Silvia C.

Parker
June 21, 2018
Version 1

2.4 Higher Order Thinking Skills: Candidates model and facilitate the effective use of digital
tools and resources to support and enhance higher order thinking skills (e.g., analyze, evaluate,
and create); processes (e.g., problem-solving, decision-making); and mental habits of mind (e.g.,
critical thinking, creative thinking, metacognition, self-regulation, and reflection). (PSC
2.4/ISTE 2d)

Artifact: Online Lesson Plan

The artifact I chose to demonstrate mastery of Standard 2.4 Higher Order Thinking Skills is the
Internet Lesson Plan that I wrote for ITEC 7430 Internet Tools in the classroom. The lesson plan
was created for a third grade science unit about weathering and erosion. The purpose of the
lesson plan was to create a learning experience in which technology tools were widely used in
order to give students the opportunity to collaborate, to create, and to solve problems.
The Internet Lesson Plan demonstrates mastery of Standard 2.4. The lesson plan was structured
to take five days to complete. The students were asked to perform several tasks that gave them
the opportunity to use technology. In this project, the students learned about weathering and
erosion, but they also had to perform several experiments that required them to reflect in online
applications such as Padlet. The activities in Padlet also allowed the students the opportunity to
check for understanding. Moreover, the students were also assessed through the creation of a
multimedia presentation using Google Slides in which they had to explain the difference between
weathering and erosion as well as to find real-life examples of both. Additionally, students had to
propose ways in which erosion could be avoided. This project definitely shows mastery for
Standard 2.4 because it modeled and facilitated activities and resources that supported the use
of higher order thinking skills as well as processes and habits of mind. Moreover, differentiation
was also evident since the students were given the opportunity to show what they knew in
different ways. This project was based on science experiments, reading passages, classification
activities, etc. I wanted to design activities that helped the students discover the content on their
own in order to challenge their reasoning and metacognition. It was very rewarding for me to see
the students draw their own conclusions and construct new knowledge from their experiences.
This artifact was extremely beneficial to me. I learned a lot about creating technology based units
that helped trigger the use of higher order thinking skills and problem solving. One of the most
challenging aspects of this project was taking the role of a facilitator since I wanted the students
to draw their own conclusions based on what they learned from the experiments and activities
they had to complete.
The impact of this artifact was assessed through the students’ presentations and responses
included in the rubric. The students were able to display what they had learned on their
reflections and on the presentations they created throughout the unit. Moreover, the students’
work was shared with their homeroom teacher in order to not only showcase their work, but also
to encourage teachers to use similar tools in their classroom.