Technology and the new literacy

Dr. David Warlick says that "It's not about the technology. It's about the connectivity of the students with the information and with each other." (2009) The students search for the information through technology and share it with each other. This course has been an eye-opening experience for me in many ways. The most striking thing that I have learned is that I have much that I can teach my students about the proper and accurate use of information that they find on the Internet. In the past, I have been fearful of using too much technology in my classroom because I have known that the students are much more knowledgeable about the Internet and technology than I have been. Through reading about QUEST, I know now that there is much I can teach my students about research with technology. (2008) I will in the future bring this into my lesson plans as we research teaching them about narrowing searches to make them more profitable as well as evaluating websites. This will be a part of my research projects from now on. The students will be able to use this when we are researching the Spanish-speaking world and comparing the cultures. As we compare holidays, educational traditions, religious traditions and family, the students will be able to use this knowledge to make sure that they are finding the accurate information. Synthesizing the information for projects so that they can communicate it is also very important.

The professional goal that I am setting for myself is to take what I have learned in this course and become more comfortable with researching information for use in the classroom on the Internet. I will work with the technology professional at my school to continue to improve my knowledge of technology that can be used to present the information I am using in class. Also I am going to make sure that I am always giving credit where it is due so that I can model good information usage in my classroom.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009) It's Not About the Technology. Supporting Information Literach and Online Inquiry in the Classroom. Baltimore: Laureate Press.

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