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Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority

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Students engage in higher-order thinking when they are required 'to explore, to question, to probe new areas, to seek clarity, to think critically and carefully, to consider different perspectives, [and] to organise their thinking' (Tishman et al. in Venville, Adey, Larkin & Robertson, 2003).

In the early years of education, it is critically important to develop higher-order thinking skills, which enhance children's mental abilities (Polette, 2012). Children use higher-order thinking skills when they engage in learning activities that require them to arrive at new meanings and understandings. When children do this, they transform their initial understandings

The following table identifies teacher and student actions for feedback.

The teacher:

The student:

participates in purposefully planned and incidental learning activities and environments that provide opportunities for higher-order thinking

uses graphic organisers or other learning tools to make their higher-order thinking visible and represent new learning

demonstrates higher-order thinking by:

predicting outcomes

observing, collating or evaluating information and evidence

classifying information or objects

synthesising, generalising or hypothesising

making decisions: comparing, analysing, evaluating or justifying.

plans for learning opportunities that support higher-order thinking, using a hierarchal thinking taxonomy (for example, see Marzano 2015 or Anderson & Krathwohl 2001)

develops flexible learning spaces that emphasise thinking and persistence in problem-solving in independent play and inquiry (Aubrey, Ghent & Kanira, 2012)

employs pedagogical strategies like open-ended higher-order questioning (Martin in Yoon & Onchwari, 2006)

uses graphic organisers, e.g. PMI and Venn diagrams, so that children can gather, organise and represent information and ideas resulting from their higher-order thinking

reflect with students on how higher-order thinking creates opportunities for new meaning and understanding.

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Students engage in higher-order thinking when they are required 'to explore, to question, to probe new areas, to seek clarity, to think critically and carefully, to consider different perspectives, [and] to organise their thinking' (Tishman et al. in Venville, Adey, Larkin & Robertson, 2003).

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

The biggest obstacle to teaching online probably isn't the technology. Teachers seek out educational technology, in fact, because it "can have considerable positive impacts on student performance," according to a 2016 study -improving test scores and allowing teachers to assess student achievement more efficiently. The big problem is how to integrate it: Beyond the sheer number of tech tools available, the same researchers identified "inadequate professional development and training" as the primary obstacle to using technology productively in classrooms.

Understandably, the emergence of the coronavirus has dramatically accelerated the process of integrating edtech, as educators around the country race to get online as fast as they can. But as many of our teachers have noted, the current state of K-12 online learning is more like triage-a form of crisis management-and not at all like skillfully managed distance education.

What's missing from the conversation right now, which makes sense given the immediacy of the need, is a focus on the bigger question of what the highest quality technology integration actually looks like. That's an important conversation to have, because in a post-coronavirus world there's likely to be a greater emphasis on digital learning, even as we return to physical schools and take advantage of face-to-face opportunities.

A Hierarchy of Tech Uses

A powerful conceptual tool to think about technology integration-and edtech's best uses-is the SAMR model, developed in 2010 by education researcher Ruben Puentedura, who was the 1991 recipient of a Phi Beta Kappa teaching award.

The SAMR model lays out four tiers of online learning, presented roughly in order of their sophistication and transformative power: substitution, augmentation, modification, and r edefinition. When switching to an online format, teachers often focus on the first two levels, which involve replacing traditional materials with digital ones: converting lessons and worksheets into PDFs and posting them online, or recording lectures on video and making them available for asynchronous learning, for example.
Creative Commons
Those are important steps, especially when teaching online for the first time, but in classrooms where tech integration has moved to the mastery level, the last two levels of the SAMR model-modification and redefinition-should also be in the mix. Students in classes where this kind of mastery is embedded find more novel and immersive uses for technology. They are creators and publishers of their own work across multiple forms of media, for example, or they are inviting professionals to provide feedback on their work products, or participating in digital forums with other peers around the world.

It's tempting to think of SAMR as a mountain to be summited. But good technology integration isn't about living at the top of the SAMR model; it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

Here's a closer look at good classroom practices at each level in the model:

Substitution

"Substitution" means replacing traditional activities and materials-like in-class lectures or paper worksheets-with digital versions. There is no substantial change to the content, just the way that it is delivered.

The goal here is to keep things simple: there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Scan your lessons and worksheets, convert them into PDFs, and post them online using Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, or a similar file-sharing service. Think about the information you have on your walls, such as the classroom norms, the daily schedule, or vocabulary lists, and convert them into digital formats that students can easily reference.

It may also help to provide synchronous as well as asynchronous versions of your lectures. If you're holding class meetings over a videoconferencing service like Zoom or Skype, provide a recording for students who can't attend. You can also create your own instructional videos for students to view at their own pace.

Augmentation

This level involves incorporating interactive digital enhancements and elements like comments, hyperlinks, or multimedia. The content remains unchanged, but students can now take advantage of digital features to enhance the lesson.

