As I begin reading Web Literacy for Educators, I realize that the book is designed to move from the basics to more complex ideas and information. When I say basic, I mean very basic information, from "What is the Internet?" to "Domain Names" to "URLs." Most of the information is common knowledge to someone who has at least some experience with the internet. However, there are some good points about the importance of understanding how sites on the internet are structured and why it is sometimes important to know about these basics. For example, "We spend a great deal of time teaching students how to find print information in a library - it's just as important to teach them how information is organized on the Web...Reading a Web address is often essential to establishing the authenticity of the Web site." While I knew a little about URLs and domain names before reading Chapter 1 of the book, I now have a better understanding of these basic concepts, and picked up a few things I can share with my class, that might help students as they try to determine the validity of sites they encounter while conducting research.
I guess my question after reading the chapter is, how essential is it to teach students these very basics? When we are teaching students who are, oftentimes, extremely immersed in technology in their everyday lives, should we assume that these basics are essential for navigating technology, or, if we attempt to start with these very basics, will we lose the interest of students, for many of whom, the internet and technology are second nature?
I teach online classes with adults, and I have learned that it may be beneficial to survey students about their use of technology to determine who may need help with the basics. Maybe this is something you can do with younger students? You could ask them questions about their background with technology like webpages, social networking, etc. I think many students may already know the basics, but support should also be given to those who don't.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea! There could even be questions about checking the validity of websites and information, to get a baseline which would help guide further instruction. I don't work in a high soci economic school, but most of my students are fairly proficient with technology, so I do sometimes take it for granted that they will know certain things, and am surprised when they don't.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pam. Just like in reading, our students are coming in with different backgrounds and different abilities. We can't assume that they are all on the same level. There are computer programs that our school used to utilize that would assess students' abilities on the basics of computing thus giving the Lab teacher an idea on where to start. When I was teaching Head Start we had a program that taught the students how to use the mouse. The loved it and it was very basic for them to use.
ReplyDeleteAll three comments are so right on! The idea of a survey makes so much sense. Every student will come with a different background--some will be very similar, but some will not. And those who are more familiar with the tech being used can have a moment to "shine" and support those students who may need a little "boost". Kinda like what you all are giving me in this course!
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