Talk:Instructional Technology/Technology Information Literacy
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Technology Information Literacy The information provided in this section of the Instructional Technology Book is provided by students in the Master's of Education program at the University of Mary Washington. Students are in the Leadership in Educational Technology program and are working in conjunction with Dr. Teresa Coffman in the ITEC521 course (Information Literacy in the Digital Age) during the Spring 2006 semester.
Technology information literacy means that you should be able to access, evaluate, organize, manipulate, and present information all while utilizing the appropriate technology tools (Humes, 2004).
Importance of Technology Information Literacy for K12 Teachers
How it can be incorporated Technology information is essential in today's classroom to prepare students for life after secondary school. Technology, as we know it, has been available to teachers in the classroom since 1963 when it was introduced by Stanford Professor Patrick Suppes (DeVillar & Faltis, 1991). Technology has evolved and changed drastically since that time, but there is still a fight to integrate it into the curriculum and make it relevant for the students and easy to use for the teachers. There are many computer, software, and engineering companies that have made technology easier to use in the classroom, and more available to the schools, but still not available to all.
Some of the programs that are available promote language acquisition (Gordon, 2003), while others are available to provide communication tools for students with disabilities. Devillar and Faltis (1991)have found that, "[a]lternative, discovery-based, instructional methods can enrich students' education by building upon those socio-cultural, cognitive and linguistic structures with which they arrive at school, and through complex grouping strategies which include guided, cooperative-peer interactions" (p.112).
Computer Assisted Technology (CAT) has been used in the classroom for many years, as well as programs initiated by specific computer companies such as Apple, Inc. Apple created a program in the 1980's that provided for the introduction of technology into the classroom with a program called ACOT (Apple Computers of Tomorrow), whose objective was to get a computer in every classroom for every student. There were many pitfalls, but much information on how to integrate technology was also discovered in this study (Sandholtz, Ringstaff & Dwyer, 1997). Other options in the classroom would be the use of wireless networks, electronic portfolios, portable technologies (such as MP3 players, PDA's, etc.), attractive technologies, virtual fieldtrips and projects, as well as the use of Microsoft office software that is installed on many school computers (Mason & Dodds, 2005).
There are software programs that are available such as "Thinking Reader" which helps struggling readers with comprehension, as well as increasing technology use for all students (Gordon, 2003). A football team in Florida began using a program called IM-powered training which was found to improve player timing, concentration, and focus on the football field, as well as in the classroom (Mulder, 2002). There are so many programs available, but it is necessary that they be funded and discovered by teachers that have not been made aware of their existence.
Promises As the technology in information literacy progresses, so must the knowledge educators have in order to implement them in K-12 schools. The promises for the future of education brought to us by the evolving technology demand it. “In order to create a learner-centered environment in which students can take full advantage of information infrastructures, it is vital that educators augment the traditional curriculum with collaborative, learning-through-doing activities based on linked, online materials and orchestrated across classrooms, workplaces, homes, and community settings” (Plotnick, 2000) .
Taking students through virtual exhibits, on virtual field trips, developing virtual cooperative communities where each student has a part to play, and involving busy parents through virtual parent/teacher conferences are just some of the promises for communal collaboration. Others are helping the environment by using e-textbooks, corresponding with experts and authentic sources to create knowledge webs, teleconferencing, telementoring, teleapprenticeships, and peer tutoring. All of these promising means of using technology depend on K-12 educators being information literate in the new technology. “Our ability to be information literate depends on our willingness to be lifelong learners as we are challenged to master new technologies that will forever alter the landscape of information” (Plotnick, 2000).
Pitfalls There are many pitfalls to technology literacy. One major pitfall is the lack of professional development and support from the administration. Many school systems are pushing for the use of technology but the “ongoing faculty development is not available” (Wizer & McPherson, 2005, p. 17). Although the lack of support from administrators is “often unintentional,” teachers do not feel that the support is maintained throughout the school year (Wizer, McPherson, 2005, p. 17). Without support and professional development, teachers are less likely to incorporate technology into their classrooms.
Another major pitfall is “inadequate preparation of other teachers to teach about technology” (Young, Cole, Denton , 2006). The teachers that teach technology classes are well prepared to teach students technology literacy, but the other teachers are not. Colleges are spending “virtually no time developing technological literacy in students who will eventually stand in front of the classroom” (Young, Cole, & Denton , 2006). If all curriculum teachers would integrate technology into their classroom, students would have a better idea of technology literacy.
Suggested Resources The Big 6
This is a program created by Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz that breaks down teaching information literacy into 6 Big Steps. Each of the Big Steps have two sub-groups. One point that they make is that the steps do not have to be linear, but all of the steps will be completed before the task is over. The Big 6 are: Task Definition, Information Seeking Strategies, Location and Access, Use of Information, Synthesis and Evaluation. One aspect of this program that I like was that if you simply answer each of the Big 6, it automatically creates your lesson plan for you. The site does provide an ample supply of lesson plans, created by teachers, as a resource.
Information Literacy and Library Skills Resources
http://www.school-libraries.org/resources/literacy.html
School-libraries is an organization that has created a valuable resource not only for librarians but for teachers as well. It has numerous links to various websites under the categories:
1. General Information and Resources for Information Literacy 2. Library Instruction 3. Online Evaluation and Information Literacy Skills to Use the Web 4. Web Page Evaluation Instruction and Tutorials.
Many of the linked websites provide various rubrics that a teacher, or student, can use to determine the validity of a website, including the author and content. As teachers and students proceed into the digital age, it is becoming even more important to determine the validity of websites. Other websites offer information concerning definitions and how to integrate information literacy in the classroom.
Information Literacy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Literacy
This page is in wikipedia itself and provides many good resources.
