Week f July 10-16
What is a community? How can we promote it? Should we worry about it?
For me, a community in this sense is a group of people that work together to learn. Wilson defines a community as a group that has made a commitment to a certain class, that has a common goal in learning.
In a f2f classroom, creating a sense of community may be quite easy, although not as intuitive as one might think. The students are there and can see each other as well as be seen by the teacher. Creating a group may be as easy as moving a few desks and then observing the interaction, intervening as necessary. In an online classroom, it's obviously more difficult. The first problem is that students are not all there at the same time. Even if you have a synchronous classroom or instant messaging, it may not be used. This is another aspect of having the technology available to do a job, but if it's not well thought out, then it won't be used appropriately. Simply giving students access to a wiki won't mean that you'll end up with a creative wiki. It may mean you'll end up with a bunch of confused students unless you give instructions on how to use the wiki and clear expectations of what is expected to be in there. Scaffolding for technological competence is just as important as scaffolding for content.
You can monitor discussion or wiki creation to see that work is being done - but community seems to be more than just posting responses to a discussion board or contributing to a wiki. Even if everyone posts something, then it doesn't mean that there is a community -there's a level of communication that shows interaction in a community. You could have 30 students all post a response, and those responses may be relevant to each student's learning but if there's no give and take in the responses, there's no sense of community.
Is being part of a community vital for all students? Does the fact that some students don't feel like they are part of a community prevent them from learning? For some people, not being part of a group may be more desirable and being able to work alone may seem preferable. If the instructor believes that it is beneficial for students to be part of a group, then it's the instructors responsibility to address the issue in such a way that the student understands the benefits of group work. This can be tough as many students may already have a poor impression of group work after unsuccessful experiences. However, just giving a student a grade and requiring the work will not promote the benefit of group work for all students.
If students who feel isolated tend not to finish the course as a result of feeling isolated, that's obviously a problem. Being part of a group where one students feels as if they are the only ones working is also disheartening and can be discouraging. So how do you resolve the issue of group work, yet still help students feel like they are part of a learning community?
Given that creating a sense of community among students does seem to be important in helping the students feel connected and in improving the learning, then how can an instructor or designer affect that? If group grading is an issue, and it does often seem to the the grading that's the issue, not the working together, then how do you resolve that?
1. If the discussion board is going to be part of the grading system, and it normally is, then a really good question has to be the basis. If the question promotes thinking, then the students are more likely to respond and that's how the discussion can start. If it's a poorly thought out question, students will either respond with a rote answer or not at all. Monica pointed out in the DB this week that each students insight into the issue will bring forth a different side of the conversation which will ultimately benefit all students who read the discussion posts. This is exactly why a good question, especially in an online higher education class is so important. Students at the college level all have a wide variety of work experiences and/or life experiences that will come out in a discussion once it's ongoingThe instructor is integral to success in this aspect of creating a community.
2. Group formation. It's probably a good idea to have students write a group "mission statement" so that everyone knows exactly what is expected of them and they have committed to it. Create small enough groups to allow for more personal interaction. Having a really large group can be intimidating for many students.
3. Encourage group interaction but grade individual projects. How can this be done? One possibility could be to have students work on a wiki or group document/presentation that will then form the basis of their study notes in preparation for a final exam. If they work well, they'll have good study notes that they will probably not need as much if they worked on it. If they don't actively participate in the group work, they will still have good study notes but will have to apply themselves to studying alone if they are to do well in a final exam.
4. If you're going to use a wiki, a blog or a journal or some other unfamiliar web 2.0 tool, the student should understand clearly what is expected. A clear rubric is obviously necessary but additional instruction on how to work in a wiki may be necessary before the project gets underway.
