Reflection for Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom

This has been a very eye opening course for me. I think the main thing I have realized through this course is that students DO NOT know how to look up information and they really do not know the difference between a reliable source and a non-reliable source. I think I take for granted that it is some what easy for me to look up information and relay what I have learned. Students these days can play games on the computer but when it come to using it for research they are completely lost. In the past I have become frustrated with students, but now realize I just have to spend more time modeling and letting the students practice locating information before I can expect them to do it on their own. Many of my students get easily frustrated when I do not give them the answers or lay it out for them to find without thought. This needs to change, but I have to take the time to teach them the correct way to locate information using the web.

Since taking this course, I now know how important it is to model, model, model with the computer. I can not take for granted that the students already know how to use their "New Literacy Skills". From now on I will make more of an effort to model and practice model and practice before I ever assign a project that requires using the internet.

My school is actually getting Promethem boards this week. They are really going to help increase participation from students and are suppose to increase test scores. I plan on attending inservice provided by our Title I program and gaining as much knowledge as I can to make my board as effective as I can for my students. These boards do so much and have great tools, but if I do not know all about them they will not be effective for my students.