For example, students can create digital portfolios to create multimedia presentations, giving them more options to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. And instead of handing out paper quizzes, you can gamify your quizzes with tools like Socrative and Kahoot.

Teachers can also create virtual bulletin boards-using an app like Padlet -where students can post questions, links, and pictures.

Modification

At this level, teachers can think about using a learning management system like Google Classroom, Moodle, Schoology, or Canvas to handle the logistical aspects of running a classroom, like tracking grades, messaging students, creating a calendar, and posting assignments.

Teaching online opens up new channels of communication, many of which can help students who have traditionally been marginalized. Research shows that girls may be less likely to speak up in class, for example, so they may benefit from backchannels -alternative conversations that can run alongside instruction-that encourage participation.

Zoom's text chat feature, meanwhile, gives students an opportunity to write their questions out, which can feel less intrusive if there are dozens of students participating in the call. Also, students who prefer to collect their thoughts may benefit from slower-paced, asynchronous discussions in an online forum or email threads.

Redefinition

Learning is fundamentally transformed at the "redefinition" level, enabling activities that were previously impossible in the classroom.

For example, virtual pen pals can connect students to other parts of the world, whether it's with other students or experts in a field. Virtual field trips enable students to visit locations like the Amazon rainforest, the Louvre, or the Egyptian pyramids. After reading a book in class, you can invite the author to chat about their work and answer questions.

Technology also provides an opportunity to bring authentic audiences into your virtual classroom, and can make publishers out of your students. Kids can write their own wikis or blogs for public consumption and feedback-and platforms like Quadblogging can connect distant classrooms together so students both write and respond. Students can tackle local problems-like investigating the water quality of a nearby river-and invite members of the community to assess their digital proposals.

Going Beyond SAMR

Finally, consider how technology can be used not just as a way to deliver content, but also to strengthen relationships with your students. For elementary school teacher John Thomas, Seesaw and Flipgrid allow him to share a daily greeting, which his students then respond to-or to each other-with a typed or voiced comment. It's a good way to provide some stability while they're isolated.

How can my lesson be improved using technology?

How can I engage and empower students through technology?

How can online learning more closely resemble authentic, real-world learning?

Remember, again, that SAMR is sometimes thought of as a mountain to summit, but it's really more like a toolbox. The goal isn't to use the most sophisticated tool, but to find the right one for the job. More importantly, however, it's a way to reflect on your technology integration by thinking about a few key questions:

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A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

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Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) is a concept popular in American education. It distinguishes critical thinking skills from low-order learning outcomes, such as those attained by rote memorization. HOTS include synthesizing, analyzing, reasoning, comprehending, application, and evaluation.

HOTS is based on various taxonomies of learning, particularly the one created by Benjamin Bloom in his 1956 book, " Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals." Higher-order thinking skills are reflected by the top three levels in Bloom's Taxonomy: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Bloom's Taxonomy and HOTS

Bloom's taxonomy is taught in a majority of teacher-education programs in the United States. As such, it may be among the most well-known educational theories among teachers nationally. As the Curriculum & Leadership Journal notes:

"While Bloom's Taxonomy is not the only framework for teaching thinking, it is the most widely used, and subsequent frameworks tend to be closely linked to Bloom's work.... Bloom's aim was to promote higher forms of thinking in education, such as analyzing and evaluating, rather than just teaching students to remember facts (rote learning)."

Bloom's taxonomy was designed with six levels to promote higher-order thinking. The six levels were: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. (The taxonomy's levels were later revised as remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, revising, and creating.) The lower-order thinking skills (LOTS) involve memorization, while higher-order thinking requires understanding and applying that knowledge.

The top three levels of Bloom's taxonomy-which is often displayed as a pyramid, with ascending levels of thinking at the top of the structure-are analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. These levels of the taxonomy all involve critical or higher-order thinking. Students who are able to think are those who can apply the knowledge and skills they have learned to new contexts. Looking at each level demonstrates how higher-order thinking is applied in education.

Analysis, the fourth level of Bloom's pyramid, involves students use their own judgment to begin analyzing the knowledge they have learned. At this point, they begin understanding the underlying structure of knowledge and also are able to distinguish between fact and opinion. Some examples of analysis would be:

Analyze each statement to decide whether it is fact or opinion.

Compare and contrast the beliefs of W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington.

Apply the rule of 70 to determine how quickly your money will double at 6 percent interest.

Illustrate the differences between the American alligator and the Nile crocodile.

Synthesis, the fifth level of Bloom's taxonomy pyramid, requires students to infer relationships among sources, such as essays, articles, works of fiction, lectures by instructors, and even personal observations. For example, a student might infer a relationship between what she has read in a newspaper or article and what she has observed herself. The high-level thinking of synthesis is evident when students put the parts or information they have reviewed together to create new meaning or a new structure.