Note
One of the things required at the k12 level (at least where I teach) is a 3 day orientation to the classroom. This involves teaching students how to send a message, use instant messaging and completing an online scavenger hunt to find answers from the various tutorials etc. Each day has a checklist of activities to be completed and there is a grade for each day. The result is that when students sit down to do content work, they are already familiar with the classroom and where to find various items such as how to create a voice board for the speaking assignments. Creating a pre-week of orientation activities for those who want them might be a good idea. Most students can access the online classroom during the week prior to the class. For some students, a class may be their first online experience; for others it may not be. The pre-week would be a good week for the teacher to get to know who is in an online class for the first time. We've already learned that where the student starts, as far as content, is a necessary piece of information for the instructor so that material can be scaffolded. In fact, our readings have shown us that this is perhaps more important even than the way the material is presented. Perhaps we also need to look at where the student is starting as far as the online experience, rather than just the content. An orientation module could be easily prepared for all classes and then inserted into pre-week automatically. At the college level, it need not be for a grade, but just be available for new students, or students who are transferring in from other colleges but may not be familiar with web tycho. If left available, it may also be a great resource for students who realize that they don't know how to do something and need a refresher. The UMUC library does have some great tutorials, but perhaps a few well placed links in the webliography to tutorials on how to do APA citations etc will point students in the right direction as they find that they need the information. Just in time tutorials can be very helpful but the key is pointing the student in the right direction at the right time.
An awareness that they are obviously not the only student who needs a quick review of something prior to starting a task should also help to reduce the sense of being the only one who needs something. Having a list of "how to" tutorials can really help the students feel more like they can help themselves when they need to, but not waste their time if they don't need it.
The role of the instructor in building community and social presence is important. Students, especially at the K12 level will probably not guide themselves to where they need to be. Teachers have to create interesting, well structured assignments that will promote real conversation, not just rote responses.
One of the things that caught my attention in this week's reading
Learning communities can serve as a bridge between school and work environments
My first thought here was that this was applicable to adult learners who work and go to school at the same time. However, I then realized that it could be also applicable to high school students but in a slightly different way. Of course, the community in a high school doesn't generally work - but that doesn't mean that you can't invite guest speakers who do work full time to become part of the community for a day or a week of the course. Its important for K12 students to be aware of the businesses in the communities around them and sometimes it might be possible to bridge the gap by incorporating a guest speaker each week.
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/PUB7102d.pdf
This was also an interesting book/chapter on facilitating community. Although she's not writing about DE specifically, there are many similarities to our class reading. The importance of community in education is not just important in DE but we do have to look at it differently to achieve the same goals.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Best Practices
Week of 3-9 July
Best Practices in Online teaching
Interesting question: What does the excellent online instructor look like? And perhaps more importantly, are the best practices for K12 different than best practices for college? After all, high school students have no choice about being in the classroom so engaging the student is vital. At least in higher education, the student has probably selected the course (although in all fairness, this may not be the case for general studies courses which are required.)
how can a teacher help the student to interact with one another? how does a good teacher facilitate or ensure student to student communication.
So - a good instructor will (as outlined in the conference of week 6)
What does an instructor do to help students learn in an asynchronous discussion? How does a teacher promote social presence as outlined in the COI framework and how does good design of a class promote social interaction? Is that social interaction necessary for learning for all students.
Synchronous tools - wimba -
This can be an important tool for the K12 classroom, but seems to be used less frequently in graduate school. I've had a few classes with live classroom sessions but they are never mandatory - although I always try to attend. Mandating attendance doesn't make sense for online students. Often, they are online because their schedule doesn't allow them to attend class at regular times. K12 students take online classes during the school day and may have a specific time assigned to do their online work. Most students go to a lab and do their online classes under the supervision of a specific teacher. Schools have to know where students are throughout the day. Even if the students appreciated the concept of a synchronous class, it's unlikely they'd be able to attend at the same time. Of course, evening classes could be offered but again, it's difficult to decide at what time. Class during dinnertime probably wouldn't be well attended. Students may not even have access to a computer at home.
Asynchronous tools
the Discussion board - most online classes tend to revolve around the discussion board as a means of student to student communication. The big question with the discussion board is obviously how to get k12 students to do more than a simple post... this is one area that the teacher can make a huge difference. The question is the key - something that provokes thinking. This is not an easy thing, although probably easier for some topics than others.
One idea - keep the discussion groups small.