Information Literacy and You
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/instruction/infolit/andyou/infoyou.htm
Penn State University has provided a great step-by-step guide to help students learn how to research. It walks the student through nine steps, including copyright concerns. Each step is simple and concise, and even though it is designed for college students, it can easily be used by high school students. One drawback is that certain steps use databases that are licensed to Penn State University libraries; however the basic principles for searching and identifying databases and periodicals are useful.
Information Literacy in an Information Society. ERIC Digest (ERIC Identifier: ED372756 )
http://www.ericdigests.org/1995-1/information.htm
Eric Digest provides a definition of information literacy and how information literacy incorporates technology.
Importance of Technology Information Literacy for K12 Students What is technology? Is it the latest computer, the newest cell phone, the most vivid Game Boy? Yes, but technology also refers to advances in agriculture, medicine, and transportation. In short, technology is anything that humans create to enhance their abilities, extend their lives, or attain their wants and needs. Humans have become increasingly dependent on technology since the first chipped-edged flint tool was created 1.5 million years ago (Dugger, 2001). Today’s technology is evolving at an astounding rate, and includes not only new technologies, but also the improvement of old technologies. It is increasingly important for people to be aware of, to understand, and to be comfortable with the operation of the technology that surrounds them. As a result, there is an insistent call for technology education to be an integral part of the K-12 curriculum, so that students will be prepared to function responsibly in a technology-laden world. The goal is to provide all students with technology literacy, which will guide them in the understanding, responsible use, and management of technology, even as it changes throughout their lives. There are some key factors to consider when implementing a technology education program: the students’ abilities at different ages, assessment of deficiencies in skill attainment, selection of material and methods for teaching, and application of learning in real world situations.
Student abilities In 2000, The International Technology Education Association, in conjunction with its Technology for All Americans project, established and released the Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for Study of Technology. This document is not a curriculum for teaching technology; instead, it identifies what students should be able to know, do, and understand at different stages throughout grades K-12, based on their physical, cognitive, and social abilities at each stage (ITEA, 2003).
In grades K-2, students are energetic and curious, but have limited attention spans and limited capabilities to skillfully manipulate objects. These students should be given opportunities to explore different situations, then sketch and talk about their observations. They can begin to use simple tools, as well as terminology associated with technological literacy. Technological studies should be integrated with all areas of the curriculum (Dugger, 2001).
Students in grades 3-5 have greater coordination and muscle control, as well as longer attention spans. These students are ready to tackle more detailed problem-solving activities in order to develop abstract thinking skills. Students should be given opportunities to develop and hone skills in designing, making, assessing, and presenting solutions to technological problems, but will still require substantial adult guidance. They can begin to use computer software in all phases of these tasks (Dugger, 2001).
Middle school students are ready to tackle more difficult technological problems, and can incorporate ideas from across the curriculum to help in their solutions. Problems must be challenging if students are to refine and apply the skills they learned in elementary school. Because of self-esteem and peer issues at this level, learning is often more successful if problems are solved by teams rather than individuals. Young teens must be given more autonomy, but should be encouraged to still consult with adults. They should be able to clearly communicate details of their progress, and will use a variety of educational technology tools such as multimedia software, database and spreadsheet applications, online search tools, and computer-aided design (Dugger, 2001).
Students in high school have developed the ability to think about and visualize problems abstractly, so they have greater flexibility in problem solving. Students in grades 9-12 are also beginning to think about life after graduation, and technological problems should be presented which take advantage of their particular interests. Activities must be intellectually challenging so students’ technological literacy will continue to improve. High school students will be able to use a full-range of technologies to solve real-world problems, which will cement their understanding of the importance of technology in the world around them (Dugger, 2001).
Measuring deficiencies There has been a real push lately to see how our students are able to use technology properly. That doesn’t just mean they can download songs or use e-mail. Literacy means they can use critical thinking skills to decide what is good information, and know how to research to solve a problem.
A testing system has been created to evaluate how literate students are when it comes to technology information. It is currently being used in some colleges to test the level of knowledge. “Students will receive an individual score on a point scale of 400 to 700, and schools will get reports showing how students fare in seven core skills: defining, accessing, managing, integrating, evaluating, creating and communicating information. The test can be taken in a school’s computer lab in 75 minutes. It consists of 14 short tasks” (Pope, 2006).
“In a group that was surveyed by The American Institutes for Research, the literacy skills of graduates of four-year colleges and two-year community and junior colleges, the ability of the students to analyze newspaper stories, comprehend documents and balance a checkbook was assessed. Over half the graduated could not be categorized as possessing these 'proficient' skills” (Lilienthal, 2006). The study basically wants to know what skills students have so that they can help schools figure out what they need to focus on if they decide to change the results. Not all schools wanted to push technology; some still wanted their undergraduates to do research the old-fashioned way by searching through books. “A significant point of the AIR study is that ‘rapid changes in technology make it necessary for adults of all ages to use written information in new and more complex ways.’ Higher levels of literacy are needed to enable workers to adjust to increased demands” (Lilienthal, 2006).
Curriculum content and pedagogy Now that the decision has been made to incorporate technology into classrooms, the even bigger decisions need to begin. For instance, what exactly do educators need to teach to students and how will the content/objectives be taught? It seems that the current focus in education is to access higher level or critical thinking skills in students. “Helping our students achieve information literacy and critical thinking skills is an important goal” ( Murray , 2005). Students are expected to utilize their critical thinking skills to solve problems in a technologically-based environment. Multiple choice tests are not very good indicators of competency when working with technology. Students are given projects to research that are scenario-based. They must utilize skills that they have learned that clearly demonstrate technological competency. By performing these tasks students are taught how to use technology to accomplish a goal.