At the synthesis level, students move beyond relying on previously learned information or analyzing items that the teacher is giving to them. Some questions in the educational setting that would involve the synthesis level of higher-order thinking might include:

What alternative would you suggest for ___?

What changes would you make to revise___?

What could you invent to solve___?

Evaluation

Evaluation, the top level of Bloom's taxonomy, involves students making judgments about the value of ideas, items, and materials. Evaluation is the top level of Bloom's taxonomy pyramid because at this level that students are expected to mentally assemble all they have learned to make informed and sound evaluations of the material. Some questions involving evaluation might be:

Evaluate the Bill of Rights and determine which is the least necessary for a free society.

Attend a local play and write a critique of the actor's performance.

Visit an art museum and offer suggestions on ways to improve a specific exhibit.

HOTS in Special Education and Reform

Children with learning disabilities can benefit from educational programming that includes HOTS. Historically, their disabilities engendered lowered expectations from teachers and other professionals and led to more low-order thinking goals enforced by drill and repetition activities. However, children with learning disabilities can develop the higher-level thinking skills that teach them how to be problem solvers.

Traditional education has favored the acquisition of knowledge, especially among elementary school-age children, over the application of knowledge and critical thinking. Advocates believe that without a basis in fundamental concepts, students cannot learn the skills they will need to survive in the work world.

Reform-minded educators, meanwhile, see the acquisition of problem-solving skills-higher-order thinking-to be essential to this very outcome. Reform-minded curricula, such as the Common Core, have been adopted by a number of states, often amid controversy from traditional education advocates. At heart, these curricula emphasize HOTS, over strict rote memorization as the means to help students achieve their highest potential.

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What Is the HOTS Concept in American Education Reform?

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Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) distinguishes critical thinking skills from low-order learning outcomes. It's popular in American education reform.

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Design and Technologies: An Introduction

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In order to reach the higher level of thinking skills, the lower-order of thinking skills must be achieved first.

If a person is unable to achieve all lower-order thinking skills and move up to higher-order thinking, then this person will not be prepared for real life situations.

This is because lower-order thinking skills only needs to be recalled and slightly understood.

Examples of Lower-order thinking:

- Comprehension of material

- Acquisition of knowledge

For more information on lower order thinking skills you can go here.

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Lower-Order thinking skills - Bloom's Taxonomy

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In order to reach the higher level of thinking skills, the lower-order of thinking skills must be achieved first. If a person is unable to achieve all lower-order thinking skills and move up to higher-order thinking, then this person will not be prepared for real life situations.

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Digital Pedagogy Overview - A Powtoon Creation

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This is a great read that looks to the future of design tech, it is talking about an app for students that lets teachers interact and monitor students work.

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5 Ways Design & Technology Curricula are Changing and How Makers Empire Can Help | Makers Empire

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We've been monitoring what is happening with Design and Technology curricula around the world and we've noticed five big trends K-8 schools need to observe: Focus on the Future, Design Thinking, Maker Pedagogy, Digital Building Materials & Starting Young. Here we unpack them all and show how Makers Empire can help.

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This an idea I have that could be used in the classroom constucting a playground for the school or general public. It would be an excellent design based activity that needs deep thought and problem solving. 

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This an idea I have that could be used in the classroom constucting a playground for the school or general public. It would be an excellent design based activity that needs deep thought and problem solving. 

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Our designer's skills enable us to provide you with a playground that suits your space, budget or any other design constraints. Use their expertise to customise your playground when standard off-the-shelf play units and layouts won't suit.

adventure+ designers have access to a vast range of equipment styles, colours, components and top-quality materials to help you achieve a unique landmark playground that complies with Australian Standards.

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Pocket Park & Play Space Design Australia | adventure+

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Our designer's skills enable us to provide you with a playground that suits your space, budget or any other design constraints. Use their expertise to customise your playground when standard off-the-shelf play units and layouts won't suit.

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The use of CAD has become a staple in the design process and this is a great read that the explains the why and what of this incredible program.

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CAD is a type of software that many industries rely on to create drafts and models. It can be used to design 2D drawings and 3D models with precise measurements. Many industries utilize CAD every single day, including engineering, industrial design, architecture, and product design. The majority of companies and individuals have already adopted CAD for their development cycles, improving their productivity by leaps and bounds.

If you've found yourself considering using CAD software for your business, you're one step closer to improving productivity. There are many types of CAD packages you can buy depending on whether you want to use 2D or 3D CAD and some other factors like price and industry. Or you could consider hiring a CAD freelancer or drafting service to do the work for you. However you end up using CAD, rest assured that you won't regret it.

The Many Benefits of CAD

There are tons of benefits of CAD software. Studies have proven that integrated CAD usage allows product development firms to meet their goals more efficiently. Product development time, product quality, and productivity all improve when using CAD, which translate to reduced manufacturing and product costs.