I liked the article that Kathy posted
Conrad, Dianne. (2002) Inhibition, integrity and etiquette among online learner: The art of niceness
Teaching students about netiquette can make the discussion board a nicer, gentler place to be. I think that ensuring that students feel safe to post their thoughts in a thoughtful manner without worrying about being laughed at is important, perhaps more so for the K12 learners. Teaching netiquette as part of the orientation week is a good idea. Students who don't feel safe writing their comments won't write comments and that will destroy any sense of community.
Lets discuss Lurking. Should we be worried by students who read but don't respond? How do instructors know when to intervene. Sometimes a quick e-mail to a high school student is enough to prod the student into explaining why they are not completing assignments or to get them into gear so that they do the assignments. I think experience helps with this question but there are some common sense ideas. If a student does nothing in the first week, then a check that they understand what needs to be done makes sense. If a student routinely does the work but misses a week, it may not be concern for a grade, but it makes sense to follow up. In this respect, the K12 schools have a built -in advantage. Each student is normally assigned an onsite liaison, or in the event that the student is a full time online student, then there is normally a parent who works with and takes responsibility for the student. This is very different to the college level, but makes "lurking" less of an issue. I personally feel that lurking is an unfortunate term as it sounds negative. I learn by reading and we know that many students learn by communicating with others. Why, then, is it negative to listen to the conversation even if you don't have anything to add at that moment in time?
AHA moment - I read about the concept of putting students into a small group during the beginning week to promote discussion..It's less intimidating, especially for new students. I like this idea and will add it to my classes.. K12 students rarely want to discuss.. and perhaps the size of the group will make a difference.
More reading to do this week - see if I can find anything about cohorts of students and the development of community as they have more and more classes with one another. If community is important - is it better to be part of a cohort that goes through school together online in the same way that we do with regular f2f high school classes. As an aside as a parent of a military child who changed schools more times than most (8 schools in 12 years) then is it important to feel like part of a community for just the course, or for the whole school experience.
Best Practices in Online teaching
Interesting question: What does the excellent online instructor look like? And perhaps more importantly, are the best practices for K12 different than best practices for college? After all, high school students have no choice about being in the classroom so engaging the student is vital. At least in higher education, the student has probably selected the course (although in all fairness, this may not be the case for general studies courses which are required.)
how can a teacher help the student to interact with one another? how does a good teacher facilitate or ensure student to student communication.
So - a good instructor will (as outlined in the conference of week 6)
should provide clear guidelines for interaction with students; provide well-designed discussion assignments to promote cooperation among students; encourage students to present course projects to one another; provide prompt feedback of two types–information and acknowledgement; provide assignment deadlines; provide challenging tasks, sample cases, and praise for high-quality work to reinforce high expectations;allow students to choose project topics.
What does an instructor do to help students learn in an asynchronous discussion? How does a teacher promote social presence as outlined in the COI framework and how does good design of a class promote social interaction? Is that social interaction necessary for learning for all students.
Synchronous tools - wimba -
This can be an important tool for the K12 classroom, but seems to be used less frequently in graduate school. I've had a few classes with live classroom sessions but they are never mandatory - although I always try to attend. Mandating attendance doesn't make sense for online students. Often, they are online because their schedule doesn't allow them to attend class at regular times. K12 students take online classes during the school day and may have a specific time assigned to do their online work. Most students go to a lab and do their online classes under the supervision of a specific teacher. Schools have to know where students are throughout the day. Even if the students appreciated the concept of a synchronous class, it's unlikely they'd be able to attend at the same time. Of course, evening classes could be offered but again, it's difficult to decide at what time. Class during dinnertime probably wouldn't be well attended. Students may not even have access to a computer at home.
Asynchronous tools
the Discussion board - most online classes tend to revolve around the discussion board as a means of student to student communication. The big question with the discussion board is obviously how to get k12 students to do more than a simple post... this is one area that the teacher can make a huge difference. The question is the key - something that provokes thinking. This is not an easy thing, although probably easier for some topics than others.
One idea - keep the discussion groups small.
