Effective Research Skills

  The way that students research has changed greatly in the last 10 years. The way students research has changed so much that libraries are being reconstructed to incorporate a place for the public to use new technologies and many are offering meeting places for clubs and crafts.  Reference books are online making the information much easier to locate, but not every aspect of this change is helpful to the students. Anyone can create webpages and post information as fact. This can cause a lot confusion and misrepresentation. When teaching students to do research the largest challenge in the 21st century is determining fact from fiction.
    An article by Scholastic outlines six important skills that students need in order to research online. The first is teacher lead practice and a list of criteria for evaluating if a source is credible and up to date, as well as a safe site to be on. The next skill is asking appropriate questions in order to get the most out of their research. Students need to practice narrowing their searches to specific terms so that they are not overwhelmed with tons of information that is of little use to them.
     The next critical skill is for the students to dig deeper into the content area and avoid just choosing the first website that appears in the search. Students need to be able to continue evaluating and searching for a deeper understanding of the information. Students also need to be patient. We now have amazing tools that can provide us with a wide variety of information instantly. When students are unable to find the answers that they require immediately, they become frustrated and may abandon the task. Student must learn that it may take several tries and a significant amount of reading in order to find the answers that they seek.
       With so much information and graphics right at their fingertips, students often forget that they do not have any rights to the items that they find on the web. Most information gathered, pictures and graphics are under ownership and are not free for use by the public. Students must be taught how to cite sources and give credit when it is due. Student also must learn how to network appropriately. It can be challenging to connect with professionals, but they offer a true insight and are a remarkable resource to have. Students have to be careful with how and who they connect with for safety reasons. When connecting with strangers online there is always a risk of speaking with someone who is not honest. Student must be taught appropriate ways to reach out to professionals in the community and educated on the dangers of sharing personal information while on the internet. There are many personal safety techniques that will greatly reduce the chances of students becoming victims of cyber crimes.

Reference
         Hanson, H. (n.d.). The 6 Online Research Skills Your Students Need. Retrieved May 24, 2017, from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/6-online-research-skills-your-students-need/

Literacy is not just for English Teachers!

Literacy in the 21st century involves skills beyond just basic reading and writing. In the 21st century, people communicate through many methods. Digital tools, such as email, Skype and Google Drive, allow us to instantly communicate back and forth using the written word, speech or through graphics and emojis. Today's students must learn to efficiently use each of these tools as they are becoming commonplace.

In my science classroom, student can be found using your variety of communication tools. Students can be found working collaboratively through Google Drive on a project or a  whole class presentation in which each student prepares and edits a few slides.  Students also use the discussion boards provided in Schoology to communicate with one another and to communicate with the instructor. In order to be able to utilize these tools, it is my job as a instructor to help the students understand how the tools can be used, and rules that need to be followed while using them. Digital citizenship is something that the students are still learning. Many high school students do not fully understand the impact that their actions have on others. Part of my job is preparing them for the future and the future is digital. Students must have an understanding that what they do online is potentially online forever. Your actions have consequences no matter what method of communication you've used.

New technology has also led us to have better laboratory equipment. We are currently using equipment from Vernier. This equipment will help us to gather data and draw conclusions about our experiments. In order to use these tools, students must understand how to read the graphs and interpret the information. The information from the Vernier equipment can also be transferred to their Chromebooks and shared with others. This is another form of communication when scientists can accurately and easily send laboratory results to others, but this would be useless if they are not literate to how to interpret the information. This is another example of how I must teach my students to be literate in the 21st century since without proper instruction on how to use this equipment the equipment itself would be useless. The National Science Teachers Association offers several ideas on incorporating literacy into a science classroom. They suggest using 4 non-textbook readings a year, having students do research on a scientist of their choice and presenting a project about the scientist , or even allow them to read a fictional science book and research the science behind it to see how probable it may be. I found these to be some very good ideas for incorporating literacy into my classroom.

Reference:

National Science Teachers Association - NSTA. (2006, January 16). Literacy in Science: A Natural Fit. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from http://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=51459

Tools for literacy

     This week I explored a couple of new web tools. Loopy was the first. Loopy is a creative tool that allows you to create a graphic organizer that will allow you to organize and connect ideas in a series.  Loopy allows you to draw circles, add text to the circles and change the color as desired. You can them connect the circles with animated arrows that allow the user to follow along from one idea circle to the next. I made an example that you can find my clicking here. I see using this tool in the future to have students connect ideas. I would be able to have the students research a topic, such as a body system. They could create a bubble for each component of that body system and a brief explanation of that component, then they could use the arrows to trace the path through that system. This would be a great visual aid that would show me there level of understanding.

     The second web tool that I would like to incorporate is Actively Learn. This tool allows teachers to upload articles for the students and embed questions and quizzes to check for understanding. Students are also able to click on words and get a definition of the word instantly without having to leave the safety of the website. This tool also allows for the addition of videos and links. This would be a great presentation tool to use for students notes. They can read the notes, watch the video, participate in links and answer questions along the way. If you would like to see an example, click here.

21st Century Learners

How has literacy changed and evolved for the 21st century classroom?


         Modern literacy for students does not stop in just their school or community, but students are now able to collaborate and communicate on a global level. With the integration of laptops and tablets in the classroom, students can easily search for information instantly. Students can be "pen pals" with other students across the globe. They no longer have to wait weeks to get a response since they can now use email, or programs such as Skype to speak directly to one another. Students also need to understand that with this increase in access to a global community they must remain ethical and culturally sensitive regardless of the type of media in use.  
        Students in the 21st century are not only literate to the written word and speech, but they must also be literate to many different types of technological applications. Literacy for modern students according to the National Council of Teachers of English includes that students need to be able to problem solve cross culturally. Students must be able to process information from a variety of sources, often simultaneously in order to solve a variety of problems.  


References:

         The NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies. (2013, February). Retrieved May 04, 2017, from http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/21stcentdefinition