Here are just a few benefits of CAD in detail.

Increases Productivity

CAD software allows designers to lower production costs, work faster and smarter, and ultimately leads to quicker project completion. Because designers can work more efficiently, companies are able to keep their teams small. This allows organizations to produce high quality, low-cost products and lets them push products out faster, making changes on the fly when necessary. This is a huge advantage in the competitive global marketplace.

Before CAD, designers were forced to draw everything by hand. If they wanted to alter the design, they would have to draw the entire thing again. CAD software allows designers to visualize their designs and test them against real-world variables. Should something need to be changed, they can easily alter the same file.

Higher Quality Designs

Traditionally, when a design didn't function as expected, the team had to go back to the drawing board. The use of CAD allows design teams to control the quality of the final engineered product. It's easy to investigate an error, diagnose the problem, and solve it all using the software before any prototypes are made. This not only saves time, but also money.

This translates to getting your design right the first time rather than having to make multiple iterations of the same design before it comes out as expected.

Reuse and Easily Change Designs

Fashion design is one industry that uses CAD often. It allows designers to create clothes and see how they would fit on virtual models, all without spending a dime on manufacturing. If they need to alter their design in any way, whether that be the material it's made of or the fit, they can do that easily using CAD.

Once they have their main design finished, they can use that same file to produce many versions of the design without having to redraw it. If they want the t-shirt they designed to be reproduced with different logos, it's simply a matter of pasting the logo onto the design.

Easier to Read

A common problem that designers face is communicating their vision through drawings. Paper and pencil drawings tend to be unclear, and team members without a background in industrial design or engineering have a hard time understanding them. CAD drawings are easily read, as they're standardized and organized. Legibility is increased, and there are no issues with reading the drawings.

CAD software produces models that can be used by other departments, including marketing and sales. They are impressive to look at and demonstrate the aesthetics and function of a design without spending money on a prototype. It's an easy way to demonstrate your work and impress investors.

Simplified Sharing

If you're a part of a big team, you know how valuable sharing is. CAD software makes it easy to collaborate with team members. One person can work on the design and send it to another, where they can view the design history to see exactly what was done and how. CAD makes collaborating easy, even for remote teams.

Cloud-based CAD programs are becoming the norm. A survey done by Business Vantage in 2016 found that up to 29% of companies using CAD plan to adopt cloud-based software in the next 3 to 5 years. The number one reason for this is mobility. By using the cloud, CAD users can use the software anywhere with an internet connection, and designs are accessible by anyone with access. Global workplaces will benefit from the use of this tremendously.

Documenting the Design

CAD software is excellent at documenting all aspects of a design. The measurements, angles, and dimensions of a product are all conveniently recorded and saved for future use. Components and subassemblies are also saved and can be used for future designs if need be. You can easily generate a bill of materials to pass on to your manufacturer, and everything is conveniently recorded for you.

What Advantages Does CAD Have Over Technical Sketching?

A common reason that designers use to justify technical sketching is that it produces a more cohesive final product. While this criticism may have had some merit twenty years ago, it no longer works. CAD software has come a long way in the past twenty years, making the design process more integrated and complete than what is possible by hand.

The main advantage of CAD drawing over sketching is that it saves a ton of time. CAD increases the productivity of designers tremendously (it's anywhere between 3:1 and 10:1). Digital drawings are also malleable and easily edited in the same file. Sketches would need to be thrown out and started from the beginning if any changes were required.

Sketching still has its place in the industry. A lot of designers begin with a hand-drawn draft before taking it over to CAD. This lets them combine the benefits of both approaches.

The Limitations of CAD

Skill of the Designer

CAD (and CAM, its counterpart) are tools for a designer to use to create a design. Like all tools, they are only as useful as the one handling them. While a computer can tell you what a design will look like when you use either steel or wood, the user is the one who makes the decision, which inevitably affects function. CAD software also can't tell you which design is more aesthetically pleasing, and in some industries, that overrides function.

Designing Physical Objects in a Virtual Workspace

While CAD and 3D modeling software have come a long way, when designing in the virtual workspace, there is a degree of separation from the physical object that is implied. Designing virtually allows the user to create perfection without concerning themselves with real-world constraints. The designer who only creates things virtually will have less of an understanding of the product and the actual process. They are using technology to design.

A woodworker who designs a table in the real world, using manual measurements and drafts, has a better understanding of the process and the product. This is not necessarily a limitation of the software itself. Rather, it breeds a certain type of designer. The best designers are able to design without CAD, using it only as a tool and not a crutch.

Ready to Use CAD for Your Project?

If you've decided that you want to hire a CAD designer for your next project, we can help. Cad Crowd has a roster of freelancers with advanced CAD skills ready to work for you. Contact us for a free quote!