I liked the article that Kathy posted
Conrad, Dianne. (2002) Inhibition, integrity and etiquette among online learner: The art of niceness
Teaching students about netiquette can make the discussion board a nicer, gentler place to be. I think that ensuring that students feel safe to post their thoughts in a thoughtful manner without worrying about being laughed at is important, perhaps more so for the K12 learners. Teaching netiquette as part of the orientation week is a good idea. Students who don't feel safe writing their comments won't write comments and that will destroy any sense of community.
Lets discuss Lurking. Should we be worried by students who read but don't respond? How do instructors know when to intervene. Sometimes a quick e-mail to a high school student is enough to prod the student into explaining why they are not completing assignments or to get them into gear so that they do the assignments. I think experience helps with this question but there are some common sense ideas. If a student does nothing in the first week, then a check that they understand what needs to be done makes sense. If a student routinely does the work but misses a week, it may not be concern for a grade, but it makes sense to follow up. In this respect, the K12 schools have a built -in advantage. Each student is normally assigned an onsite liaison, or in the event that the student is a full time online student, then there is normally a parent who works with and takes responsibility for the student. This is very different to the college level, but makes "lurking" less of an issue. I personally feel that lurking is an unfortunate term as it sounds negative. I learn by reading and we know that many students learn by communicating with others. Why, then, is it negative to listen to the conversation even if you don't have anything to add at that moment in time?
AHA moment - I read about the concept of putting students into a small group during the beginning week to promote discussion..It's less intimidating, especially for new students. I like this idea and will add it to my classes.. K12 students rarely want to discuss.. and perhaps the size of the group will make a difference.
More reading to do this week - see if I can find anything about cohorts of students and the development of community as they have more and more classes with one another. If community is important - is it better to be part of a cohort that goes through school together online in the same way that we do with regular f2f high school classes. As an aside as a parent of a military child who changed schools more times than most (8 schools in 12 years) then is it important to feel like part of a community for just the course, or for the whole school experience.
Connectivism
July 2nd
Connectivism
As a librarian, this concept makes total sense and is worthy of full exploration. There is no way that any individual is able to know everything - even those who can dedicate their whole lives to a topic. Whether or not this a theory is an interesting question. Given the amount of information, it makes sense to think of knowledge as being available to those who look for it. Librarians have always helped students/clients to find information. Knowing how and where information is stored is a necessary skill. Given the fact that information is appearing rapidly, memorizing information simply doesn't make sense.. it's much easier to learn about where and how information is stored. After all, I memorized the name of Delhi when I was growing up but they changed it to Mumbai somewhere along the way. If I'd learned where to find the name of cities in India, rather than memorizing the names, I'd be better off. If information can be stored in various digital formats, then the current librarian focus on transliteracies makes sense. Students do need to be able to interpret visually presented information as well as simple print (on and off the web.) Students should be able to interpret symbols
http://www.downes.ca/post/33034 Downes article is interesting to read. Again, I'm back at how to define knowledge or learning. If an apple only appears red because that's what we call that color, what is the knowledge. Do we know the apple is red, or do we simply know that we call that color red. This is actually an interesting problem that I looked at in undergraduate school, and one that we deal with daily as a language teacher. If I call a house a house - I mean the type of house that I visualize based on my upbringing. In the North of England, a house is invariably one of a row - often 50-60 in one street - all connected and all with two stories. The mining towns are all like that. If I talk about a house in the US, I'm probably thinking about a typical ranch house. However, if I lived in the Philippines, I might be thinking of a Nipa Hut - a home on stilts. So simply translating the word "house" to "das Haus" or "la maison" may not really transfer the knowledge - in fact it may be far from what we want to say. It's important to know the culture behind the language so that we can choose the most appropriate word to get the point across, and that may require some circumlocution. So when we measure learning (assessment) how can we measure that? Is it not better to measure whether or not a person can find the appropriate information when he/she needs it? Why do we give exams that require regurgitation of knowledge rather than something that shows a person knows how to learn? Tradition of course, but we do have the opportunity with distance education to build curriculum that is not based on how we've always done it.
