Information Literacy Researching information literacy to provide a coherent step-by-step process to support learners is something of an ongoing process. Today's learners, whilst able to 'use' the Internet for a variety of social purposes, are not actually as media-savvy as we assume. Whilst this notion seems incongruous initially, anyone involved with teens and tweens in the digital world knows that in reality, they are often not making great choices - even in social realms. Being able to use technology and being able to operate in the digital world successfully can be mutually exclusive; in matter of fact, "new technology challenges our understanding of what it means to be literate" (Consadine, Horton and Moorman). Consadine , Horton and Moorman believe that the "extensive use of ICT often creates a false sense of competency"; the paradox is that this generation "have access to more information, than any generation in history" (...
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As mentioned in my recent post, Common Sense Educator: Digital Citizenship Certified , I believe all educators today must address information literacy and teach learners how to operate safely and effectively online. Literacy today is more than reading and writing; as educators we need to teach netiquette, cybersafety and digital citizenship. I set up Blogs with my learners to showcase their writing and provide authentic audiences. My emphasis is on the need to create a positive online persona, and the Unit leading up to the creation of our blogs, asks learners to think about how they want to present themselves to the world. The 'Snapshots' unit is a comprehensive unit that I teach to Year 7 (Grade 6) learners on entry into secondary school (middle school). The 'big question' underpinning the unit is How do I present who I am to the world? and the final outcome is a reflective learning blog that they use throughout their time in school. Exampl...
As part of my current MEd Unit, I had to join and review a Personal Learning Network (PLN). I chose to join and review The Educator’s PLN (Thomas Whitby, 2013), as I am already a member and dedicated user of both Edmodo and Twitter. I wanted to try new possibilities, which were The Educator’s PLN and Classroom 2.0, and, after reading the article, ‘Professional learning networks designed for teacher learning’ (Trust, 2012) I decided to try The Educator’s PLN. I wanted to learn if it would be a good place to connect and learn from educators – are they willing to answer queries and provide links for me when I am researching? Are there constant and consistent learning conversations and sharing? If we are to use PLNS to their best, which can be to provide us with transformative and powerful experiences that are teacher-driven, we need to be able to connect and contribute ( Being Connected , 2013). I believe that the point of a PLN is to grow as an educator, learn from others, and co...
As a school who launched the 1:1 programme this year, we feel it important to incorporate the teaching of digital citizenship into our work with all our learners. Common Sense Educator Badge With all the benefits the 1:1 programme brings, there comes also the need to address responsibility in the digital realm. Literacy today is more than reading and writing; as educators we need to teach netiquette, cybersafety and digital citizenship. Common Sense Media is an organisation who makes this easy. I have been using their lesson ideas for over a year, and our school is now using their work for our Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE) lessons. As an English teacher, I set up Blogs with my learners to showcase their writing and provide authentic audiences. My emphasis is on the need to create a positive online persona, and the Unit leading up to the creation of our blogs, asks learners to think about how they want to pres...