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Thinking Critically with Kialo Edu
Kialo Edu: https://www.kialo-edu.com/
Platform(s): iOS, Chrome OS, Website
Category: Teacher Apps, Media Literacy, and Critical Thinking
Grades: 7-12
Cost: Free!
Rating: 5 Stars (Common Sense Education Learning & Community)
Description: Kialo Edu, an online argument mapping and debate tool, allows students to practice their critical thinking skills; explain their understanding of topics; and interact constructively with others. Free to use, it provides teachers a platform for hosting open discussions, assessing learning with a feedback option, and designing collaborative teams for multiple classes. Setting up the discussion board, teachers may choose to make it public (open to the world) or private (targeted to chosen group or class). The site allows multiple options for exploration of a topic. For example, there is an interactive tree of pro and con arguments where students can respond to a question only after thinking critically about its answer. Instead of a simple yes or no to the question, “Was the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” sane?”, students must give a rationale for replying to both options. Within their justification for each pro/con, they provide support (e.g., text evidence, link to an online source, etc.), read their classmates’ posts, and ultimately reach a final answer to the question. Check out the discussion board at http://tinyurl.com/sa5ps5ws. Caution: Getting comfortable with Kialo Edu will take time. Be sure to check out their guide which offers step-by-step directions at http://tinyurl.com/6w8zn2rw
Melissa Comer, is a Professor of Literacy at Tennessee Tech University,
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