In Kop and Hill's article that we read this week, they discussed the necessity for students being able to "seek out current information and the ability to filter secondary and extraneous information" When you compare this to the ALA's definition of information literacy, the ability to find information and evaluate information are included and this seems to me to be more important as far as skills go. Of course, then in DE, you get the question that always crops up - how do you know who did the work if there is no final, closed book exam?
.
The other thing we looked at this week was how to use web 2.0 tools in the classroom. I loved the innovative concept of using the web to have two completely different classes in two countries work together. What a great way for language students to get some real life practice in an authentic scenario.
There are some interesting ways for students to use some of the web 2.0 tools to show that they understand the concepts they are learning. Whether a student writes a blog, which is then commented on by other students, or they create a wiki together - or share their examination of museum artifact using voice thread - they are expressing what they have learned or their perception of what they are learning and this is important to the concept of learning if we use the constructivist theory. If we use the connectivism theory, the fact that they are sharing information with others makes them part of a network and is also valid. As I read more and more towards my final project, it's obvious that many librarians are using web 2.0 tools in the library and extending themselves into the classrooms with those tools rather than simply staying in the library waiting for students to come to them. One librarian (Midler) was using google docs with the classroom teacher so that the librarian could insert search tips/keywords/links to databases available via the library web site into the document before it was made available to students. Another was teaching students to use content curation tools such as scoop it and netvibes to collect information about their topic.
It's important to keep up to date with all of the new web 2.0 tools as they are introduced. Obviously, twitter, facebook and pinterest are some of the most popular but these may not be as readily available for use with K12 students. There are plenty of other web 2.0 tools out there and students will need to know how to use these as they enter the work world. Teaching the content is one thing that is obviously important but teaching them how to use the social tools is an equally important by product. Of course, this generation of high school students may be tech savvy, in that they know of the tools, but we all need to learn how to use them appropriately and effectively. That's just one more argument for having embedded librarians in the virtual classroom...
Connectivism
As a librarian, this concept makes total sense and is worthy of full exploration. There is no way that any individual is able to know everything - even those who can dedicate their whole lives to a topic. Whether or not this a theory is an interesting question. Given the amount of information, it makes sense to think of knowledge as being available to those who look for it. Librarians have always helped students/clients to find information. Knowing how and where information is stored is a necessary skill. Given the fact that information is appearing rapidly, memorizing information simply doesn't make sense.. it's much easier to learn about where and how information is stored. After all, I memorized the name of Delhi when I was growing up but they changed it to Mumbai somewhere along the way. If I'd learned where to find the name of cities in India, rather than memorizing the names, I'd be better off. If information can be stored in various digital formats, then the current librarian focus on transliteracies makes sense. Students do need to be able to interpret visually presented information as well as simple print (on and off the web.) Students should be able to interpret symbols
http://www.downes.ca/post/33034 Downes article is interesting to read. Again, I'm back at how to define knowledge or learning. If an apple only appears red because that's what we call that color, what is the knowledge. Do we know the apple is red, or do we simply know that we call that color red. This is actually an interesting problem that I looked at in undergraduate school, and one that we deal with daily as a language teacher. If I call a house a house - I mean the type of house that I visualize based on my upbringing. In the North of England, a house is invariably one of a row - often 50-60 in one street - all connected and all with two stories. The mining towns are all like that. If I talk about a house in the US, I'm probably thinking about a typical ranch house. However, if I lived in the Philippines, I might be thinking of a Nipa Hut - a home on stilts. So simply translating the word "house" to "das Haus" or "la maison" may not really transfer the knowledge - in fact it may be far from what we want to say. It's important to know the culture behind the language so that we can choose the most appropriate word to get the point across, and that may require some circumlocution. So when we measure learning (assessment) how can we measure that? Is it not better to measure whether or not a person can find the appropriate information when he/she needs it? Why do we give exams that require regurgitation of knowledge rather than something that shows a person knows how to learn? Tradition of course, but we do have the opportunity with distance education to build curriculum that is not based on how we've always done it.