Exactly what students need to learn should be written into educational standards. For instance, the American Association of School Librarians developed standards for student learning. “The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively, evaluates information critically and competently, and uses information accurately and creatively” ( Murray , 2005). The goals of technology information literacy are to promote lifelong learning among students, utilize critical thinking skills, and promote problem-solving skills (Plotnick, 1999).
Application of skills in the future Technology is already ubiquitous in our culture, as Patricia Horn points out: "You cannot get a hamburger, buy groceries, or even sign for a package without being faced with technology" (2005). In the future, technology will be even more ubiquitous, requiring everyone from the minimum-wage worker to the stay-at-home mother to the government employee to be comfortable with its many uses.
In the future, students will use technology to be informed citizens. They will ask, access, analyze, apply, and assess information via the Internet (Jukes, Dosaj & Macdonald, 2000, p. 11) that will help them be active participants in our democratic society. When students get to be of voting age, technology will provide them with access to the political process and to issues being debated and legislated.
The 2004 presidential election was the first in which the Internet played a major role. A Pew study explained that during the 2004 campaign, "37% of the adult population and 61% of online Americans used the Internet to get political news and information, discuss candidates and debate issues in e-mails, or participate directly in the political process by volunteering or giving contributions to candidates" (Crowe, 2006). In the future, the role of the Internet in the political process will certainly expand as politicians recognize its power.
We already live in a largely wireless world--we have access to the Internet from coffee shops, truck stops, our homes, and even some entire cities. In the future, wireless technology will be even more widely available, creating even more opportunities for collaboration. In this wireless environment of the future workplace, today's students "will be expected to have the basic skills in the areas of multitasking, collaboration, researching, synthesizing, and presenting" (Ketterer, 2005). An example of collaboration via the Internet are Internet-based word-processing programs that allow multiple authors to work on a document at the same time from different computers. The authors of "Ubiquitous Computing in a Web 2.0 World," for instance, worked on the article simultaneously at distances more than 100 miles apart using a Web-based word processor called Writely.
In conclusion, it is clear that technology will pervade all aspects of daily life in the future. Teachers must equip students with the "5 As" (the ability to ask, access, analyze, apply and assess information) if they are to become productive workers and informed citizens. Perhaps we also need to add a C to that list--collaborate.
Responsibility of Technology Use As Educators The overall goal with respect to educating and technology is to provide our students with technology literacy so that they may go forward with the correct knowledge to build upon. Currently, our society is heavily dependent upon technology. The dependencies are going to increase as electronic means are created to gather information (Ham, 1997). Our students need to be equipped with the technological skills to succeed in this society. It is becoming increasingly important to teach technology literacy and is becoming a staple in our curriculums.
Many educators feel the need to extend their knowledge of technology but do not have the necessary tools to do so. It is our responsibility as educators to learn how to teach technology literacy in a way that everyone can understand, even if we think of ourselves as ‘masters’ of technology (Wepner & Liqing, 2002). Our lesson plans need to be formatted differently, even the way that we go about getting the content for our lesson plans needs to be different when teaching with technology (Wepner & Liqing, 2002). The responsibility shifts, from the school-mandated programs to teach students technology literacy, and falls on our shoulders.
When going through the reformat stage of your lesson plans, it is important to remember that you are not changing the idea of teaching your students, just incorporating a different aspect. We have a responsibility to search for websites that fit our student’s literacy skills and create worksheets that fit the information that we have found electronically (Wepner & Liqing, 2002). We also have a responsibility to design a detailed instructional plan that includes objectives, procedures, grouping strategies and assessment techniques (Mwanza & Engestrom, 2005).
Standards for students have been created by national organizations to indicate what students should know about and be able to do with technology (Bennett, 2005). These indicators should help us in formulating our lesson plans. While creating our lessons filled with technology literacy, it is important to keep goals that should be seen throughout the lesson (Bennett, 2005). As an educator, a sample goal list would be to:
Extend knowledge to your students. Develop skills electronically, such as reading. Develop basic technological skills that can be later built upon. Maintain instructional and classroom management (Wepner & Liqing, 2002). First and foremost, teachers must devote more time to their professional development as educators of technology. Once these goals become essential in any lesson, it will become easier for us to discover new ways to teach technology.
We also have responsibilities to identify and use technology that is within our reach. Some technology is so cutting-edge that we think we do not have the time to learn it, let alone teach it (Ham, 1997). Typically there is a form of support staff that can make this easier for us so that we can provide our students with every opportunity that we as teachers are afforded (Mwanza & Engestrom, 2005).
Evaluating Internet Resources Students and teachers need to evaluate websites to determine safety and security of the websites, to determine whether they fall under the acceptable use policy of the school and to ensure that all inforamtion is accurate and valid.
When doing research it is absolutely essential to be able to find the information that is necessary and ignore information that is not only unnecessary, but also false. Students are not born with the ability to determine whether the information they find is relevant, nor are they able to detect whether it is truth, or merely someone’s opinion. Many teachers are given training to determine which sites are safe and which ones are not; they are trained to determine if a website is a reliable source or merely someone’s creation or fascination; they are trained to ask questions about any information they find. Students are not naturally bestowed with that ability just as teachers are not, they too need to be trained to determine reliability and validity of information that they find in electronic sources.
According to Frank Westcott (2005) “[t]here are many intentionally misleading Web sites. Your students need to know that they exist and how to recognize them.” If students are not given the tools to determine if information is misleading they will become vessels full of incomplete and incorrect information. In his article “Intentionally Misleading Web Sites,” Westcott gives multiple examples of misinformation or intentionally misleading websites that students may find when doing their research without looking further into the source or validity of the information. He mentions a website entitled “True Historical Examination”, www.martinlutherking.org, that may seem like a valid site but he states that it is hosted by a white supremacy group. If in fact it is hosted by a white supremacy group, is it a valid website? Westcott also mentions a site about the Civil War, [1], in which it states that the Confederate Army invented “balloon-fired guided missiles,” which many adults would know is not true, but a student may not be able to determine if the information is valid or not, unless they have been trained to look for signs of valid information.
