First, I liked the “Voices from the Classroom” section of
Chapter 5 that talked about the high school teacher and two students who found
conflicting information on different websites (Maloy, et al, p. 101). This is a perfect example of why information
literacy is important and how critical thinking is used with technology. Some say that using the internet makes
students dumber because all they have to do is point and click to find
information. This is not true. Once that information is found, there is the
need to analyze it to determine if it is relevant and reliable, among other
things. This is an important critical
thinking skill. Students can’t use this
skill until they’ve been taught it, however.
I think all students should have to do a project where they evaluate a
website in 9th grade English since they will be using the web for
research throughout their high school years.
I also found the section on e-Readers and e-books interesting (Maloy, et al, p. 102-03). I have been a longtime fan of e-Readers, purchasing my first Sony Reader many years ago. Unlike many parents, I don’t think that reading electronic books will have a negative impact on my children. I believe that having children read books is definitely a positive thing, whether electronic or paper. There are even some advantages to using e-Readers. If a child doesn’t recognize a word in a paper book, chances are they will not take the time to get a dictionary or get on the computer and look the word up. If this happens on an e-Reader, all they have to do is double click on the word and they will be given the definition. I love that. I also like that students have access to textbooks online. One thing that I don’t want see, however, is textbooks become strictly electronic. Call me old-fashioned, but for some reason I prefer a paper version of a textbook.
The section on web browsers was really eye-opening (Maloy,
et al, p. 108-09). I knew that the top
search results from Google were the most popular. I had no idea, however, that Google altered
your search results based on previous searches.
I thought that everyone who typed in a certain keyword would get the
same results. I agree with the book that
this limits exposure to differing viewpoints (Maloy, et al, p. 109). From now on, when I do a serious search, I
will use more than one type of web browser to be sure I get a range of
viewpoints on that particular subject.
Overall, I really enjoyed Chapter 5. Information literacy is such an important
skill to have. Anyone who thinks that
looking up information online is brainless needs to learn about information
literacy. I also enjoyed learning about
the different web browsers and the main ways to search the web, super useful
information at any age.
Here's a link to test your knowledge on Chapter 5: https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/28f3a9f2-3a42-4372-92d8-cd4ab9cfd0d1
Resources
Resources
Maloy,
R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2014). Transforming learning
with new technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
I especially like the content in this chapter as well - I think because there are so many assumptions about using the internet as being 'natural' and not recognizing the nuances of searching, validating and critical thinking. Since we've grown up with the internet as a new technology, one might assume that there is an instruction manual, but we grow and develop with it and constantly learn how it can help (and hinder!) us.
ReplyDeleteDidn't get to play your Kahoot - think it was my connection, but saw your questions and hope you remember to try this with your students - what a fun and interactive way to engage and check for understanding! :)