‘Begin at the beginning’, as emphasised in the Scottish Information Literacy Project slideshow below, sums up my thoughts on the importance of teaching information/critical literacy. There is a lot of information out there, and obviously, a lot of misinformation too. It was quite funny, but also extremely worrying when a classmate related her ‘hotdog’ story. While on prac she saw the children do an online search for a particular topic, come across and actually accept a silly and nonsensical answer (i.e. hotdog) which needless to say, ended up being completely wrong.
As defined in the slideshow, “critical literacy is the way we interact and make meaning from different texts” and “involves the reader analysing and engaging with the text”. In early childhood, this usually starts with children’s literature in the form of books. (However, the project researchers point to many other examples of texts including digital sources such as blogs, social networking sites and webpages).
So in developing children’s information/critical literacy, I would start with texts they are most familiar with first, e.g. information/nonfiction books, novels/fiction books, short stories, poems, etc. In looking at these texts, typical activities would involve thinking about the purpose, the audience, (author and reader), the type of text, the main ideas, making connections and comparisons (i.e. trinagulation) extracting and organising information and so on. These strategies for reading and comprehending what is read, would certainly be appropriate for digital literacies also.
‘Crap detection 101’ should be a class made available in the lower levels, definitely. :)
May 25, 2010
May 2, 2010
Podcasting
Once again, a whole new world welcomed and secured into my memory bank.
Thus far, my knowledge/experience of podcasts has definitely been in a web 1.0 sense. For example, in undertaking my degree I utilised Lectopia the university’s iLecture system, greatly. It was fantastic and not to mention convenient that recorded lectures were available on the internet to refer to at anytime (either streamed or downloaded). I remember really content-heavy lectures where 1) concepts would go completely over my head and/or 2) I simply couldn’t keep up with my notetaking. Thus, having access to those ilectures was excellent in that I could re-sit the lesson and listen and watch it in my own pace. Of course, it was also extremely useful for those who had clashing classes, other commitments, etc.
But from a web 2.0 approach specifically in primary education, I can definitely see children being engaged and excited about creating their own podcasts. Not only will they be able to share their work with lots of other people by publishing it on the web, but it will also develop multiliteracies (e.g. writing, speaking, listening and ICT skills combined). I also like how risks are minimal since there’s no need for the children’s faces to be shown. I found the following video quite informative and it includes some great ideas for using podcasts in the classroom. I quite like her dubbed nickname of being a 'technology evangelist'!
To quote, 'the possibilities are endless'.
Thus far, my knowledge/experience of podcasts has definitely been in a web 1.0 sense. For example, in undertaking my degree I utilised Lectopia the university’s iLecture system, greatly. It was fantastic and not to mention convenient that recorded lectures were available on the internet to refer to at anytime (either streamed or downloaded). I remember really content-heavy lectures where 1) concepts would go completely over my head and/or 2) I simply couldn’t keep up with my notetaking. Thus, having access to those ilectures was excellent in that I could re-sit the lesson and listen and watch it in my own pace. Of course, it was also extremely useful for those who had clashing classes, other commitments, etc.
But from a web 2.0 approach specifically in primary education, I can definitely see children being engaged and excited about creating their own podcasts. Not only will they be able to share their work with lots of other people by publishing it on the web, but it will also develop multiliteracies (e.g. writing, speaking, listening and ICT skills combined). I also like how risks are minimal since there’s no need for the children’s faces to be shown. I found the following video quite informative and it includes some great ideas for using podcasts in the classroom. I quite like her dubbed nickname of being a 'technology evangelist'!
To quote, 'the possibilities are endless'.
April 26, 2010
April 18, 2010
Netspeak/Textspeak.
In ‘teaching and learning with new technologies’ class, we were presented with the following example of netspeak or textspeak.
My smmr hols wr CWOT
B4, we usd 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro,
His GF & thr 3 :-@ kds FTF.
Before the unit, I considered myself as a digital native in a way, having grown up with digital technology. I got my first handphone at the age of 13 and I started IM-ing before that with programs like ICQ. So netspeaking/textspeaking is something I’ve been doing for quite awhile. Moreover, texting family overseas on a regular basis and being mindful of international costs, I’ve definitely gotten used to abbreviating words and using slang. But looking at the text we were given above, I realised that perhaps I haven’t really ‘mastered’ textspeaking as I had no idea what CWOT and FTF stood for. (Translations: complete waste of time, face to face). Or maybe i just got used to the same txtspk shortcuts time and time again, and probably converse with those who use the same ones also. In that sense I suppose people would have different txtspk language repertoires due to differences in exposure and experience.
Whether you’re a master or a novice at this type of language, I’m certain you’ll learn something new about texting lingo in the following website http://lingo2word.com/.
But what is its place in the classroom, if any? I think it’s perfectly okay for students to use this type of language when note-taking as a time-saver. The writer would obviously (expectedly) understand his or her own abbreviations and slang. It makes sense that one would have an understanding of the English language for such linguistic playfulness to occur. However it’s also possible that textspeak is used without fully understanding the rules of the language. For example, in the context of the early primary years when children begin to write, vowels are often missed out. So what might appear as textspeak is in fact an actual mistake…
I think the bottomline of using textspeak in the classroom is the issue of context. Textspeak may be acceptable for personal or group note-taking for instance, but it definitely isn’t appropriate for essay writing. Appropriateness depends on the audience, which dictates what type of language is used.
At present, I personally wouldn’t teach textspeak as I do believe that it will come about naturally outside the classroom walls.
p.s. I’m quite excited to finally hyperlink- and to wikipedia(!) no less. :)
My smmr hols wr CWOT
B4, we usd 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro,
His GF & thr 3 :-@ kds FTF.