In Kop and Hill's article that we read this week, they discussed the necessity for students being able to "seek out current information and the ability to filter secondary and extraneous information" When you compare this to the ALA's definition of information literacy, the ability to find information and evaluate information are included and this seems to me to be more important as far as skills go. Of course, then in DE, you get the question that always crops up - how do you know who did the work if there is no final, closed book exam?
.
The other thing we looked at this week was how to use web 2.0 tools in the classroom. I loved the innovative concept of using the web to have two completely different classes in two countries work together. What a great way for language students to get some real life practice in an authentic scenario.
There are some interesting ways for students to use some of the web 2.0 tools to show that they understand the concepts they are learning. Whether a student writes a blog, which is then commented on by other students, or they create a wiki together - or share their examination of museum artifact using voice thread - they are expressing what they have learned or their perception of what they are learning and this is important to the concept of learning if we use the constructivist theory. If we use the connectivism theory, the fact that they are sharing information with others makes them part of a network and is also valid. As I read more and more towards my final project, it's obvious that many librarians are using web 2.0 tools in the library and extending themselves into the classrooms with those tools rather than simply staying in the library waiting for students to come to them. One librarian (Midler) was using google docs with the classroom teacher so that the librarian could insert search tips/keywords/links to databases available via the library web site into the document before it was made available to students. Another was teaching students to use content curation tools such as scoop it and netvibes to collect information about their topic.
It's important to keep up to date with all of the new web 2.0 tools as they are introduced. Obviously, twitter, facebook and pinterest are some of the most popular but these may not be as readily available for use with K12 students. There are plenty of other web 2.0 tools out there and students will need to know how to use these as they enter the work world. Teaching the content is one thing that is obviously important but teaching them how to use the social tools is an equally important by product. Of course, this generation of high school students may be tech savvy, in that they know of the tools, but we all need to learn how to use them appropriately and effectively. That's just one more argument for having embedded librarians in the virtual classroom...
Week 4
Questions to consider as I begin research?
Selecting a research topic for the next assignment - creating an annotated bibliography
There are some tough choices here as I have so many areas of interest. One thing that I find irritating is the lack of virtual libraries and information
literacy instruction within the virtual schools at the K12 level and I think I’d
like to explore the topic in depth.
Texas at least has acknowledged the necessity of school librarians and
since 2003 has required all new school librarians to have not only a teaching
certificate, 3 years of classroom experience but also a Masters in Library
Science. So, if the state education board understands
the need for teacher librarians in schools, why do we not have the same
requirements for our virtual students?
There are a few reasons.
1. Many
students who attend online classes also attend full time school. The selection of an online course is simply
an adjunct to a full school day.
Students choose courses that would not ordinarily be available in their
district, or because it does not fit into their schedule and if taken on campus
might necessitate dropping another desired /required course. I guess it is simply assumed that these students also receive library support in their home school. This may or may not be the case.
2. There are several types of virtual school in TX. Some simply provide the courses to districts but do not enroll the students. (Texas Virtual School is part of Region 4 and does not have students. Instead it makes access to a wide variety of approved courses available to the various districts throughout TX, ) There are also full time charter virtual schools, attended often by homeschoolers or those who simply do not want to attend traditional schools. These are operated at no cost to the student (same as the public schools) but cost is always an issue at some level.
It would be interesting to see why the full time schools have chosen not to employ full time librarians. Is it because there is a shortage of K12 distance librarians? Is it possibly the additional costs involved? Is it simply because there are too few K12 distance librarians to advocate for the necessity of the introduction of information and other literacy skills? Is it a lack of training on the part of the administration, many of whom may not fully realize the necessity of incorporating these skills or an administration who simply assume that teachers will automatically teach these skill? This is one of the reasons that many adminstrators give in the face to face context. I did talk with one (f2f) principal who said that although she understood the necessity for a librarian, she never really grasped it until she worked with a great librarian and saw the difference that it made in the school. Maybe it will take a few great librarians at the K12 level to push the issue forward.
This is a timely topic given this weeks
readings.
