Reflective Essay
Our students come to us with a variety of background information. I have students that have their own laptops, been to space camp, traveled to foreign countries, and are fluent in a second language. I also have students whose families do not own a home computer, have never ventured outside our own city limits, and claim they have never completed an entire book. Regardless of our students’ background experiences, we expect them all to master, or at least show growth, in what Ohio deems appropriate grade level standards of education. We expect them to become life-long learners.
Students have always brought diversity to the classroom. Background information has always affected learning. Today’s students are learning in new and exciting ways. Now students are bombarded constantly with new information as a result of access to the World Wide Web. I am guessing that a few of my students might actually be well-versed in how to use online resources. On the other hand, I think it is safe to say that the majority of my students lack the know-how and the awareness to use the internet responsibly. Consequently, as educators, we now have the additional task of instructing, guiding, and ensuring that our students are equipped with the skills to use online resources in ways that are effective, efficient, and safe. “Without having the experiences of navigating through websites or knowing the nuances of various search engines, a skilled reader of print text may be at a loss when encountering the Internet” (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007, p. 36). Once they have mastered these navigational strategies, they can indeed become life-long learners. November (2008) sums it up by saying, “Before we send students to the Web for research, they should be prepared to understand the basic rules of how the content is organized, referenced, and validated” (6). This course, “Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom,” has provided me with new insights on how to guide my students through this fast-paced and sometimes overwhelming world of information available on the internet.
While reviewing November’s Chapter entitled Web Basics for Critical Thinking (2008), I noted a variety of information that would seemingly alert students to be on their guard when conducting their searches. For example, many of them probably do not know that “anyone with a credit card can purchase a Web address with a .org extension, (and) each slash (/) in a URL represents yet another level deeper” (12). This information essentially provides students with a concrete search strategy; they can truncate the URL in order to determine the original source or author of a website. These are just a few of the nuances that students need to know to be successful while searching online.
The single most helpful strategy that I took from this class was the “REAL” strategy. “A simple scaffold to help students validate Web materials is a four-step process called REAL” (November, 2008, p. 31). This acronym provides students with an easy-to-remember, very simple process that assists them while trying to validate the information they find: Read the URL, Examine the content of the site, Ask about the Author/Owner of the site (this is where truncating is helpful), and Look at the Links. While using this strategy myself, I found it a very efficient and effective way to sort my initial list of possible websites into two categories: looks valid so continue to read, not valid so don’t waste my time. This is just one example of the type of knowledge and experience gained from this course that will influence my teaching practices.
Probably the most striking revelation that I had during this course about teaching new literacy skills was the new-found knowledge about questioning. Harvey (1998) as cited in Eagleton & Dobler(2007) discuss how the “passion for asking questions seems to diminish as students reach the upper grades, most likely because schools have traditionally prioritized answers over questions” (80). This was an “aha” moment for me as an educator. I had to stop and think – do I do that? Do I emphasize finding the answer over the actual inquiry? I really liked how Eagleton & Dobler (2007) highlighted the questioning phase of the inquiry process. “Keeping a strong focus on the guiding question while reading the Web is crucial because of the incredible volume of information that can distract a reader from his original intent” (McNabb, et al., 2002; Kuiper et al, 2004, as cited in Eagleton & Dobler, 2007, p. 81). Developing an essential question prior to the inquiry process not only helps with focus, but it makes the inquiry personal. “When students feel that they are not starting from scratch and that they already know something about a topic, they will be much more likely to be interested in learning a little more about it – especially when it relates to their lives in some way” (Zwiers, 2004, as cited in Eagleton & Dobler, 2007, p. 83). Currently many of my students show that they know how to find an answer online, but do they know how to ask a question?
One professional development goal that I would like to pursue is to learn more about ePals. The idea of connecting my students with other students from around the globe is simply astounding. What a motivational tool! One feature I especially like is that SchoolMail, the application from ePals, is its compliance with a number of protection agencies. In addition, “its uniqueness is in the control it provides educators, who can adjust protections and access settings according to the different needs and ages of their students. Teachers can monitor all incoming and outgoing email; block or regulate attachments; (or) limit correspondence to certain classrooms or students…” (Demski, 2008, p. 18). My initial thoughts about using ePals include using it to supplement my short story unit by adding myths or fables from other countries, using it as a supplement for my nonfiction by learning about other students’ cultures through primary sources of information, using it to increase letter writing experiences, and using it to discuss books.
Finally, “teaching students to determine the usefulness of information found on the Web is a matter of instructing them to take a more careful look and their having the background knowledge to understand what they see” (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007, p. 165). This course has given me effective strategies, clear online-inquiry red-flags, great examples, and excellent worksheets which I can begin to use immediately with my students. Allowing them time to conduct an online search under the watchful eye of a knowledgeable instructor will edge them towards becoming successful life-long learners, regardless of the background they bring to the table.
References
Demski, J. (2008). E-Palling Around. T H E Journal, 35 (11), 18-19. Retrieved 4/1/2010 from
Computer & Applied Sciences Complete database.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for iInternet inquiry. New
York: The Guilford Press.
November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
