students when engaged in learning activities which integrate in-class and on-line technology resources. Technology tools support stimulation of both inquiry-based and critical thinking skills by engaging students in exploring, thinking, reading, writing, researching, inventing, problem-solving, and experiencing the world outside their classroom. This is accomplished through learning content through the lens of video to multimedia to the internet (Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement, NCREL, 2005).

Encouraging students to use critical thinking is more than an extension activity in science and math lessons, it is the basis of true learning. Teaching students how to think critically helps them move beyond basic comprehension and rote memorization. They shift to a new level of increased awareness when calculating, analyzing, problem solving, and evaluating.

From the abstract: "this study investigated how the perspectives of the non-computer science educators changed after learning game-programming and how it could be fitted into the K-12 curriculum. Fourteen non-computer science educators and/or administrators in the K - 16 educational systems who made up a cohort at Sam Houston State University, Master of Education/Instructional Technology Program participated in this study. The participants were required to learn two free Web 2.0 game-programming applications and reflect on an article related to reviving interest in math and science as part of their program. Qualitative data consisted of online reflections, and peer-review processes through Facebook. A quantitative component was added to the analysis. The findings indicated that: (a) the perspectives of the participants changed from negative to positive as they reflected on their own game-programming learning experiences; (b) participants came to understand how game programming could build up students' logical concepts and critical thinking skills improving performances in math, science, and other subjects; and (c) due to the benefits of logical concepts and critical thinking skills game programming could have immense benefits if built into the K-12 curriculum."

Writing in math is an excellent way to determine if students' understand or do not understand the math they are learning about. Allowing students to explain how they solved a math problem, how they developed a formula to solve a problem, or how they applied a math concept requires critical thinking.

A great site to use to have students extend their thinking about problems.

Abstract: "Together, brain science and learning design inform Adaptive Interaction Design (AID), a technique for curriculum planning and development. Mathematics is a particular case in which AID can help. The Way of the Game is vital to learning design. There are many definitions of "game." Here, we mean game to be the means by which spontaneous play becomes responsible learning. That innovative games figure as the centerpiece of many 21st century curricula is no accident. Games are a critical element in modern theories of learning design especially when related to insights from neuroscience and online learning/teaching methods. But beyond simple gamification, can games provide the disruptive transformation to mathematics education that is required to effect substantive and sustainable improvement? Can we game the educational system to ensure students' success in mathematics? To find out, we will look at the AID process and two sample products for the development of mathematical thinking and practice based on the Way of the Game."

"Math Quest is a role playing game that could be used as a tool to learn numbers and basic mathematic operations. The Math Quest package consists of two main modules; learning and game modules that can be executed separately. The use of the learning module as a tool in learning will allow for a highly individualized and interactive environment. This paper presents the design of the learning module for numbers and their mathematics operation. Due to its interactive and stimulating nature, the module is suitable for school children age 9 to 12 years old to learn the subject. The development takes into consideration of constructivism learning theories where learning is based on students' active participation in problem solving and critical thinking regarding activity that they are involved in. The framework for each of module is as follows: objectives, concept, examples, exercises, quizzes. A heuristic evaluation on the design was conducted and positive feedback was obtained."

"Why Learn It (WLI) aims to address the issue of motivation around learning math by helping students explore the beauty and relevance of what they would otherwise dismiss as inconsequential in school. Targeting late middle-school and early high-school students, WLI takes a hybrid approach to cultivat- ing motivation. It leverages the engagement value of short (approximately three-minute long) videos depicting real people talking about how math and computational thinking are critical to their successes in a number of professional areas. Students then complete a series of interactive exercises that help students explore an application area discussed in the video in more detail. These exercises, however, are not simply drill problems aimed at making students experts in a particular content area. Instead, they are multi-step assignments that require the students to draw upon both detailed mathematical knowledge and a big picture view of how this knowledge can be used to draw useful, meaningful conclusions. The exercises are focused on bridging the worlds of number, images, and sounds in or- der to help students build intuition around a particular topic. Therefore, while some questions have objectively correct responses, others require students to gather knowledge they have built through answering previous questions within the packet to draw new inferences. Hints are provided along the 1 way to ensure students receive assistance when necessary. Finally, WLI is housed online and is oered for free, signifying minimal barriers to usage by educators and students."

The iPod Touch brings a new dimension to teaching and learning in the science or math classroom - Mobile Learning! No longer are students required to only learn within the confines of their classroom when using this digital tool.

Daily summary of the stories, articles, and resources for teaching K-12 science and math.

Project based learning using all or any of the three online resources offers a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges.

Six math projects that integrate real-world math problems are presented as a teaching strategy for helping students develop a greater understanding of math.