Students need to be given the tools to determine website validity and reliability as well as how to search for those reliable sites. Without the training and information that teachers have to determine website reliability students will not have the ability in the future to use technology to their advantage but will find themselves drowning and will become “informationally oblivious” (Jukes, Dosaj, and MacDonald, 2000, p.7).
Teachers need to inform students on the steps necessary to find accurate information when researching using the Internet. Many students will click on Google, type in their search terms and decide that the first site that they come to is the one that they will use for their primary source. Teachers need to inform students of the accuracy and safety of information on the World Wide Web so that they have the tools to do research, the tools to use technology that is available to them, and the tools to change their search tactics if their current processes do not work. Students of the 21st centruy may be born with an IPod in their hand but they still need to be taught the processes and procedures for safe and accurate research, whether using the Internet or a standard card catalog.
We have been taught to evaluate websites in a variety of ways. As previously mentioned, the importance of evaluating websites reflects upon our students and the spread of misinformation. Communication tends to have a cascading effect, thus, information that comes from a teacher to their student will be judged as credible and taken as fact without question. If the information that we are communicating to our students comes from a textbook, journal or other hard database, the information is subject to hard scrutiny by numerous objective sources (Gorski, 1999). As a teacher, we cannot rely upon a publication company to review the authenticity of information posted. Virtually anyone with access to the Web can post, and there is currently not an entity such as a publishing company that exists for the Internet (Gorski, 1999).
There are numerous tips out there for teachers to try when evaluating websites. Typically, school systems have a method of evaluation. If this is the case, that would be a great starting point. To make the evaluations even better and less general, make it specific to your class and to your standards. This is highly important as the material will likely be translated to your methodology of teaching (Barker, 2005). Joe Barker, of UC Berkeley, has outlined skillful evaluation techniques from training your eye to catch certain letters in the URL to training your ind to think critically, even suspiciously, of information posted (Barker, 2005).
As teachers, we sometimes begin researching our lesson by using a search engine. Barker suggests that before we even click on a URL from the results page, first we must scrutinize where it is coming from. Even though the results page typically only lists the URL and keywords, you can train your eye to detail. If the URL has a personal name such as jbarker or barker following a title, it is probably a personal page (Barker, 2005). Barker states that personal pages are not necessarily bad, this just means that you need to pay particular attention to the authentication of information provided on their site (Barker, 2005).
Another way to train your eye before clicking on a result is to look at the domain. Determining whether the URL ends in a .gov, .org., .mil, or even an .edu will determine what level of scrutiny to apply to the content. These sites are typically revised regularly and reviewed by more than one person to verify content (Barker, 2005). However, there are some sites out there that have a credible ending to their URL that are not credible. Evaluation, at a high or minimal level still needs to occur (Barker, 2005).
We know that the truth is out there, unfortunately, so is the lie (Gorski, 1999). We need to be able to discern between the two, and teach our students to do the same. You will find in the following sections different sites where you will be given accurate information for educators, students and parents. These sites have been evaluated and/or used by many teachers, both current and past, that have reviewed them and found them to be helpful to them and their students. Websites do have a tendency to change and evolve and it is our job to determine if the website we visit is safe and accurate, but you will find that the majority of the websites recommended here are both accurate and safe. Realize that the websites are not being endorsed by any of the writers here, but are merely suggestions for you to begin your search for reccomended educational websites.
Multimedia Sites:
Elementary School Level
A. Teacher Resources When teachers are choosing text resources from the Internet to use in the elementary classroom, they must first evaluate the curricular aspects of the web sites. The site must contain appropriate content, the information must be presented on the appropriate level, the resource must fit with curriculum objectives, and must be able to be integrated within the existing classroom management scheme. The article, “How to…Evaluate Web Resources,” offers specific guidelines to help teachers evaluate the curricular aspects of a web resource (Lindroth, 1999). After that evaluation is complete, teachers must still assess the accuracy of the site’s information. A number of rubrics for teacher web site evaluation are available on the Internet, but most focus on the same criteria: the author, date of publication or last update, source of information, and possible bias. A very thorough, easy to use rubric can be found at:
WWW CyberGuide Ratings for Content Evaluation http://www.cyberbee.com/content.pdf (PDF document)
There are numerous interactive websites that teachers can utilize for the classroom, even at the elementary level, that are beneficial. An example of an interactive site that we use at the school where I work is named united streaming and can be found at: http://www.unitedstreaming.com/.
It provides short clips of educational material for students as well as teachers. In my second grade class this week we will access the united streaming video on clouds that correlates with our Science unit about weather. There will be a follow-up activity for the students to complete on the computer, based on the video. The website was previewed and scrutinized by our technology specialist. "As a teacher, you should always look at any sites you want your students to see before they do. This is especially crucial for younger students who will be unable to critically assess these sites and frequently accept everything they see or hear on a website as the truth" (Yahooligans, 2002).
