Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/626227
E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y 6 THINK THOUGHTFULLY By Sandra L. Love, Ed.D., Director of Education Insight and Research, Mentoring Minds, former elementary principal and recipient of the National Distinguished Principal Award. Critical thinking. Creativity. Collaboration. Communication. How can educators inte- grate these 21st century skills in classrooms? An authority in the field of thinking, Edward de Bono, shares a concept in his book "Six Thinking Hats" that can serve as a unique strat- egy for teachers to engage stu- dents in whole- and small- group discussions about the real world. Six hat colors signal different types of thinking required by the students. A poster representing the six colors may be displayed in the classroom with descrip- tions that explain the thinking required when a particular hat is called upon to 'speak.' White Hat – information, facts Red Hat – emotions, feelings Yellow Hat – benefits, advantages, pluses Black Hat – critical viewpoints, disad- vantages, minuses Green Hat – new ideas, creativity, innovation Blue Hat – overview, summarization, process organizer During a discussion, the six hats may be repeatedly used in any sequence. White Hat thinkers present objective facts or the information they know about the topic; Red Hat thinkers share their emotions about the topic; Yellow Hat thinkers are optimistic and share positive points; Black Hat thinkers tell why an idea might not work or what obstacles might arise; Green Hat thinkers generate solutions or creative ideas; Blue Hat thinkers are active listeners and move the discussion forward. The teacher may ask certain thinking hats to contribute again, before the Blue Hat thinkers summarize what has been shared by each of the groups and form a conclusion. The hat strategy maintains produc- tivity during a discussion while also serving as a class- room management tool to keep students on topic. Discussion topics might relate to content areas or con- nect to today's world inside and outside the classroom. An example might be: Should students be allowed to bring cell phones to school? Option 1: Students participate in a whole- or small-group discussion about the topic, communicating only the thoughts associated with the thinking hat designated by the teacher (e.g., Let's begin our discussion with White Hat thinking. I want to hear your Red Hat thoughts, but this is not the appropriate time. Next, I would like to hear Yellow Hat thinking.). Once students understand the thinking process, a Blue Hat thinker may facilitate discussions. Option 2: Students are divided into six groups, with each group assigned a different color of the six thinking hats. After the teacher selects a topic, each group collaborates using the assigned hat to focus their thoughts. Then, each group member shares an individual perspective or the group's designee may present the collective ideas that emerge from the dis- cussion. The Blue Hat thinkers offer an overview, orchestrate the thinking process and conclude the discussion. Visit Mentoring Minds at booth #759. SECURAM INTRODUCES GENESIS TOUCH SMARTLOCK Securam Systems, a leader in electronic security, is pleased to introduce the Genesis Touch SmartLock, incorporating the latest biometric authenti- cation – Finger Vein ID. Finger Vein ID technol- ogy goes well beyond fin- gerprint scanning – it ana- lyzes the blood vessel or vascular pattern below the epidermal layer of your fin- ger, and then using its unique matching algorithm, validates entry to only enrolled users. Blood vessel patterns are unique to each individual, as are other biometric data such as fingerprints or the patterns of the iris. However, unlike some bio- metric systems, blood vessel patterns are almost impossible to counterfeit because they are located beneath the skin's sur- face. Biometric systems based on finger- prints can be fooled with a dummy finger fitted with a copied fingerprint. The fin- ger vein ID system is much harder to fool and it requires the finger of a living per- son to authenticate. The Genesis Touch represents a breakthrough in high security authentica- tion for home or office use. This technol- ogy was once only available on high-end security equipment used by high tech companies. SecuRam Systems is the first security company to successfully incorporate this very secure bio- metric authentication system into access control products for every- day use. Simply touch the Genesis Scanner and then the science goes to work to determine if you are an enrolled user. A positive match sends a signal to the Genesis Touch SmartLock to open immediately, allowing fast and secure access to your home or office. With optional home automation con- nectivity, you can manage and monitor your Genesis Touch SmartLock from your smartphone. Genesis Touch: highly secure, easy- to-use biometric technology to protect those most precious to you. Genesis SmartLocks come in a vari- ety of finishes and options.