Weekly Reading - #4

1. What surprises you about the strategies digital age students use as they conduct research for course assignments?
The first thing that surprised me in the reading was this statement: "Almost every student in the sample turned to course readings—not Google—first for course-related research assignments. Likewise, Google and Wikipedia were the go-to sites for everyday life research for nearly every respondent". My husband refers to Google as my "boyfriend". It is always my go to. However, when I started thinking about it, it makes sense that course readings would be students first reference for course related research. That is usually where the idea for research typically comes from.

I was not surprised that librarians were underutilized. During my first college experience, librarians and the card catalog were vitally important. The World Wide Web was in it's infancy. If you wanted to know something, the best place to begin was the librarian. They would direct you to the reference and periodical sections. You had to look up old magazine articles on microfiche. To complete my "old person rant", these kids today don't know how easy they have it!

2. How accurately do the findings from this study reflect your own research strategies?
Overall, the major findings from this study accurately reflect my own research strategies. Usually, my research begins with a course-related reading. To find more information, I run to Google, which leads me to Wikipedia. I never step foot in the library, but when I'm looking for additional educational research on a topic, I go to EBSCO or ProQuest.

3. This study provides a detailed description of the parameters of research assignments typical required for academia. How does it differ from the kinds of research people do in the workplace?
Within the workplace, research is usually for a particular task. In workplace research, there is usually less place for different viewpoints or strategies. You focus on a specific research topic.

4. Do you think the recommendations to improve research process for college students will better prepare students for the world outside of school?
Students must improve their research process in order to be prepared for the world outside of school. Students must learn how to validate and find reliable information without relying on professors.

5. Find an image that relates to searching for information. Embed the image in your blog and provide proper attribution.

Image Source

 

References:

Head, A.J. & Eisenberg, M.B. (2009). LESSONS LEARNED: How College Students Seek Information in the Digital Age. Retrieved from: http://kennison.name/files/zopestore/uploads/libraries/documents/student-info-seeking-2009.pdf



Week 4 - Activity #2

My TrackStar

My TrackStar poses the question "Why is it important to integrate technology in the classroom?" So far, it includes links to Google with related search terms and "expert" opinion. I plan to include research data, also.

Week 4 - Activity #1

When I first started looking at the TrackStar projects, I was thoroughly confused - mainly because I couldn't view any of the projects in frames. After several attempts, I was able to view the accompanying frames. Then it all made sense. The TrackStar projects  have great potential for developing information literacy in school.  These projects walk students through the websites and teach them what questions should be asked when researching. I really enjoyed the Time Travel project.

Textbooks, Wikipedia and Schooling

1.How do you feel about using web-based resources instead of textbooks in school?
Web-based resources are an excellent alternative or supplement for textbooks. When I was student teaching, textbooks were used mainly for reference material - one course, desktop publishing, didn't have a textbook at all. I used web-based resources to find activities that I thought met the students' interests. I believe this helped with student engagement and gave them authenetic learning activities.

2.What opportunities for the development of information literacy skills for students if they began to learn without textbooks?
Through learning without textbooks, students have to wade through a wide variety of information as opposed to the narrowed-down, politically correct and sterile information they receive in textbooks. In the process, students would have to develop information literacy skills to help determine what was vital and accurate information.

3.How do these articles change or support your stance on using Wikipedia as learning resources in the classroom?
These articles further support my stance that Wikipedia can be used by students as a learning resource. Through Wikipedia, students are exposed to collaboration and use critical thinking skills to evaluate articles.

4.Find an image that relates to information literacy and schooling.Embed the image in your blog and provide proper attribution.

Picture source

Resources:

Ansary, Tamim (November 2004). A Textbook Example of What’s Wrong With Education. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/muddle-machine

Ruth, Geoff (February 2005). No Books, No Problem: Teaching Without a Text. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/teaching-without-text

ThinkAloud Project

ThinkAloud Project from taesmomma

For my ThinkAloud project, I found an article from Discovery News entitled "Could Arming Teachers Work?" Since the subject is an ongoing debate, I expected to find a lot of opinion pieces on the matter. In this article, the author's viewpoint was that arming teachers was not the answer. He provided studies and testimonials to support his view. The article that I used to triangulate agreed that arming teachers was not the answer. However, this article proved more information with links and gave alternative solutions to the problem of school violence.

