The most striking revelation I had about the teaching of new literacy skills in this course was the need to teach students not only how to read text for information, but also how to sort through everything else that the Web demands of them: opening pages and maneuvering between multiple sites, determining authenticity and credibility, monitoring their reading, and synthesizing information into learning. Thinking back to previous courses, I assume that my students are all digital natives, having lived their entire lives with the Internet. Although they have all grown up with this wonderful technology, they need modeling, guided practice and independent practice to successfully incorporate this knowledge into their everyday schema. Just as parents, caregivers and teachers instructed the children to learn to read and write their ABC’s, I too must educate them on using the Internet safely, efficiently and effectively so they will have a notable benefit over students who have not been educated in the same skills (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007).
Next, the knowledge and experience gained in this course will provide an additional tool to help motivate, engage and inspire tomorrow’s leaders. Using the gradual release of responsibility method, or a scaffolded approach to teaching students, provides them with an opportunity to see the teacher model a skill before ever using it. As students become more adept with the skill or concept, the teacher pulls back allowing for guided practice, helping those students who need more assistance until they are ready to work independently.
Finally, a professional development goal I have is to be an advocate in my district for a strong technology plan that teaches 21st Century skills to all students throughout their K-12 education. We cannot continue to teach strictly with textbooks, pencils and paper if we expect to engage our students and want them to continue being lifelong learners. To accomplish this goal, I plan to meet with our Building Technology Coordinators to discuss my concerns in hopes that we can work together with the technology committee and Director of Technology to develop a manageable plan where all students in our buildings are exposed to, utilizing and building upon their 21st century literacy skills year after year. I am committed to providing after school training for other teachers so everyone feels confident and comfortable instructing our children for their futures.
References
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
