Reflection: Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom

Taking the Walden course, Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom, has made me realize how important it is to teach and guide my students to use inquiry based projects. According to Armstrong, S. (Laureate, 2009), project based learning challenges students to think more broadly and deeply, and collaborate globally.

This course introduced to me many new ways to produce student project based learning, which I plan to implement in my classroom. When working on these type of inquiry based projects, it is especially important to teach online literacy skills so students can validate reliable websites. Strategies like Phillip’s ABC’s of evaluating websites (Laureate, 2009) teach students how to navigate around websites and use their critical judgment to assess their accuracy.

The biggest revelation of this course has been the need for my fourth grade students to cite their sources and to copyright their own publication. According to Warlick, D. (Laureate, 2009), students become more responsible when they claim what they own, and teachers should model this by citing their technology resources during instruction.

I would hope that my district would provide more professional development for integrating technology through student and teacher collaboration. The ethical use and monitoring of wikis, blogs, and other tools could be taught and monitored, and would be advantageous for our students’ learning, while keeping them up to date with Century 21 skills they will already use at home and will use in their future.

References

Eagleton, M. & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: strategies for internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Armstrong, S. (Presenter). Inquiry Based Projects

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Hartman, D. (Presenter). Developing Students’ Digital Literacy


Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Warlick, D. (Presenter). Skills for the future [DVD]. Supporting information literacy and online inquiry in the classroom.

Reflection: Effective Bridging of Technology and Instruction

This course has made me realize that it is very important for teachers to understand student learning to effectively plan for instruction. It has also shown how important it is to use technology as a learning tool instead of just an instructional tool.

At the beginning of this course, my personal theory of how students learn was the constructivist theory. Lever-Duffy and McDonald explain that Piaget “theorized that children construct mental maps as they encounter information,” and “new knowledge is either assimilated or accommodated.” I still believe my students learn predominately through constructivism, but now I realize that they also use the social constructionist theory as they work together in cooperative learning groups or with partners; most of my students prefer this style of learning.

This course has also made me very aware of how important it is to consider Gardner’s multiple-intelligence theory since students have distinctive cognitive and learning styles. These learning styles are accompanied by different intelligence considerations. Using differentiated instruction in a diverse classroom allows students to learn best according to their preferred learning style. This course has made me realize that providing a variety of leaning modalities to meet students’ learning styles will enhance their learning.

I plan on using more learning tool technology such as Voice Thread and concept mapping. Voice Thread would promote active engagement in the classroom. “Student-created multimedia is a natural environment for cooperative learning.” (Pitler, H, [et al], 2007). Visual field trips create episodes with rich experiences and incorporate all of the cognitive theories (Orey, 2007).
Using concept mapping tools supports dual coding with visual representation and helps visualize ideas and make connections; something my students need more practice with.

I also plan on using more virtual field trips as an interactive learning tool. Virtual field trips will allow what Orey calls the elaboration and rich opportunity to witness history and engage in critical thinking.

My long-term goal for integrating technology into the classroom is to incorporate it into every lesson as a learning tool. I also plan to provide my students with a wide variety of technology as learning tools while not depending on it so much as an instructional tool. I can do this by accessing the mobile laptops or the computer lab daily. I can also allow the students to use the Smart Pad through ELMO and the LCD screen more often. My students are much more motivated, focused, and engaged when working with technology, and these strategies will provide them with this opportunity and will enhance their learning.

Cooperative Learning and Technology

My students are much more motivated and focused during group work. Using technology such as constructing a Voicethread or Power Point further enhances their learning and they enjoy it so much more!

My VoiceThread

Constructionist Theory

Requiring students to construct an artifact keeps them engaged, motivated, and active in the learning process. Constructivism allows students to gain more knowledge while they build their artifact rather than being given direct knowledge by the the teacher. Project based learning is a very effective tool in facilitating students' learning. Incorporating technology into their projects enhances their learning while keeping them actively engaged.

My students love project based learning. They use technology throughout their research, and then they use technology frequently if their final production is a microsoft document, Power Point, or other software driven base project. Whether constructing a technology based project or a model replica, my students are incorporating new experiences that build on their learning and they put much more effort into their project because they know they will be sharing it with others. I have found that providing a rubric greatly improves their final production.

My school is currently changing over to standards based classrooms which require much more of a teacher facilitator mode. Incorporating constructivism based learning is the preferred way of meeting this requirement, but finding the time to implement project based learning has become a conflict. I believe a project based lesson would best be better managed as a culminating activity after completing a unit which incorporates several elements. I would still like to find more ways to incorporate shorter projects into my forty-five minute segments.

Instructional Strategies and Cognitive Learning Theories

Using virtual field trips incorporates all of the cognitive learning theories, promoting many different ways of 'connecting.' A virtual field trip provides for rich episodic experience, integrates multiple senses, combines images with text, elaborates for more connections, and can replicate the network model of memory.

Behaviorist Theories and Instructional Practices

As Pitler,H. Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., and Malenoski, K., (2007) state, "technology makes it easier for students and teachers to track the effects of effort and facilitates more immediate feedback." I believe this would be an excellent strategy to incorporate into my math classes.

I can definitely see that the bhaviorist theory is in practice with these students. They began the year with a defeatist attitude, and it has taken a lot of positive reinforcement and encouragement for them to become more responsible for their learning and to feel successful. I love the idea of using a spreadsheet for them to monitor their effort (with a rubric) and correlate it to their grade. I have come to realize that these students work much harder with positive feedback. They have come to be very proud of their effort and success.