In reflecting for a course on literacy and online inquiry, I have learned that I and my students must unify conventional as well as 21st century literacy skills. Educators and students must be adaptable and quick to learn the newest and constantly changing face of the communication age. Inquiry learning has always been a valuable piece of our education process. With the advent of web 2.0 technologies available to the classroom, “learning how to learn” is more critical than ever (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007). This post will describe a revelation, gained knowledge and a new goal to establish in teaching with technology.
The most striking revelation that I gained about teaching new literacy skills is that it will require more, not less effort, from me and my students. Ironically, technology is usually something that makes things more efficient and easier for the user. What I found out from my course was that along with conventional literacy skills, students must learn a new set of grammar rules for websites and many other communication skills (November, 2008). Many of the traditional literacy skills must be mastered along with the newer ones. Teachers must recognize that many skills are transferable and that reading digital information needs different queues and recognizing different text structures quickly ,especially informational text structures (Eagleton and Dobler, 2007).
I have gained constructive knowledge from the course “Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom”. Eagleton & Dobler’s “Quest “ model of online inquiry, supplies a comprehensive path for online inquiry while providing many usable strategies in getting students from the questioning stage of a project to the transformation of their new found knowledge. Two stages that I found will influence my future teachings is understanding resources and evaluating information. While still learning about the internet myself, I am convinced that all content area teachers must assist students in understanding how to retrieve from the volumes of information at their fingertips. Students need to determine if the information is “useful and truthful” (November, 2008). Previously, textbooks and teachers were the sources of most content information. I will have to help students become the evaluator of information that they are searching while they are learning the subject content.
One professional development goal established from this course is establishing more project based learning that is more collaborative. I just received notice that my Social Studies department has just received a technology grant for two years! This will allow me do have consistent access and support of technology. I am planning to create a blog for current events and with net-books have access to wikis and other collaborative communication skills for my students. Many exciting activities that I learned about in this course would be difficult because of access to technology in my school is limited. I look froward to implementing the new found skills and merging them into my United States History curriculum. Helping my students gain access will only enhance their literacy skills and better prepare them for their futures in the digital age.
In conclusion, learning how to learn will be a model for me and my students in merging new literacy skills with traditionally taught skills. Teaching at this point in education is exciting and precarious. Students must not take lightly that just because it is new technology, learning is somehow easier. Critical thinking skills are called upon more often because of the the students direct relationship with the learning materials. The traditional learning systems are changing rapidly to adjust to an already changed society. It is my responsibility as a teacher to better use technology to make learning more relevant for students.
References
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press
November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.
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