C. Investigation of Problems

In addition to helping students find information, digital tools are widely used in core school subjects to support students' critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making. In language arts courses, for example, students use online graphic organizers, word processors, and media as they read, analyze, and draw conclusions about various texts. They launch discussions on wikis to stimulate a rich consideration of topics prior to class time and to give students who are less confident in face-to-face situations the opportunity to be major contributors. In social science courses, students use databases and spreadsheets to create tables and graphs as they analyze and compare population densities in different historical periods. In science and mathematics, students use spreadsheets, visualization and modeling tools, digital probeware, and presentation tools to gather and interpret data on science and health issues.

This sub-area is closely related to the previous one, Information Research, but the focus here is on problem solving and critical thinking as opposed to searching for information. In practice, of course, the two sets of skills will often be applied at the same time, but for the purpose of assessment it is useful to keep them separate.

Since schools are society's means of preparing students for the world, many of the ways that students use digital tools reflect the way that professionals use similar tools to solve various practical problems, such as environmental issues, political conflicts, and economic challenges. In these cases, digital tools may be used to present the challenge scenario; to guide students in formulating the requirements of the challenge to be addressed; and to allow students to ask and answer significant questions, to exchange views with other students, sometimes in other cities or countries, to collect and analyze data, and then to develop and test various solutions through simulations. Other uses of digital tools in schools involve practical applications designed to prepare students for the responsibilities of adulthood.

Key principles in the area of Investigation of Problems that all students can be expected to understand at increasing levels of sophistication are as follows:

• Digital tools can be very helpful in generating ideas and solving problems in academic subjects as well as in researching practical problems.
• Digital models can be used to create simulations and test solutions.
• Digital tools can be used to conduct experiments and investigate practical problems.

Fourth-grade students should be able to use a variety of information and communication technologies to investigate a local or otherwise familiar issue and to generate, present, and advocate for possible solutions. They should also be able to use digital tools to test hypotheses in various subject areas and to build models of simple systems.

Eighth-grade students should be able to use digital tools to identify and research a global issue and to identify and compare different possible solutions. They should also be able to use digital tools in testing hypotheses of moderate complexity in various subject areas in which they gather, analyze, and display data and draw conclusions. They should also be able to explore authentic issues by building models and conducting simulations in which they vary certain quantities to test "what if" scenarios.

Twelfth-grade students should be able to use digital tools to research global issues and to fully investigate the pros and cons of different approaches. They should be able to design and conduct complex investigations in various subject areas using a variety of digital tools to collect, analyze, and display information and be able to explain the rationale for the approaches they used in designing the investigation as well as the implications of the results. Twelfth-grade students should also be able to conduct simulations, draw conclusions based on the results, and critique the conclusions based on adequacy of the model to represent the actual problem situation.