EDUC 6712 Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom

Week 8: Final Blog Posting-EDUC 6712 Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom

-“The Internet is the most powerful convenient and potentially manipulative medium ever invented. It can give you any version of the truth you are looking for. Not only does information expand and change every day, the rules for finding information also change,” (November 2008).

This course opened by saying, “just because our students are able to cruise through the Internet with speed and what looks like skill doesn’t mean they know what they are doing,” (Walden University, 2009). Throughout this course, we have learned how to implement 21st Century skills to prepare our students for the fast changing technologically advanced world we are living in today. We have learned what it means to be literate. In addition, I have learned various multimedia and Internet technologies effectively, in order to teach our students.

The most striking revelation I had about teaching new literacy skills was the different ways of teaching these skills to my students. This course really opened my eyes and introduced me to the QUEST model. Eagleton and Dobler stated, “If we want children to be deeply engaged in conversations about issues of great significance, in books, we must not only teach them how to read, but show them how to reason,” (2007). The strategies presented in this course showed me how to be even more creative and think of ways to present information to my students. One key factor is teaching our students how to think creatively. Kuhlthau said that, “when we capture their imagination, they begin to think creatively and creativity solves problems for life, (2007).

This course has influenced me to continue to give my students the right tools, provide them with a critical mind, and make the right connections, (Jukes, 2007). Implementing what I have learned already in my class, my students are learning the value of conducting research, how to read information, analyze it, and solve it. My job as a teacher is to ensure my students have the skills to survive in the world in which we live and be successful.

In order to build upon what I have learned from this course, my goal is to continue to teach the 21st century literacy skills through the QUEST model and using the inquiry based unit plan format. This course’s foundation states that, “through inquiry, facts are learned, not by rote, but by the process of in-depth exploration with the following benefits. The material that is learned will be remembered for a long time, not forgotten at the end of the test, and the learner will not only have a solid grasp of a domain of inquiry, but develop a passion for a subject that can last a lifetime,” (Walden University, 2009). Overall, I have truly enjoyed this course and will continue implement the 21st century literacy skills. In teaching my students, I will continue to produce life long learners.

Thank you!

Resources

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

Jukes, I. (2007). 21st century fluency skills: Attributes of a 21st century learner. Located at http://www.committedsardine.com/handouts/twca.pdf.

Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2007). Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century. Westport: Libraries Unlimited.

November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.

Walden University Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom Course Home Page. Week Four. Retrieved September 28, 2009 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com.