Digital Competency: Solving Diverse Problems via Digital Technology

The Solving Diverse Problems via Digital Technology dimension focuses on using digital technology strategically to solve complex problems and come up with innovative solutions. It goes hand in hand with the Developing and Mobilizing Technological Skills dimension. Elements include understanding a problem, collaborative solutions, creative problem-solving, and evaluation of approach. As a teacher, these elements might look something like this: 

• Using data analysis tools: Using digital tools to analyze student progress, identify learning difficulties, and adapt your teaching accordingly. Here are a few tools to consider: PowerSchool, Gradelink, Kahoot!, Mentimeter, Tableau Public, and Formative. 
• Leveraging online collaboration to solve teaching challenges: Participating in online communities of practice (link in French) or using collaboration platforms to share ideas and resources, and to find solutions to complex pedagogical problems.
• Following digital innovations: Exploring new digital tools and approaches to improve your practice and solve problems related to classroom management, communication with parents, learning assessments, and more.
• Designing problem-based learning scenarios: Creating educational activities that challenge students to solve problems using digital technology, in order to help them strengthen their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. 

As students become adept in this area, their behaviour should look something like this:

• Situational analysis: Learning to accurately assess a problem, identify pertinent information, and formulate clear questions.  
• Exploration of different solutions: Exploring different approaches and using digital technology to simulate, model, or prototype solutions.  
• Strategic use of digital tools: Choosing the digital tools best suited to the problem they need to solve and using them effectively. 
• Collaboration and communication: Working with peers, sharing ideas, asking for help, and clearly explaining their solutions.  
• Evaluation and adjustment: Assessing the effectiveness of their solutions, identifying areas for improvement, and adjusting their approach accordingly.
• Creativity and innovation: Finding original and creative solutions, taking advantage of what digital technology has to offer. 

To effectively teach problem-solving with digital technology, you must give students challenges with real-world applications that interest them. Your role is to provide guidance and encourage them to explore, collaborate, and creatively use digital tools to come up with innovative solutions. The goal is to make students more autonomous and prepare them to solve the complex issues of our modern times.  

There are countless resources to help you teach this dimension, ranging from simulation platforms and data visualization tools to activities based on real-life scenarios:

• Use visual programming platforms like Scratch or Blockly to introduce students to problem-solving through game creation and interactive animation.
• Explore interactive simulations that allow students to experiment with science and math concepts and solve problems by manipulating variables:
  • PhET Interactive Simulations  
  • GeoGebra 
  • Gizmos  

• Introduce data visualization tools like Google Sheets or Tableau Public to help students analyze real data and draw conclusions to solve real-life problems.
• Organize educational robotics challenges with tools like LEGO Mindstorms and VEX Robotics to encourage students to design and code solutions to movement or manipulation problems.
• Use project management platforms like Trello and Asana to organize the steps involved in solving complex problems and promote collaboration among students.
• Plan creative design activities using digital whiteboards like Miro or Mural that enable your students to brainstorm, create mind maps, prototype solutions, and gather feedback.
• Boost your students’ motivation and engagement by encouraging them to sign up for online coding and problem-solving competitions, such as Desmos (French site), CodeCombat, and Bebras.

 

• Create projects where students design digital solutions to meet real needs in their community (for example, develop an app to help students get organized or build a website to promote a local initiative).
• Encourage students to answer other students’ questions on Alloprof’s Help Zone and to use Alloprof’s many tools and Ask a Teacher service to solve their own questions and problems. 

As a teacher, there are a multitude of available tools to use digital technology for problem solving. Here are just a few:  

• Kreo Consumes for a Sustainable Future! challenge using ScratchJr. For preschool, lower elementary, and special education students. More advanced Kreo challenges are available here.  
• AI for the Oceans: Students clean up oceans by training AI to detect waste. This activity teaches students about training data and biases, and how AI can help solve global problems. For Grade 3 elementary students and up.
• Mathigon and Polypad offer online activities and games for visualizing and practising math concepts. For all grades.
• MAT-5173 Lieux géométriques : Où sommes-nous exactement? (in French): A learning activity on geometric representation in a fundamental context using Geogebra. For Secondary V students. 
• Micro:bit race car (in French): An ST-EST energy performance activity where students determine the energy yield, potential energy, maximum speed, and kinetic energy of a race car as it moves along an inclined plane. For Secondary IV students. 
• Micro:bit automated greenhouse project (in French): Students use coding and the Micro:bit micro remote to control experimental parameters that could affect the growth of selected plants. For Secondary I to V students.
• Use digital technology to solve deconstructed math problems with your students. For all grades.