B. Student Resources Elementary school is a prime opportunity to begin teaching students how to evaluate text resources on the web. It is important to encourage students not to believe everything they read, especially with more user-created resources like Wikipedia becoming popular research tools. Studies suggest that elementary age children are able to identify inconsistencies and falsehoods if they are told to look for them in a particular resource, though they might not recognize them without prompting (Fitzgerald, 1999). At this age, it is often beneficial to limit the number of resources available to students, to avoid information overwhelm. The teacher can either give students specific URLs, or collaborate with school librarians and Instructional Technology Resource Teachers (ITRTs) to create a limited database to be searched (Beck, 1997). Within these limited resources, the teacher can include both quality web sites and intentionally misleading ones so students learn to identify the differences. With this closed-ended mixture of good and bad resources, students are encouraged to develop “deep reading skills” that would possibly fall by the wayside if they had to sift through the entire pool of web resources (Dempsey, 2003). Once they can distinguish a good site from a bad one, students can begin evaluating the site for specific criteria using a rubric. Examples of rubrics for elementary students can be found at:
Web Evaluation for Primary Grades http://www.siec.k12.in.us/west/edu/rubric1.htm Critical Evaluation of a Website: Elementary Level http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/evalelem.html
Interactive sites are a great way to get students excited about learning. This is the digital age, where most students have access to a computer either at home or at the library. Students get tired and bored with paper worksheets, but have them complete that same sheet on the computer and suddenly it becomes fun to them. A good site for this is a math interactive Web site named eManipulatives and can be found at http://www.eduplace.com/kids/mw/manip/mn_k.html.
Before the teacher allows students to go to these websites, an evaluation of the site should be performed. In an article by Kathy Schrock (The ABC's of Website Evaluation, 2002) she outlines and describes 26 criteria for teachers and students to look for when evaluating a website. She states, "If we strive to teach students the best way to critically evaluate the information that they find in relation to the purpose at hand, we will produce a generation of digitally literate adults who are equipped to learn throughout their lifetimes" (Schrock, 2002). In another article, Teaching Zack to Think (High School Principal Magazine) the author states, "As much time as we spend teaching kids how to find things on the Net, we need to expend 10 times more effort teaching them how to interpret what they've found, " (November, 1998).
Middle School level
Research Because students start developing higher-level cognitive skills in adolescence, middle school is the perfect time to design tasks that require students to practice evaluation.
Students’ ability to evaluate what they read and see on the Internet is essential for their success in school and for their lives outside of school. However, many middle school students blindly trust the information presented on Web sites. As social studies teacher Larry Lewin points out, “They assume if something is in print, it must be true, accurate, and useful information. Students must be taught to consider such factors as the author's qualifications and experience, the sponsoring organization or institution, the currency and relevance of the information, and cited sources” (Lewin, 1998, p. 50).
Many middle school teachers are frustrated by their students’ lack of interest (or lack of ability) in critically evaluating the Web sites they encounter. Middle school media specialist Jinnie McDonnell expressed this frustration: "My seventh grade info tech students are not driven to find correct answers, lost as they are in the Zen of the Internet experience. They have to be badgered all the way" (Minkel, 2000, p. 49).
In his article, “Burden of Spoof,” Walter Minkel suggests piquing students’ interest in evaluating Web sites by exposing them to some parody sites that could easily be mistaken for “official” sources of information. One of these, www.whitehouse.net, is a spoof on the official White House web site, www.whitehouse.gov. There are also many science, technology and medical spoof sites out there. A fun one that Dr. Teresa Coffman, professor of instructional technology at the University of Mary Washington, pointed out is the History of the Fisher-Price Airplane, http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/fisher/.
After examining these and other parody sites with students, middle school teachers should lead a discussion of the following questions: “How can we be sure that what we find in a site is true? When should we look in other sources, like encyclopedias or periodicals, to verify things we read online? Why would people post things on the Internet that aren't true?” (Minkel, 2000, p. 49).
It would also be helpful at this point to provide students with a copy of Kathy Schrock’s guide for critically evaluating Web sites (geared toward Middle School students). It is a good idea for teachers to require students to complete Schrock’s checklist for any sites they use in their research for class assignments. A printer-friendly version of the document is available in Word or PDF form at http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/evalmidd.html.
In his article, “Intentionally Misleading Web Sites,” Frank Westcott provides some evaluation tips to share with students:
Be wary of Web sites with no author. Be wary of Web sites with a tilde (~) in the URL. The tilde usually indicates that the information provided on that page is separate of from the organization or institution named in the URL. For instance, students’ personal pages on a university Web site often have a tilde in the URL.
Use Google’s “links-to” feature to find out which sites link to the site in question. Sometimes the sites linking to a site will raise a red flag about its bias or credibility.
Use www.whois.net to find out who owns a site. For instance, a quick visit to www.whois.net would show students that www.martinlutherking.org is owned by the white supremacy group Stormfront. (Westcott, 2005).
Teachers need to give middle school students the opportunity to practice their evaluative skills. After teaching a unit on Jamestown and the Powhatan tribe (including the story of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas), social studies teacher Larry Lewin required his students to evaluate the differing versions of the Pocahontas story on the Disney site and on the site for the Powhatan Renape tribe (Lewin, 1998).
Students must learn how to evaluate what they read and see on the Internet if they are going to become critical consumers of the ever-growing amount of information out there.
A. teacher resources Teachers should incorporate all types of websites into the learning process of students. Students don’t always need all of the bells and whistles on a website in order to learn.
Yahooligans! Teachers’ Guide has some great tips for teachers when assigning a project with which students are to use websites to complete. Check accessibility before assigning that site. That means make a recent check to the site and make sure it is still available. Don’t assume that because you used the site last month that it is still working. Also make sure that the information isn’t going to take extensive time to download. Secondly, check the accuracy of the information that you are guiding your students to read. Remind students that “anyone with a computer and Internet access can publish a Web page and promote their point of view”. (Westcott, 2005,p.1)Thirdly, you need to check the appropriateness of the website. Does the site contain age-appropriate material? Is the reading level appropriate? Does it cover the information you need? Lastly, is it an appealing site? “By appealing we mean that a site is basically put together well and easy to follow. Just as a site with broken links is frustrating, so is a site that is hard to read. Students (and possibly teachers!) are going to have a hard time staying focused if they’re spending huge amounts of time struggling to read a site with a dark background and black text, font styles that are too hard to follow, or miniscule text and pictures.” (Yahooligans, 2002)
INTERACTIVE- sites that contain worksheets, fields that students are to fill in, etc.