How can we design courses that include the development of information literacy skills. As I’m reading, I’m finding more and more information about transliteracy or metaliteracy. I’m not sure there’s really a difference between the two as they seem to be two different terms for pretty much the same thing. However, I do believe that while there is a need to teach students not only how to find textual information in print and digitally, there is also a need to teach them how to find and interpret visual presentations of information (visual literacy) as well as what is termed digital literacy, which seems to be the ability to find, locate and evaluate digitally shared information that may never have been in print. This could incorporate multi media as well as text so may overlap with visual literacy – but that’s just one more thing for me to add to my list of reading. I have also been reading about technology literacy.. Is this the same thing as digital literacy? It seems like almost everyone has their own literacy to promote and they all see relevant to the 21st century.
How can we design courses that include the development of information literacy skills. As I’m reading, I’m finding more and more information about transliteracy or metaliteracy. I’m not sure there’s really a difference between the two as they seem to be two different terms for pretty much the same thing. However, I do believe that while there is a need to teach students not only how to find textual information in print and digitally, there is also a need to teach them how to find and interpret visual presentations of information (visual literacy) as well as what is termed digital literacy, which seems to be the ability to find, locate and evaluate digitally shared information that may never have been in print. This could incorporate multi media as well as text so may overlap with visual literacy – but that’s just one more thing for me to add to my list of reading. I have also been reading about technology literacy.. Is this the same thing as digital literacy? It seems like almost everyone has their own literacy to promote and they all see relevant to the 21st century.
. After all, if you cannot use a
computer, you cannot access the digital information, nor will you be able to share /create information.
Although we have the “digital divide” which
commonly refers to those who have access to computers and those who don’t, the
digital divide is also about those who know how to use them to access
information and those who don’t. After
all, it’s no use having a computer if you don’t know what to do with it.
I was able to find some interesting websites that clarified
what I’m thinking about.
What will /should be the role of the library in the K12
online classroom in the 21st century? If the traditional school librarian is
acknowledged as the collaborator who ensures that students are information
literate and that information literacy instruction is incorporated into the
classroom, then how do we also achieve
information literate students in the virtual classroom. Although there are many students who do one
or two classes online while still attending full time school, there is also a
growing number of students who choose to complete their education entirely
online. Information literacy skills
are simply too important to leave for students to learn at college, especially
given the fact that not everyone will go on to higher education right out of
high school
Research question: Do
we need to have virtual /distance ed. Librarians in the K12 virtual
schools? What learning theories or other
research indicate the need for
Information literacy skills? How can
the acquisition of information and even transliteracy skills be best addressed
in the virtual K12 schools? Is it better
to have a virtual librarian that collaborates with content teachers and
curriculum designers or should there be a separate, research specific and technology specific
classes or even a complete virtual library and access for the students to the
librarian? What best practices are
currently recommended that would support any of the above solutions?
Keywords for searching
Librar*, K12, “information literacy” transliteracy, metaliteracy,
e-learning, DE,
So how does this fit into what we read this week? Well, how we design the curriculum is just
as important as how we teach the content.
Incorporating collaboration is vital for understanding so having IL and
other literacy skills incorporated seems to make sense to me as a teacher, a
designer and a student. If we’re
learning at college how to learn all of these new technologies to find and share information, shouldn’t we be
doing the same thing with our students at the K12 level? After all, not every high school student will go on to higher education and these skills are too important to simply leave for Higher Education Institutions to address.
I hope that with my paper I can come up with some literature that will allow me to show the necessity for a library program at the virtual K12 schools. If administrators are going to listen, then they will need some solid research backed information to show that incorporating transliteracy skills into the classroom at all levels not only helps our students be more prepared as citizens entering the 21st century world of work, but also will help to raise test scores as a result of improved education..
NOTE added 13August This entry was written several weeks ago.
I'm finished my paper but it's interesting that the last report that we just read indicated that there really has not been much research done into K12 online education, which confirmed my findings. ...
NOTE added 13August This entry was written several weeks ago.
I'm finished my paper but it's interesting that the last report that we just read indicated that there really has not been much research done into K12 online education, which confirmed my findings. ...
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