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| Picture courtesy of: www.edudemic.com |
Internet was once a luxury, but now it is something we can't live without. We use technology to learn, to communicate, and to search for new information. Kids today communicate differently than before. While we grew up with telephones and (eventually) emails, kids today communicate via text messages, instant messaging, and passing media files (C. Lemke). Because technology is now such an integral part of our lives (and our students!), we need to integrate it into our everyday teachings. If we want to keep our student's attention, we need to make the information we are presenting as attractive as possible, and the way to do that today, is through technology.
democratization of knowledge
We are currently working on a "country" research project. For this research the kids were asked to pick a country they knew nothing about and plan a trip to this place. The information required from them needs to be updated and authentic. The kids have been using technology to find the information for their countries. Working together with the LS librarian, we discussed the authenticity of some websites, how almost anyone can create a website (one of the students said all you need is a computer and internet to be able to do so), how to use "Google Search" for your advantage (using advance search to select what "level" of information you are looking for), and how to determine if a site is authentic or not (two red flags: if there is no author, or a last updated sign). The kids felt confident and empowered about their research and look forward to continue looking for more information on their countries.
One of the challenges I see is that "telling if a website is authentic" is somewhat subjective. Kids (10 year olds) may find a website and think it's legit just because of how it looks. Like the article states, the students will need the school to "provide intensive work on informed searching, navigating the visible and invisible Web, critiquing websites to search for reliable sources, and persevering to ensure comprehensive, balanced searches. (C. Lemke, 261)
Tania,
ReplyDeletei do agree with you that our lives have changed with all of these new tech devices and tools that facilitate an easy and instant communication. But most of all about todays learning which as educators we must reflect on our lesson plans in order to make these interesting and attractive through technology. It is great that you are showing students the diference from a reliable and validated source with the Country Research Project. i am sure that your lower school students little by little will learn to choose sources to make their projects and understanding of knowledge stronger.
I love that you are already incorporating media and visual literacy into your curriculum. The country project is a perfect example of how you can involve the whole community (different teachers with different expertises) and teach media and visual literacy in a way that is accessible and meaningful to students. I believe this type of project is exactly what Lemke is talking about when she pushes to make learning more meaningful by integrating tools that students are already using, such as computers.
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