Before the unit, I considered myself as a digital native in a way, having grown up with digital technology. I got my first handphone at the age of 13 and I started IM-ing before that with programs like ICQ. So netspeaking/textspeaking is something I’ve been doing for quite awhile. Moreover, texting family overseas on a regular basis and being mindful of international costs, I’ve definitely gotten used to abbreviating words and using slang. But looking at the text we were given above, I realised that perhaps I haven’t really ‘mastered’ textspeaking as I had no idea what CWOT and FTF stood for. (Translations: complete waste of time, face to face). Or maybe i just got used to the same txtspk shortcuts time and time again, and probably converse with those who use the same ones also. In that sense I suppose people would have different txtspk language repertoires due to differences in exposure and experience.
Whether you’re a master or a novice at this type of language, I’m certain you’ll learn something new about texting lingo in the following website http://lingo2word.com/.
But what is its place in the classroom, if any? I think it’s perfectly okay for students to use this type of language when note-taking as a time-saver. The writer would obviously (expectedly) understand his or her own abbreviations and slang. It makes sense that one would have an understanding of the English language for such linguistic playfulness to occur. However it’s also possible that textspeak is used without fully understanding the rules of the language. For example, in the context of the early primary years when children begin to write, vowels are often missed out. So what might appear as textspeak is in fact an actual mistake…
I think the bottomline of using textspeak in the classroom is the issue of context. Textspeak may be acceptable for personal or group note-taking for instance, but it definitely isn’t appropriate for essay writing. Appropriateness depends on the audience, which dictates what type of language is used.
At present, I personally wouldn’t teach textspeak as I do believe that it will come about naturally outside the classroom walls.
p.s. I’m quite excited to finally hyperlink- and to wikipedia(!) no less. :)
March 29, 2010
Wiki not so icky afterall
First of all, I didn’t know that Wikipedia was only launched in 2001. Somehow it seems older than that. Secondly, I will be the first to admit that I am ‘one of those’ who considered it a completely unreliable source. In school I remember having to avoid wikipedia like the plague.. And once that was ingrained in my head, I never turned back. In my tertiary education especially, there was such a heavy and relentless emphasis on only referring to peer-reviewed literature. Unfortunately, clicking the little box for ‘only peer-reviewed journal articles’ in search engines was probably the extent of teaching us critical literacy skills. Well actually that’s not true.. The case is that most of my assignments back then (I did my bachelors degree in psychology) required the critical analysis of specific theories, so it was important for us to pull only ‘reliable’ journal articles about studies relevant to the topic at hand. So in a way, the source/pool of information was pre-determined already.
Anyway! Since wikipedia had taken a backseat in the deepest corner in my brain, I thought it was really interesting listening to my fellow classmates talk about (rave about) their wikipedia uses and experiences (I had such little faith in wikipedia that I didn’t even realise that it would in fact be a good starting point for research).
On top of that, Ive always favoured the teaching and learning perspective of social constructivism, but I never made the connection of wikipedia as a stage for collective intelligence.. Quite foolish, I know. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn about 'simple english wikipedia' for primary school children.
Speaking of a primary school setting, I can definitely see the value of creating class wikis for collaborative learning, allowing for group work and having the children build their knowledge. The trick I see right now is teaching the necessary skills to evaluate and verify the information they come across. Surely it’s not too early to teach critical literacy skills?
Anyway! Since wikipedia had taken a backseat in the deepest corner in my brain, I thought it was really interesting listening to my fellow classmates talk about (rave about) their wikipedia uses and experiences (I had such little faith in wikipedia that I didn’t even realise that it would in fact be a good starting point for research).
On top of that, Ive always favoured the teaching and learning perspective of social constructivism, but I never made the connection of wikipedia as a stage for collective intelligence.. Quite foolish, I know. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn about 'simple english wikipedia' for primary school children.
Speaking of a primary school setting, I can definitely see the value of creating class wikis for collaborative learning, allowing for group work and having the children build their knowledge. The trick I see right now is teaching the necessary skills to evaluate and verify the information they come across. Surely it’s not too early to teach critical literacy skills?
March 15, 2010
Blogs in education
According to the quick tour/set up guide on the blogger hosting service, a blog is 'a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.'
Focusing on the personal diary definition (within a primary education context), blogging = reflecting. In these compulsory years, there is a huge emphasis on writing as a literacy aspect. In my experience as a pre-service teacher on my first prac in a year 2/3 classroom, diary-writing was encouraged. In class, the students had diary-writing once a week. Granted, the kids wrote their entries by hand and later read them aloud to the class. Obviously, their handwriting skills and oral presentation skills are developed in doing so.
However, I do think reflecting through blogging would also be a good activity. There would be more opportunities for comments and feedback from fellow classmates, as opposed to giving responses verbally after a student reads their account/recount. In this regard, blogging then creates an interactive platform for students, teachers and family members as well. It provides a more 'collaborative space' for thinking and learning. And of course the availability and accessibility of blogging software makes the process of sharing and collaborating all the more easier.
Focusing on the personal diary definition (within a primary education context), blogging = reflecting. In these compulsory years, there is a huge emphasis on writing as a literacy aspect. In my experience as a pre-service teacher on my first prac in a year 2/3 classroom, diary-writing was encouraged. In class, the students had diary-writing once a week. Granted, the kids wrote their entries by hand and later read them aloud to the class. Obviously, their handwriting skills and oral presentation skills are developed in doing so.
However, I do think reflecting through blogging would also be a good activity. There would be more opportunities for comments and feedback from fellow classmates, as opposed to giving responses verbally after a student reads their account/recount. In this regard, blogging then creates an interactive platform for students, teachers and family members as well. It provides a more 'collaborative space' for thinking and learning. And of course the availability and accessibility of blogging software makes the process of sharing and collaborating all the more easier.
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