Introduction to Bloom's Taxonomy and Technology

Benjamin Bloom was born in 1913 and was known for his work in the field of psychology. Bloom was a very educated man in his field with an undergraduate in psychology along with a Master's degree from Penn State. Bloom then moved to Chicago, Illinois where he obtained his Ph. D from the University of Chicago in 1942 with a focus on the field of Education.

Bloom created the taxonomy for educational objectives for both cognitive and effective domains. It is said that Bloom revolutionized the process of lesson planning for classroom teaching and that process soon became a standard for describing objectives (Sprinthall, 2002). Bloom felt that early development of learning help to nurture intellectual growth. "A lifetime of significant scholarship for educational psychology perhaps sums up his valuable contributions to the field" (Sprinthall, 2002).

Using Technology to Explain Bloom's Taxonomy

In this blog, the students in learning team B will use a variety of multimedia to help explain Bloom's Taxonomy.

Bloom's Taxonomy is a scientific approach to thinking and education in general. In 1956, a professor and educational psychologist developed a way to organize and understand the learning process. He stated that learning fits into specific three domains, the Cognitive domain, the Affective domain, and the Psychomotor domain. The following two links are videos that help explain Bloom's Taxonomy:

 

Using Bloom's Taxonomy in the 21st Century

Since its development in 1956, Bloom's Taxonomy has been translated into multiple languages and is one of the most commonly used pedagogies today. Over the years though, Bloom's pedagogy has been revised and updated several times.

The latest revisions to the taxonomy are in large part a response to innovations in computer technology and the Internet. Both technologies have had a major impact on education over the past several decades. Educators now use Web 2.0 tools and applications, such as, wikis, blogs, multimedia, social networking, and numerous others to facilitate remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

Today, educators commonly use Bloom's Digital Taxonomy when deciding which technology and strategies will be most effective for instruction and learning. This revised taxonomy accounts for the new "behaviour and actions emerging as technology advances and becomes more ubiquitous" (Churches, 2013, Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, para. 1). There are a variety of tools and applications for educators to choose from, including apps for Ipads and other Apple computing devices, Google apps for online PC users, and apps for Android handheld systems.     


Image credit: 
Faculty ecommons. (2013). Retrieved from http://facultyecommons.org/technology-the-answer-to-3-educational-challenges/

Bloom's Digital Taxonomy: Revised for 21st Century Technology

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills website (2013) outlines several key learning and thinking proficiencies that are considered to be fundamental to success. Those skills include critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, creativity, innovation, and collaboration skills. These skills are critical for both learners and professionals. Bloom's Digital Taxonomy is a revision of the pedagogy to account for 21st technology.

This short video (below) discusses how educators today are combining the elements Bloom's Digital Taxonomy with Web 2.0 tools and other interactive applications to facilitate remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.  

                                                                               Video: Jromeroca, (2012)

Using interactive tools such as those discussed in the video help learners advance from lower order thinking skills (LOTS) to higher order thinking skills (HOTS). There are a variety of resources, tools, and applications available online for educators to use when deciding which strategies to use to facilitate remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. For more information about Bloom's Digital Taxonomy and the variety of tools and applications available, follow the links listed below.  


Links relevant to Bloom's Digital Taxonomy tools and applications:
http://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html
http://www.p21.org/home

Conclusion

In this blog, a variety of multimedia tools, including, audio, visual, text, and graphics have been used to discuss Bloom's Taxonomy. The discussion included an introduction to Bloom's Taxonomy, as it was originally developed in 1956, and how it was used to categorize learning into three specific domains: Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor. 

There was also a discussion about how Bloom's pedagogy has been revised and updated several times over the past several decades, and that the latest revisions to the taxonomy are in large part a response to innovations in computer technology and the Internet. Bloom's Digital Taxonomy is a revision of the original pedagogy to account for 21st technology. 

Educators today are combining the elements Bloom's Digital Taxonomy with Web 2.0 tools and other interactive applications to facilitate remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.
  
Facilitating effective learning is a challenging process. When Web 2.0 tools and other interactive technology are used in concert with instructional strategies that are based on an understanding of how learning occurs (Bloom's Taxonomy), learners are more likely to advance from lower order thinking skills (LOTS) to higher order thinking skills (HOTS). They are also more likely to persist.

References

Churches, A., (2013). Educational Origami. Retrieved from http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy

Educational Origami. (2013). Bloom's Digital Taxonomy. Retrieved from http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy 

Jromeroca. (2012, February 20). Bloom's Taxonomy Technology Pyramid [Video File]. Retrieved from Youtube website: http://youtube.be/ZZHBAZahTGs

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/about-us/our-mission

Sprinthall, Norman, and Sprinthall (2002). Biography of Benjamin Bloom retreived September 28, 2013    from http://www.animukerji.com/newfaculty201/bloom_bio.htm

YouTube. (2013). Bloom's Taxonomy. Retrieved from http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfp3x_qx5IM

YouTube. (2013). Bloom's Taxonomy. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSFCEXMwtY0