This power point shows the way that the internet has changed critical thinking in adults and young children.

1. The Internet’s Effect on Critical
Thinking and Learning
Presented By:
Jodi Ripley, Karan Muns, Shaun Hensley

2. What is Critical Thinking?
• The intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing,
applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or
generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a
guide to belief and action (University of Tennessee, Chattanooga)
• In the layman’s terms, critical thinking is the ability of a person to problem solve,
gather information from context clues, decipher which information is pertinent, and
using logic to summon a logical conclusion

3. Eight Components of Critical Thinking
1. Asking Questions
2. Determining the Problem
3. Examining Evidence
4. Analyzing Assumptions and
Biases
5. Avoiding Emotional Reasoning
6. Avoiding Over Simplification
7. Considering Other Interpretations
8. Tolerating Ambiguity
(University of Tennessee, Chattanooga)

4. Why is Critical Thinking So Important to Children
• Problem Solving
• Understanding Information
• Making Informed Decisions

5. Problem Solving
• Critical thinking in children is an important aspect for daily living that needs to be
formed and nurtured early on to provide the individual with a better base to draw
upon when making choices. Research has found that more often a student is
exposed to critical thinking; the greater the student will transfer critical thinking to
other areas of their life (Importance of Critical Thinking, 2005). Critical thinking
skills give students the ability to not only understand what they have read or been
shown but they will also have the ability to build upon their current knowledge base
(Importance of Critical Thinking, 2005).This empowers students to be independent,
innovative, creative and also helps them succeed in school and in daily life
(Importance of Critical Thinking, 2005).

6. Understanding and Interpreting Information
• Using critical thinking can help to improve decision making and judgement
in general, critical thinking can also be thought of as reasoned thinking with
a purpose. Some of the core critical thinking processes should include;
• An understanding that your opinions could be incorrect
• Accepting statements as factual even when they conflict with your views
• The temporary adoption of a position that you disagree with and then reason from that
point

7. Making Informed Decisions
• One difficulty with teaching critical thinking is presenting it in such a way that the
student can transfer what they have learned from one situation to a new or different
situation (Critical Thinking in Decision Making retrieved from
http://www.globalcognition.org/critical-thinking-in-decision-making/). When an
individual comes across decisions that need to be made, they need to pay attention
to the stories that they are telling themselves during the process. Writing a strategy
down can also be a useful way of coming to a fully developed and thought out
conclusion (Critical Thinking in Decision Making retrieved from
http://www.globalcognition.org/critical-thinking-in-decision-making/).

8. How Does the Internet Affect Critical Thinking
Over Time
• Whose critical thinking is most affected by the Internet
• How is Critical Thinking affected by the Internet
• How can the internet improve critical thinking

9. Who Are the Most Affected
• Children raised on “edutainment”
• Uneducated or Lazy Adults

10. How is Critical Thinking Affected
• Critical thinking is hindered because the internet presents information that
may not be accurate
• People take information at face value instead of fact checking it themselves

11. How Can the Internet Aide in Critical Thinking
Development
• The internet can provide supplemental information that can be used to draw
original conclusions

12. Conclusion
• The internet can be used to think critically or not to think at all
• The eight components of critical thinking are either enhanced or destroyed
by using the internet to gather information
• Children and adults’ critical thinking process is affected by the internet

13. References
Adhikari, Richard. (2009, September 8). Is the Internet Killing Critical Thinking?. TechNews Retrieved from http://www.technewsworld.com/story/68059.html
Boris, Greg Ed.D. Hall, Thomas. (2005) Critical Thinking and Online Learning: A Practical Inquiry Perspective in Higher Education. 20th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from
http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/proceedings/04_1288.pdf
Browne, M. N., Freeman, K. E., & Williamson, C. L. (2000). THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING FOR STUDENT USE OF THE INTERNET. College Student Journal, 34(3), 391. Retrieved from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ejwl.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?sid=7470c8eb-af7a-4a00-bb10-
9e23cf0deb57%40sessionmgr198&vid=12&hid=101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=3728491&db=a9h
Graham, L., & Metaxas, P. T. (2003). "OF COURSE IT'S TRUE; I SAW IT ON THE INTERNET!" Critical Thinking in the Internet Era.Communications Of The ACM, 46(5), 70-75. Retrieved from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ejwl.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=7470c8eb-af7a-4a00-bb10-9e23cf0deb57%40sessionmgr198&vid=7&hid=101
Okan, Zuhal (2003, June). Edutainment: is learning at risk?, Retrieved from http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1111%2F1467-8535.00325?r3_referer
The University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. Walker Center for Teaching and Learning. Critical Thinking. Retrieved from http://www.utc.edu/walker-center-teaching-learning/teaching-resources/ct-ps.php
Wolpert, Stuart. (2007, January 29). Is technology producing a decline in critical thinking and analysis?. UCLA Newsroom. Retrieved from http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/is-technology-producing-a-decline-79127