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CAD is a type of software that many industries rely on to create drafts and models. It can be used to design 2D drawings and 3D models with precise measurements. Many industries utilize CAD every single day, including engineering, industrial design, architecture, and product design.

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This is an article that connects pedagogy and design, it is a New Zealand website but the information is very useful.

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Pedagogy is the "how" of teaching. Together with content knowledge, it forms the core of the body of professional practice.
An effective learning environment

An effective learning environment is one that puts the learning at the centre. It encourages students to become 'agentic learners', who are able to monitor, evaluate and optimise their knowledge and skills to become efficient, innovative and creative thinkers and producers.

Creating a supportive learning environment in digital technologies

A supportive learning environment is:

structured and well-designed

personalised and acutely sensitive to individual and group differences

meaningful, relevant and authentic to the learner, and offers real-world problems and/or scenarios

social in its nature.

Learning is effective when it takes place in group settings, when students collaborate as an explicit part of the learning environment and when there is a connection to community.

Key competencies

The New Zealand Curriculum identifies five key competencies that people use in order to live, learn, work, and contribute as active members of their communities: thinking; using language, symbols, and text; managing self; relating to others; and participating and contributing. Inquiry-based learning supports the development of each of these competencies. For example:

By making decisions about the focus of their inquiry and deciding on an outcome that reflects their learning, students develop the key competency of thinking.

By conducting research and exploring a range of stories, students develop the key competency of using language, symbols, and text.

By establishing inquiry goals, making plans, and managing projects, students develop the key competency of managing self.

By recognising differing points of view, negotiating, and sharing ideas, students develop the key competency of relating to others.

By sharing their learning with their communities or developing an outcome that can have an impact on their communities, students develop the key competency of participating and contributing.

Project-based learning

Individual knowledge construction occurs through the process of interaction, negotiation and cooperation. The emotional and cognitive dimensions are inextricably entwined, as such, it is important to be attuned to students' motivations and the key role of emotions in their learning. Inquiry-based learning and/or project-based learning can be used to support students to become more engaged and/or motivated in their learning.

Digital technologies lends itself to a project-based learning approach, one which provides the opportunity for students to be credentialed for their learning from a variety of Digital Technologies achievement standards.

Inquiry-based learning

A stated intent of The New Zealand Curriculum is to develop students who value innovation, inquiry, and curiosity through encouraging them to think critically, creatively, and reflectively (page 10). Inquiry-based learning aligns well with this intent because it fosters students' creativity, independence, and problem-solving skills. Throughout the inquiry process, students reflect both on their learning and on the process of inquiry itself.

The New Zealand Curriculum gives schools the scope, flexibility, and authority they need to design and shape their curriculum so that teaching and learning is meaningful and beneficial to their particular communities of students. Inquiry-based learning is one way for teachers to respond to the particular needs, interests, and talents of individuals and groups of students in their classes.

Inquiry-based learning encourages students to move beyond the classroom in their learning and provides scope for them to tackle authentic (real-life) problems within their own communities. This makes their learning both relevant and meaningful.

Cross curricular connections

Digital Technologies has connections across all learning areas. Appropriate contexts for learning will be chosen by schools for their relevance and utility.

In years 11-13, students work with fewer contexts in greater depth. This requires them to continue to draw fully on learning from other disciplines. For example, students working within electronics will need to refer to science, and students working on a gaming project will find that an understanding of maths is invaluable.

Cross-curricular learning ensures that conceptual understanding is gained, is more relevant, and is able to be linked better to other learning areas, ensuring a well-rounded educated student.

Co-constructing learning

Ako

One of the key strengths of inquiry-based learning is that its starting point involves students identifying areas of personal interest. The process of inquiry is adaptive, and shared decision-making fosters deeper, more authentic learning opportunities. This approach contributes to the development of ako, a teaching and learning relationship in which the teacher and the learner learn from each other. In a reciprocal learning relationship, teachers are not expected to know everything; as the inquiry process unfolds, teachers are taken on a journey of discovery along with their students.

An example of an inquiry process is outlined in figure 2.

Example steps for conducting an inquiry

Examples for each step include:

Questions - What is the inquiry focus? This can be provided or decided by the student(s).
The focus must allow students to question a broad range of information where they can demonstrate/show their creativity, independent learning, and problem-solving skills. Throughout the inquiry process, students reflect both on the information gathered and on the process they will use to propose a DT outcome that links to the inquiry itself.

Once the focus has been decided, they develop 1-2 questions that will guide their inquiry

Find out - The focus must allow for development of inquiry question(s) that allows students to generate ideas and/or solutions. Students will need to research, investigate and find out information that will support them to answer their questions

Make meaning - Through reflection, students need to organise and analyse their findings and put together a coherent idea

Take action - students propose an outcome that uses their digital technologies knowledge and/or skills

Share and reflect - Students summarise their findings in relation to the initial inquiry questions(s) and proposed outcome. It may be appropriate to share this information with the community or users that might be interested in their outcome.

