Reflection: Teaching New Literacy Skills

I am having the greatest experience in applying technology to my instruction and teaching students new literacy skills that will assist in their inquiry projects.

Technology is coming into the classroom through the students as mentioned by Dr. Warlick. It is my hope that as students are more exposed to using technologies and medias that they will acquired the necessary literacy skills of the 21st century. As an educator, I feel obligate to assist in students learning the necessary skills for their inquiry projects. To begin with, students have to develop reading skills for both print and Web text, (Eagleton and Dobler, 2007). It is most affirming to have teaching strategies for instruction that guides students to acquiring the literacy skills for inquiry projects when using the Internet. Helping students to become comfortable and knowledgeable with locating, using and understanding information from the Web is vital to not only their academics but in life. They will need these skills in the world of work.

Helping students to understand the importance of giving credit for information that they acquire from the Web is essential. Students today are creating information and posting it on the Internet everyday. They post videos on YouTube and post text on blog sites as well as a variety of other social networks such as Facebook or create Web pages of information. Using this experience as an example of others taking information will promote teaching the rules of plagiarism and will encourage them to avoid plagiarizing. Although this skill was just as important in the 20th century it is critical to give it constant reinforcement in the 21st century.

There are model strategies that researchers have presented to support instruction in the classroom when students are in the inquiry process. One sample model is QUEST, an acronym for questioning, understanding resources, evaluating, synthesizing and transforming (Eagleton and Dobler, 2007). This is a model that I have have practiced in my content area to help students with the process of Internet inquiry and for using appropriate literacy skills.

Prior to learning and acquiring the strategies to help students with research projects I felt limited in my ability to assess their products fairly. I am feeling more comfortable with the pedagogical strategies to help students with the inquiry process for research projects. One of the most exciting suggestions for assessing students learning of Web strategies that Eagleton and Dobler presented is when students can engage in self assessment and reflections. For example, having students to keep Reflection Logs with prompts; students creating Help Manuals for another class or have students teach others such as family members – these are tools that can empower student.

Technology is forever changing and will require that I become a life long learner. Attending workshops, classes or conferences to stay on top of information about 21st century literacy skills will be most beneficial as a professional and as a 21st century educator. For example, currently there is a conference for Business Educators to attend this spring. At the conference, which I have already enrolled, there will be opportunity to attend workshops such as “Powering Up for 21st Century Workers”. Completing my master’s program as Walden University will continue to affirm my efforts as a life long learner. Truthfully speaking, after teaching for thirty plus years, participating in a Master’s program has guided and revived my passion for learning, specifically the literacy skills for the 21st century classroom environment.

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

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Dr. Warlick, D. (Speaker). Supporting information literacy and online inquiry in the classroom (DVD). Baltimore: Author.