Resources:
Gorman-Smith, D. (2012, December 21). School shootings: Arming teachers isn't the answer. Time, Retrieved from http://ideas.time.com/2012/12/21/viewpoint-arming-teachers-isnt-the-answer/

Niller, E. (2013, January). "Could Arming Teachers Work?". Discovery News. Retrieved from http://news.discovery.com/human/could-arming-teachers-work-20130102.htm

Week 2 - Henry Jenkins

What is Henry Jenkins main arguments about Wikipedia?
Henry Jenkins suggests we talk to our students about wikipedia and its use value. It is a good starting place; however, it is a work in progress. Educators need to understand Wikipedia and what goes into the articles enough to offer meaningful advice.

What is "participatory culture"?

A participatory culture offers:

• low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
• strong support for creating and sharing what you create with other
• some kind of informal mentorship
• members feel their contributions matter
• some degree of social connection between members

What is the relationship between "old literacies" and "new media literacies".
Henry Jenkins explains that "old literacies" are more focused on the individual "can I read, can I write". New literacies are social skills. New literacies address how we interact.

What are the reading and writing behaviors associated with "new media literacies".

The reading and writing behaviors associated with "new media literacies" are:

• the ability to navigate and evaluate information online
• recognize manipulations and propaganda
• assimilate ethical values.

According to Henry Jenkins why is it important to teach "new media literacies" in school?
Henry Jenkins states that teaching "new media literacies" should be taught in schools because they prepare students for their future in both school and the workplace. Through new media literacies, students have opportunities for peer collaboration, understand intellectual property, have greater cultural expression, develop valuable modern workplace skills and become empowered citizens.

What can young people learn through contributing or even consuming Wikipedia?
Through contributing to Wikipedia, students learn peer collaboration in a knowledge culture. It helps them think about their own roles as researchers and writers. They are able to pool knowledge and compare notes. They have the ability to have peers evaluate their reliability and credibility.

How do you feel about Wikipedia after reading or listening to Henry Jenkins? Do agree or disagree with his arguments? Why?
After watching Henry Jenkins' lecture, I feel that Wikipedia would be useful in a classroom. As educators, we must understand this resource in order to teach our students how to navigate and work with Wikipedia. Through using and understanding Wikipedia, students could gain valuable skills with critical thinking, writing and collaboration.

Find an online resource that supports your position on using Wikipedia as a resource for learning in school. Summarize the argument being made in the resource and explain how it supports your position.
Sleeping with the Enemy: Wikipedia in the College Classroom supports the use of Wikipedia in the college classroom. Through coursework, students were required to contribute to Wikipedia. Students learned valuable research and evaluation skills. The conclusion of the paper found:

"Fundamentally, the students came to appreciate what Wikipedia is and what is is not. Students expressed that they think Wikipedia is acceptable for a quick reference, and that the reference for the individual articles can be quite helpful, but they were quick to point out that Wikipedia is not the be all and end all of research.

 Find an image that relates to Wikipedia and schooling.Embed the image in your blog and provide proper attribution.

 

References:

Thomas, A. (2012). 21st century scholarship and wikipedia. Ariadne, (70), Retrieved from http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue70/thomas

Global Warming Article: Step Seven

Step Seven:
How do think Wikipedia could be integrated into classroom activities? What do you think about using Wikipedia as a source of information instead of textbooks? Has your opinion changed? How? Why?
My opinion on wikipedia has not changed; however, I am now more knowledgable about what goes into editing and maintaining the information. Wikipedia is a good starting point for student research. In the classroom, wikipedia can be used for collaboration and to give a student differing view points to consider. Additionally, it can be used to locate articles related to a subject. It is also good for related topics that students may not have considered.