Examples of teaching and learning programmes

It is suggested that teachers give consideration to the full suite of Digital Technologies achievement standards when developing their teaching and learning programmes.

Some examples of an inquiry-based learning approach which embeds a range Digital Technologies achievement standards could include:

Digital marketing - develop an original digital outcome to promote a product

Demonstrate understanding of human computer interaction

3

Evaluate a range of websites in terms of usability heuristics and suggest improvements by comparing and contrasting related website interfaces.

Teen drink driving

Drug culture

Mobile phone addiction

Bullying

The dangers of peer pressure

Positive body image

Developing a design for a digital outcome will require the students to apply the knowledge they developed through their research and evaluate a range of websites in terms of usability heuristics. Students will apply their prior knowledge of usability heuristics to develop designs for their website on a teen issue. Students will generate a range of design ideas and use feedback to refine their design. They will select and justify a final design to support the development of a digital media outcome.

Develop a digital media outcome requires students to use appropriate tools, techniques and design elements to develop a fit for purpose outcome (i.e. a multi-page website). They will apply an iterative process to develop, test and refine their website to ensure it functions as intended and meets end user requirements.

This web design project provides an ideal opportunity for students to demonstrate understanding of compression coding. Students could use their experience of image manipulation and compression to discuss the difference between lossy and lossless compression.

Digital technologies is a multidisciplinary subject, which has strong connections with many other learning areas. Opportunities exist for links to be made between Digital technologies and other learning areas and subjects including: the Sciences, Education for Sustainability, Social Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics and Media Studies.

Integrated inquiry-based projects can be initiated through Digital Technologies teachers joining with other teachers from other learning areas to jointly plan the learning; or teachers from other learning areas could teach aspects of the integrated project as part of their regular programme.

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Pedagogy is the "how" of teaching. Together with content knowledge, it forms the core of the body of professional practice. An effective learning environment An effective learning environment is one that puts the learning at the centre.

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A great read that dives into the benifits of mind mapping. It also looks at the benefits of using technology to mind map.

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Mind Mapping is an effective creative thinking tool loved by over 250 million people around the world - and it's something that most of us are familiar with (whether we initially realize it or not). Whether you called it a 'brainstorm' or a 'spider diagram', chances are you've used Mind Maps throughout your education and working life to brainstorm ideas for a presentation, structure an essay or report, plan a meeting, or even revise for an important exam.

One of the earliest documented examples of Mind Mapping can be traced back to philosopher Porphyry of Tyros in the 3rd century BCE, who used it to organize the works of the great thinker, Aristotle. Mind Maps have remained popular to this very day (with Al Gore and Bill Gates being fans of the technique), and this is due to the fact that they are proven to boost our productivity, creativity and memory.

"So, what is Mind Mapping and how does it work exactly? Can't I just stick to my lists and my conventional tried and tested techniques?" you ask? With many people being visual thinkers, Mind Maps can bring them countless benefits that you won't get from a simple list.

Radiant thinking: Mind Maps explained

In its simplest form, a Mind Map is a collection of ideas that have been put into the format of a visual diagram. Starting with a central idea or topic in the middle of the map, branches radiate from the center containing further themes and concepts to be explored - typically in the form of words, short phrases, and images. This gives Mind Maps a natural organizational structure.

In a Mind Map, information is structured in a way that mirrors exactly how the brain functions - in a radiant rather than linear manner. It literally 'maps' out your thoughts, using associations, connections, and triggers to stimulate further ideas. They make it easier to extract your ideas from your head into something visible and structured.

Research shows that the brain likes to work on the basis of association, and it will connect every idea, memory or piece of information to tens, hundreds and even thousands of other ideas and concepts. This is why Mind Maps are beneficial for countless tasks.

Below, we will critically discuss how you can use Mind Maps to aid in various processes, such as memorizing information, conducting presentations and solving problems.

Memory

Mind Maps involve a unique combination of imagery, color and visual-spatial arrangement which is proven to significantly improve recall when compared to conventional methods of note-taking and learning by rote. Ayoa's Mind Mapping tool is faithful to these beneficial features, giving you the option to create quick box-style or highly creative maps with adjustable curvilinear branches, as well as add images and emojis, and change the color of your branches and text.

Don't just take our word for it - countless studies prove that this creative thinking technique is a highly effective tool for improving memory. Some of these are outlined below:

A study by Farrand, Hussain, and Hennessey (2002)¹ found that Mind Mapping improved the long-term memory of factual information in medical students by 10%. They reported that "Mind Maps provide an effective study technique when applied to written material" and that they are likely to "encourage a deeper level of processing" for better memory formation.