With 2.1 billion web pages on the Internet, and 7 million being added every day (E-Literate?), finding valuable materials students can use to hone their knowledge of your classroom material is just the first step. Once interactive worksheets, self-tests, and other devices offering practice on a particular topic are located, the second step requires additional extensive work on your part conducting a comprehensive review of the accessed material. This step might be circumvented, however, if the material comes from a trusted site. “Many teachers, for example, have come to rely on the Web suggestions of librarian (now technology director) Kathy Schrock at http://discoveryschool.com/schrockguide. Instead of wading through hundreds of sites to find a few good social studies or math sites, they trust Kathy to do that for them.” (The Research Cycle, 2000). Alternatively, using specialized education search engines, such as:
Edu Fly, where education takes flight, http://www.Edufly.com Educating.Net, Portal to the World of Knowledge, http://www.educating.net SearchEdu.com, http://www.searchedu.com Thematic Pathfinders for All Ages, http://42explore.com would provide reliable sites which would only require a cursory examination of the sought-after information. Refining the search at the outset by restricting them to “trusted” sites or site-finders is one way to streamline analysis of the documentation.
B. student resources How can students be expected to evaluate the usefulness of interactive worksheets and other materials culled from the Internet with which they can practice their lessons’ content? Although students would be able to gauge whether the content is relevant to their needs, they would not be able to judge the accuracy of the content. Though an organization might be cited, familiarity with the organization would be unlikely. Similarly, if an author were listed, students would have no way of knowing whether the author, assuming he/she is cited, is reputable. Since students are so vulnerable in the first step of merely locating interactive worksheets, self-tests, and other devices offering practice on a particular topic, the solution in this case would be for students not to have to search in unknown sites on their own. Rather, the teacher should provide a listing of trustworthy sites. Better yet, the teacher should create his/her own website containing interactive practice elements. Finally, the best scenario would be one where the school district creates “an educational portal which includes a curriculum collection” (Chamberlain, 2005) accessible to students, parents, and other teachers alike.
One of the most popular multimedia tools is video streaming, “the process of viewing video over the Internet” (Ross, 2005, ¶ 3). Teachers can download the video and watch it at the same time. Teachers need “a computer with an Internet connection and Windows Media Player” to access video streaming (McNeal, and Kearns, 2005, p. 17). They can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used in presentations or Web sites. Students can also view these on an individual basis. “Research has shown that the use of video content leads to more attentive, more knowledgeable, and higher-achieving students” (Ross, 2005, ¶ 4 ). One example of video streaming is Unitedstreaming. There are more than 900 videos available through Unitedstreaming on every subject and every level. More information on Unitedstreaming can be found at:
Unitedstreaming http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
High School level
A. teacher resources Interactive technology can be a very useful tool for any classroom. There are multiple types of interactive resources teachers can use. One of the most popular resources is games either on the Web or on CD-rom. These systems “can provide many self-directed learning strategies, thus stimulating student’s learning interests and promoting student-centered learning” (Yu, Wang, and Che, 2005, p. 94). Keeping students motivated and interested are two of the main goals of interactive gaming. They “incorporate knowledge, fun competition, cooperation, and virtual reality into learning” (Yu, et. al, 2005, p. 95). Like any website, an evaluation should be done on the online game that is in question to use. Here is a sample rubric for evaluating an online game:
Educational Electronic Games Rubric: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/k/kaym/rubric/edgamesrubric.html
Other types of interactive resources include instant messaging, podcasts, Skype, and JYBE. These are all low cost resources. Instant messaging has been found to be “more personal, confidential, and targeted than the public space of a discussion list or chat room” (Abram, 2005). Podcasting allows students to record their own thoughts and ideas. Teachers only need to supply a microphone for students to record. “Skype is for calling other people all over the world—for free—on their computers” (Abram, 2005, ¶ 12). This could be either an add-on or replacement for a pen pal in other countries. JYBE is a “plug-in to Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox that brings real-time collaboration to Web-based systems and content” (Abram, 2005, ¶ 13). This allows partners to see exactly what the other is doing. JYBE can be downloaded for free. Below are resources for Skype, JYBE, and Mozilla Firefox:
Skype Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype Skype Website http://www.skype.com JYBE Website http://www.jybe.com/site/index.aspx Mozilla Firefox http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
MULTIMEDIA- sites that contain sound or video files to teach students
Multimedia instruction is an interactive method of teaching and uses text, graphics, video, animation and sound to instill meaningful learning for students.(Juhas, 2004, p.1) Multimedia should be a part of every high school classroom in today’s world. Most of the students today are more technology savvy then their teachers and we could learn a lot from each other. Utilizing technology in the classroom offers students unlimited means of learning, and teachers can incorporate unlimited methods of teaching. (Juhas, 2004,p. 1) As high school teachers we are trying to prepare our students for graduation and their future. As educators we should expose them to as much as possible. To give our students the best possible education “teachers must incorporate technology in their students’ education if they are to be prepared to enter the work force upon leaving the school setting” (Juhas, 2004, p. 1). However when implementing any new type of technology make sure you know why you are using it and does it fit into the curriculum. One major problem today is that teachers are using technology just to use technology, not to improve the learning process. I found a website, eZedia , (by providing a link on the name of the website or the title of the page the user knows where they are going. Providing a link on the word website is kind of like putting a link on click here - why? )that lists the 12 reasons for using multimedia in the classroom and I have included the list.
