EDTC 6431 Learning with Technology: Module 3 Solution

How do I get my secondary ELA students to use their critical thinking skills while reading articles on the web, to understand that not everything they read is true and what they can do to find out if an article is from a credible source?

While pondering this question, this week, I found myself looking for an engaging video to share with the class about the importance of reliable sources while doing research. I found myself on the YouTube channel CrashCourse which has a variety of engaging videos, geared toward middle and high school students, to help them better understand certain topics. The topics range from science, to math, to study skills. As I looked over the Study Skills section, I noticed they review papers and essays. Although the entire video (which is less than 10 minutes long) doesn't pertain to my question, the short section regarding research does give ideas on how to find reliable resources on the web. Their big suggestions were to use the library, which i think is often times overlooked as we live in a such a digital age, journal sites such as EBSCO, the bibliography or note section of popular non-fiction research based books, and Google Scholar. They also mention Wikipedia and how, although it is not a reliable source, the source section of the page may be a valuable resource when looking for reliable sources. I think this video would be good to show to the class as an introduction to research and essay writing. After showing the video, more instruction on research can be discussed as an introduction to essay writing.

Since we do live in such a digital world, I found the article What ICT-related skills and capabilities should be considered central to the definition of digital literacy? to be very relevant and important. The article essentially explains how we live in a world where "the convergence of print, visual images, social networking, online gaming and the ease of editing and producing music and film are evidence of the convergence of media and the scope for learners to create and share meaning in multiple formats." We live in a time where students need to be taught media literacy just as they are taught non-digital literacy as the two collide and share space in a learning environment. Without the knowledge of both, students aren't given the tools to be "capable of evaluating the relevance, currency, reliability, completeness and accuracy of online information, in addition to participating in today's digital culture." In turn, I need to teach my students to be an information literate person, to identify, scope, plan, gather, evaluate, manage, and present their findings. To do this, I could add to my essay writing introduction lesson and have students look over two different websites - one that is false or fake and one that is reliable - both touching on the same topic. I could ask my students to find the author, who publishes the page, and why they think the webpage is bogus or in fact a reliable source of information. We could even go over a Wikipedia page and point out why it is not a reliable source but show students where they can click on the sources for the page and how to decide if those sources are reliable or not, as well. We can also talk about how a page may be reliable but you also have to consider the tone of the author and their personal views and how they may reflect in the articles or webpage. 

All in all, I took from this week, was that it is my responsibility to teach my students how to find reliable sources and give them the tools to be information literate people so they can succeed, not just in my classroom, but in their future education as well as the world around them. 

Resources:

McLoughlin, C. (2011). What ICT-related skills and capabilities should be considered central to the definition of digital literacy?. World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications, 2011 (1), 471-475. 

Paper and Essays: Crash Course Study Skill #9. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlgR1q3UQZE&t=21s on February 18, 2018. 

EDTC 6431 Learning with Technology: Module 2 Solution

How do I help students understand that what they write and show online, stays with them and can't always be erased; to remember to be thinking about their future and the professionalism (or lack thereof) will follow them as they move on from high school and enter into college/"the real world"?

To help students better understand the importance of being safe and smart about what they post online, I'd love to have a short 2-3 day unit about digital citizenship and have it tie into skills they'll need in the professional world, outside of school.

I would start the unit off by having a discussion about Digital citizenship, social media, how the two relate and start to dive into the importance of knowing what you're posting and sharing online. I'd have them take a short quiz online. This quiz can be taken from athinline.org, which is a website devoted to helping students know what's safe and appropriate online as well as texting with friends. There's also information to help educate students on what they don't know or don't understand. This can also lead into a great classroom discussion and students can get the chance to express their views and opinions about the world online and social media. Another great online resource is thinkb4u.com and has resources for parents, students and educator. This may be a resource I let them know about but we don't go too in-depth, it could be something I send them home with to go over with their parents/guardian so the household is on the same page regarding online safety. The last thing I would do is handout a condensed version of the 9 P's of digital citizenship from Vicki Davis. This would be something they could carry around with them and be a quick reminder of how they should act online. Some of the 'P's" include privacy and professionalism, which would be a great transition for the second lesson about professionalism online and how it all relates. As homework, I would ask the students to look over the websites with their parents, possibly have a conversation with them about digital citizenship and what it means, discuss what was learned in class. I would also ask them to try to create a resume (doesn't have to be perfect) and explain to them that everything will tie together in the next lesson.

The next day the students would come in and we'd review what we learned the day before, ask if anyone had a conversation with their parents/guardians and if anyone would like to share. I'd then ask students to volunteer showing their resume. Once again, these don't have to be perfect. We'd go over different types of resume, what employers look for, the length, etc. I'd have examples of resume's from different career fields and different examples and if time allowed, we could also talk about cover letters. I think these are important things to know and learn but was never even talked about when I was in high school, yet I was supposed to have one to apply for college. I'd then show them a short TedTalk: Your online life, permanent as a tattoo by Juan Enriquez. In this talk, he explains how your digital identity, your whole life, is available online and is as permanent as a tattoo you might have on your skin. After this short video, I'd make the connection between digital citizenship and their resume. Much like a paper resume that you'll hand an employer, they'll also be looking at your online resume before they even start the interview process. This includes any social media accounts as well as simply googling a name to see what comes up. I would love to have my husband come in and talk about professionalism and his job working in HR, how he looks candidates up before they come to interview and have him share some stories about not hiring people based on what he found. With the permission of students, I think it would be fun to have him try to "find" them online. In real time, they can see what complete strangers see and how much of their life they're exposing and archiving online. If time allowed, we could follow up with a short Q&A.

I think these two days (possibly three, depending on time) would be very beneficial as students would be learning about being smart and safe online but they'd also be learning real world skills. They can also see the impact of posting online and how somethings can't be erased or taken back once they're put on the world wide web. 

Resources 

Byrne, R. (2017). 12 Resources for Teaching Digital Citizenship. FreeTech4Teachers.com. 

Davis, V. (2017). What Your Students Really Need to Know About Digital Citizenship. Retrieved February 04, 2018 from www.edutopia.org.

thinkb4u.com. (n.d.) Retrieved February 04, 2018 from www.thinkb4u.com.

What Your Students Really Need to Know about Ditigal Citizenship. (n.d.) Retrieved February 04, 2018 from www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-need-to-know-vicki-davis.