Research by Toi (2009)² shows that Mind Mapping can help children recall words more effectively than using lists, with improvements in memory of up to 32%.

Glass and Holyoak (1986)³ found that by gathering and highlighting key branches within a boundary, such as a highlight cloud, you're using a memory technique known as 'chunking'. Our short-term memory is on average only capable of storing seven items of information and chunking can help us use this storage space more effectively.

Creativity

Mind Maps really come into their own when it comes to encouraging creativity and enabling you to generate new ideas in brainstorming sessions. This is because the spatial layout of a Mind Map helps you gain a better overview, making new connections more visible so you can create an infinite number of thoughts, ideas, links, and associations on any topic. Adding images to a map can also aid in this process by acting as visual stimuli. Images are processed instantly by the brain, enabling us to quickly make associations and recall information.

A study by Al-Jarf (2009)⁴ proves that Mind Mapping software (such as Ayoa) offers a powerful approach for students to improve their ability to generate, visualize and organize ideas. The students involved in the study reported that the Mind Mapping tool encouraged creative thinking and they became faster at generating and organizing ideas for their writing.

According to Margulies (1991)⁵ before children learn a language, they visualize pictures in their minds which are linked to concepts. Unfortunately, once children are trained to write only words in one color, on lined paper, their creative channels and mental flexibility diminishes. Using images, like you would in Mind Maps, keeps this creativity fired up.

Learning

Mind Maps are a great aid in learning for countless reasons. Because they encourage the brain to make associations between different keywords, phrases and images, they can be used by students to brainstorm ideas for creative projects (either alone or within a group), as well as help them to plan and structure work such as essays, reports and presentations. Mind Maps are also a great revision aid due to the fact that they can be used to break down complex information and improve memorization and recall.

Goodnough and Woods (2002)⁶ discovered that students perceived using the technique as a fun, interesting and motivating approach to learning. Several students attributed the fun aspect to the opportunity to be creative when creating maps through a variety of choices in color, symbols, keywords, and design.

Mind Mapping has been shown to bring a renewed sense of enthusiasm to the classroom because it increases student confidence and sense of skill in mastering assigned materials (Mento et al, 1999)⁷.

Teaching

As a pedagogical (learning) tool, the visibility of Mind Mapping provides an effective approach to promoting better understanding in students. The flexibility of this tool means that it possesses several uses in the classroom, such as for teachers explaining work to students in lessons, and devising future lesson plans and revision guides. Using Mind Mapping software in the classroom is also a successful way to support children's exploration and presentation of ideas.

In a study, Ralston and Cook (2007)⁸ found that an exercise involving Mind Mapping software provided a useful focus for pupils to organize their thoughts and to present information clearly and attractively. It also facilitated communication between pupils.

Ayoa's Mind Mapping tools are flexible and easy to use, making them a great aid for educators and students at all levels. A teacher from Ysgol Gyfun Bro Morgannwg School in Wales in the UK has noted that: "[Mind Mapping in] iMindMap [now Ayoa] facilitates teachers when explaining work as they can pictorially represent a lesson plan, while for students it encourages freedom of expression when planning their work."

Planning and organization

Evidence shows that Mind Mapping can be used to help you plan and organize your thinking before you start writing or get stuck into a project. This is because you can use the technique to develop all your ideas and see where they relate to each other before deciding the best way to go about the task at hand.

A study by Holland et al (2003/2004)⁹ found Mind Mapping to be a useful technique for helping students to plan their essays and projects more effectively. By using Mind Maps, students were able to improve the overall structure, coherence and, consequently, the quality of their written work, and they were able to draw value from the technique for project managing practical work.

Presenting

How does Mind Mapping work for improving presentation skills? In a study, Mento et al (1999)¹⁰ discovered that executive students using only Mind Maps for presentations were able to handle challenging questions with confidence. This is due to the fact that the students could internalize the information more effectively because of the Mind Map's unique representation of it. Thus, they had better recall of the information they needed because it had been captured and stored in an integrated, radiating manner rather than a linear one.

In addition to this, a study by The Wharton School (1981)¹¹ had previously proved the benefits of utilizing visual elements in presentations and tightly integrating them with words. Presenters who used visual language were perceived by the audience as being more effective than those that did not. Not only were these presenters said to be clearer and more concise, but they also appeared to be more concise, interesting, professional and credible to boot.

A Mind Map is an excellent tool for collaborating with others to develop plans or implement key projects. It allows you to harness the input of all members of a group in a dynamic and creative way, so all ideas or statements can be recorded in an appropriate place within the Mind Map and discussed openly at a sensible time.

Zampetakis et al (2007)¹² found that students preferred to work with Mind Maps in teams. This allowed them to develop synergistic interaction, assemble collective knowledge and work with a group minded attitude. The flow of communications between group members also contributed to the creative process.