Multimedia projects motivate students to participate. integrate all the language arts -- reading, writing, listening, and speaking across curricular areas. Multimedia projects create real reasons for reading, writing, and revising communication. give students a larger audience than the teacher and the classroom. require students to analyze sources and think about evidence in new ways. lead teachers to think about their students, classes, and lessons in new ways. Reflection and revision of teaching strategies naturally evolve with the projects. require higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. These projects promote non-linear thinking and give divergent learners a chance to shine in the classroom. move teachers from the role of lecturer and classroom authority and into the role of learning coach or facilitator. They create student-centered classrooms. increase students' literacy and prepares them for the technology-based communication skills required in the workplace today and tomorrow. let teachers address multiple intelligences and learning styles in the classroom. naturally employ the range of resources and approaches by which most students learn best (Cherry, 2002)
B. student resources High school students are in a tremendously advantageous position when it comes to conducting research. There is a plethora of websites that contain interactive games, simulations and overall informative topics. However, this is not always good. Many students today are required to complete an interactive website as a class project. People researching a topic may not realize that the website they are looking at earned a 65% from an 11th grade History class. This is echoed by Hope Tillman, “…within the morass of networked data are both valuable nuggets and an incredible amount of junk” (Tillman, 2003). Students will often neglect printed material and look at the Internet first because “web pages must be the correct source because it is the most current and easiest to access form of information" (Kapoun, 1998).
Students need to develop a systematic approach to assessing the proper tools that are necessary for conducting research and then to assess the information that is gained from that search (Tillman, 2003). One great way of evaluating search tools, specifically interactive websites, is by using a rubric. Some are straightforward, such as the group of rubrics found through Cornell University’s library website: <> * Rubrics for Evaluating Websites http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webeval.html
Through their site, students can determine which evaluation procedure is most suitable for them. Depending on the research assignment and their own comfort level in evaluating a website, students can choose the specific evaluation criteria.
While it would be great if students were net savvy enough to use a rubric and determine the true effectiveness of a website that is not always the case. The library at the University Libraries of Albany in New York developed an interactive tutorial and criteria for evaluating Internet resources. The interactivity of the tutorial is also a great example of how websites can be used. It provides students the opportunity to choose answers to demonstrate their knowledge of evaluating websites. Each of those two sites can be reached from: http://library.albany.edu/usered/evalsup/main.html
One of the newest Internet multimedia resources is Podcasting. This “is an automated technology that allows listeners to subscribe and listen to digitally recorded audio shows (Flanagan, 2005).” The files are downloaded onto an MP3 player or a computer. Students can download everything from a teacher’s lecture to previously recorded audio files on a wide multitude of subjects. David Warlick explains that educators “can share their knowledge, insights, and passions for teaching and learning and for the stories that they relish and teach.” He began a website where teachers and students can download educational Podcasts:
Education Pod Network http://epnweb.org/
Warlick also makes an important point; teachers need to preview audio files before they share the resources in class. While Podcasting can bring fresh and new ideas into the classroom, teachers still need to realize some information may not be appropriate for their class.
Along with Podcasting, Vodcasting will soon be used extensively. “’Vodcasts’ are identical to podcasts with the exception being that vodcasts are video-based podcasts” (Switzer, 2006). Students will be able to download video files of interest such as science experiments, group presentations or even a new play a coach wants a player to learn.
Choosing Appropriate Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning
What is appropriate? When choosing to incorporate technology into a lesson, teachers should choose technology that allows “students to be productive, innovative and enterprising” (TEFA Online, 99). Teachers need to be certain that incorporating the technology does not hinder the learning process for the students, but instead leads to a deeper understanding of the topic. Technology should “bolster instruction and help students develop higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills” (Brown, 2002, p. 4). To help teachers decide what technology is the best to use, Professor Bell at Michigan State University designed this rubric:
Technology Rubric: http://www.msu.edu/user/wegnerje/TechnologyRubric.htm
B.F. Jones, G. Valdez, J. Nowakowski, and C. Rasmussen (1995) developed The Technology Effectiveness Framework that shows how to use technology to get a deeper understanding and allows students to reach the higher-levels of thinking. They have split the framework into three parts:
Categorize how each technology is typically used in schools; Highlight some exemplary approaches/programs in each technology Consider how the design and/or school uses of each technology could be configured to move more toward engaged learning and high performance (Jones et al, 1995). If teachers are undecided of what technology is the best to use, they have also designed a comparison chart:
Comparison Chart: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/edtalk/insert3.htm
One of the technologies that Jones, Valdez, Nowakowski, and Rasmussen (1995) break down into these three categories is the World Wide Web. The Internet allows for students to be the center of the learning stages where they can explore and collaborate with students outside of their classroom. “John Dewey’s idea that children would learn better if learning were truly a part of living experience can be seen when examining the use of the Internet with students” (Feldman, 2000, 7). The Internet allows students to connect with experts in the real world and therefore gain an understanding for why they are learning this.
Are there assessment tools available? What are they? There are assessment tools available for choosing appropriate technology and technological tools for teaching and learning. Research has provided a site that offers a rubric that can be used to score technology usage within a lesson plan. It can be found at http://www.ncrtec.org/tl/sgsp/lpsg.htm. Teachers can use it to help guide them and ensure proper alignment with curriculum objectives and lesson planning. Teachers can also create rubrics that are specifically designed for each assignment and provide students with parameters for projects. Rubrics can also be created to provide students with guidelines as to what is expected from them before they begin their projects. By technologically creating rubrics in this way, students have more of a focus when using websites to search for information, and teachers are able to change their requirements easily depending upon the grade level and depth of the project.