Ayoa makes it extremely easy to collaborate with your team, giving you the ability to share your Mind Maps with others with view-only or editing permissions. Users can also vote for their favorite ideas within a map, and the branches of your Mind Map can also be turned into tasks which can then be delegated to other users with Due Dates assigned.

Problem-solving

A Mind Map can help you think with greater clarity to explore relationships between ideas and the different elements of an argument, as well as generate solutions to problems. It puts a new perspective on things by allowing you to see all the relevant issues and analyze choices in light of the big picture. It also makes it easier to integrate new knowledge and organize information logically as you're not tied to a rigid structure.

Mueller et al (2002)¹³ have discovered how the use of Mind Maps to plan patient care at Front Range Community College has resulted in enhanced thinking skills including critical thinking, whole-brain thinking, and comprehensive thinking. The strategy promoted holistic care planning by focusing on the patient as the center of the care plan and by enabling interconnections to be made between related nursing diagnoses and patient care data.

Additionally, Mind Mapping brings together your 'left brain' (which is thought to be associated with words, logic, numbers and linearity) and your 'right brain' skills (which are associated with curves, color, rhythm, images and space), making your brain's performance more synergetic. This means that each cortical skill enhances the performance of other areas so that the brain is working at its optimum level.

How to harness the benefits Mind Mapping

Although Mind Maps are conventionally drawn by hand, using software can make the process faster and easier than ever. With Mind Mapping in Ayoa, you can create a map in minutes and easily share it with others so they can review your work, or even add their own comments and suggestions. With Ayoa being available on various devices (including iOS and Android), and Mind Maps being able to be exported into PDFs, you can also access your creations wherever you are.

Harnessing this technique (which has been scientifically researched and documented) has culminated in a software tool that is truly effective in increasing our thinking abilities, enhancing creativity and improving memory. Ayoa also goes one step further than other Mind Mapping software available on the market by offering highly effective Task Management capabilities and an Instant Messaging function all in one app.
Ayoa can enhance a whole array of activities, including organizing, creating, innovating, planning, presenting, note-taking, learning, structuring, communicating, problem-solving and project managing. Find out more about Ayoa's features or get started for free today. Want more advice on Mind Mapping? Check out our guide on how to Mind Map.
References

1. Anokhin P.K. (1973), The forming of natural and artificial intelligence. Impact of Science in Society, Vol. XXIII 3.
2. Farrand, P., Hussain, F. and Hennessy E. (2002), The efficacy of the 'mind map' study technique. Medical Education, Vol. 36 (5), pp 426-431.
3. Toi, H (2009), Research on how Mind Map improves Memory. Paper presented at the International Conference on Thinking, Kuala Lumpur, 22nd to 26th June 2009.
4. Glass, A.L. and Holyoak, K.J. (1986), Cognition. New York: Random House.
5. Al-Jarf, R. (2009), Enhancing Freshman students' Writing Skills with a Mind Mapping software. Paper presented at the 5th International Scientific Conference, eLearning and Software for 6. Education, Bucharest, April 2009.
Margulies, S. (1991), Mapping Inner Space: Learning and Teaching Mind Mapping. Zephyr, Tucson, AZ.
Goodnough, K. and Woods, R. (2002), Student and Teacher Perceptions of Mind Mapping: A Middle School Case Study Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, 1st to 5th April 2002.
Mento, A. J., Martinelli, P. and Jones R. M. (1999), Mind Mapping in Executive Education: Applications and Outcomes. The Journal of Management Development, Vol. 18, Issue 4.
Ralston, J. and Cook, D. (2007), Collaboration, ICT and Mind Mapping. Reflecting Education, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp 61-73.
Holland, B., Holland, L. and Davies, J. (2003/2004), An investigation into the concept of Mind Mapping and the use of Mind Mapping software to support and improve student academic performance. Learning and Teaching Projects 2003/2004, pp 89-94.
The Wharton School (1981), A Study of the Effects of the Use of Overhead Transparencies on Business Meetings.Wharton Applied Research Center, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Zampetakis, L. A., Tsironis, L. and Moustakis, V. (2007), Creativity Development in Engineering Education: The Case of Mind Mapping. Journal of Management Development, Vol. 26, No. 4, pp 370-380.
Mueller, A., Johnston, M. and Bligh, D. (2002), Joining Mind Mapping and Care Planning to Enhance Student Critical Thinking and Achieve Holistic Nursing Care. Nursing Diagnosis, 13, 1, pg. 24.

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Why Mind Mapping works: the benefits of Mind Mapping - Ayoa Blog

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Mind Mapping is an effective creative thinking tool loved by over 250 million people around the world - and it's something that most of us are familiar with (whether we initially realize it or not).

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A great article that gives insight into the SAMR ladder and how to implement key parts of it in the classroom.