In NetSavvy, Jukes, Dosaj, and Macdonald (2000) have provided a template for students to use to analyze websites according to content, authorship, sources, authentication, and presentation. This template provides students with the tools and knowledge to critically analyze the source of the information they plan to use in a project or presentation. Other templates are provided for students and teachers to use when documenting technology sources, thus providing them with the tools necessary to determine whether websites are appropriate for the project being researched, as well as the accuracy of the information being provided.
Assessment of whether information is accurate or not falls upon the teacher to choose appropriate web sites, and by utilizing electronic and library databases, teachers are able to access information that has already been assessed for its content through the database itself. Not all databases are created equal and they all have different rules for searching, but they all provide access to websites, articles, published works, and references to information that a student or teacher may need for research. By being able to accurately assess the information provided on a database, utilizing the rubrics provided by NetSavvy (Jukes, Dosaj, & Macdonald, 2000), as well as the rubrics found at the above wesite, teachers and students will be become technologically literate.
How can we avoid inappropriate sites? In 2002 President George Bush presented remarks concerning children’s online safety, “one in four children between the ages of 10 and 17 is voluntarily or involuntarily exposed to pornography… One in five children receives a sexual solicitation over the Internet” (Bush, 2002). It is unfortunate that the Internet has been invaded with such dangers, however educators and children can avoid these dangers and inappropriate websites. Educators need to learn as much as possible about the possible risks students may face online; child predators are no longer lurking only in playgrounds, they can be found online as well. Lawrence Magid hosts Safe Kids a website that provides useful information concerning how to avoid online dangers. The Safe Kids website at http://www.safekids.com/child_safety.htm explains possible risks that children may face, methods of avoiding risks and also guidelines parents and educators should follow to help prevent online dangers.
Fortunately most schools today filter the Internet to avoid many websites that can be inappropriate. Also, major search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, can be pre-set to automatically block most websites with adult themes. If you are unsure of the status of the search properties for these sites click on “advance search” and make sure “Safe Search” is clicked. While this mode may block out “adult content” some sites may still display items that could be age or content inappropriate. Google and Yahoo may not be suitable search engines for younger students. There are several other search engines that do cater to younger children that teachers, especially at the elementary level, can use. A website sponsored by the public library of Greensboro, NC, at http://www.greensborolibrary.org/kids/webster.htm, provides two types of resources for teachers and parents: it lists five search engines that are designed specifically for children, and it provides helpful tips to prevent online dangers.
It is important for educators to help promote student knowledge of online safety. Even many elementary level students have the technological ability to navigate the Internet alone. If educators can teach them how to avoid dangers on the Internet it could prevent horrific results. There are two websites that are designed for elementary and middle school level students that will teach them about online safety. One is provided by Netsmartzkids at http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexfl.htm, a fun site that uses games and rap songs with robots to teach young kids online safety lessons. Netsmartzkids provides children with opportunities to learn about everything from keeping passwords secret to safety with Instant Messaging. The other site is provided by Internetsuperheroes at http://www.internetsuperheroes.org/, which is geared toward older children/young teenagers, that helps them, with the use of comic characters, to learn more about age specific online dangers such as cyber bullying or inappropriate cyber contact. Some parts of this site are still under construction as of April 2006, but it is still a useful and useable site.
By providing students with the tools to avoid inappropriate content and inappropriate sites, educators are providing them with the tools that they will need in cyber space to survive and achieve. Educating students about their moral obligations on the world wide web is a means for providing them with a moral structure with which they can build their future lives as cyber users.
The NetSavvy Approach Educators are living in an exciting time; exciting because of all of the changes instructional technologies will force upon them. Exciting because of the new possibilities for teaching and learning they are bringing into view. However, a plethora of new possibilities will require a more careful choice of appropriate technology tools for teaching and learning. The NetSavvy approach suggests that once educators and learners have determined what the essential questions are for the task, it is imperative to consider one’s choice of tools. This consideration means not only what is available, but whether all participants in the project are comfortable with using the selected tools. The NetSavvy approach supplies educators and students with guideposts to tackle any project. Specifically, teachers can evaluate whether the tools are right for one’s pupils for where they are at a particular moment in time and be used to track whether the lesson has helped in reaching the lesson’s objectives.
The NetSavvy approach ensures that teachers cover what the authors refer to as the 5A’s. These are Asking, Acccessing, Analyzing, Applying, and Assessing. For each of the 5A’s there are the same five elements to consider, each tweaked to fit one’s particular lesson plan. The first examines the prerequisite skills teachers assume of students. The second element uses the Student Basic Asking Tool which, like a KWL chart, seeks what pre-information students have on the topic and what they wish to learn. (An additional component not seen in the KWL chart or in many lesson plans in general is added, namely, imagination.) The third element of the 5A’s deals with the essential skills the teacher hopes to engender in the students. The remaining two elements deal with equipment needs coverage and a review element appraising the entire teacher, student, and collaborative processes involved in the lesson.
The NetSavvy approach will not in-and-of-itself lend an easy formulation to choosing appropriate technology tools. There are rubrics and websites which tout this ability. There are other more basic means. The Big 6 Skills model developed by Michael Eisenberg (Eisenberg, Lowe, & Spitzer, 2004), is but one of several models which have been developed to guide both students and teachers in their quest for appropriate digital information. However, none is tailored for teaching and learning across the curriculum as thoughtfully as the NetSavvy method developed by Jukes, Dosaj, and Macdonald (2000). Once teachers and students are empowered with this method, they are equipped with innate tools to make good choices.
Using Library Databases and Electronic Databases
What is a Library Database? There are two main questions that arise during the discussion of the use and necessity of library databases, the first being "Why would you or your students use library databases to conduct research?", and the second being, "When would it be more productive to use a library database that your school library subscribes to for students, teachers, and staff then to use the Internet?.
Why would you or your students use library databases to conduct research? Library databases are used to locate journal or newspaper articles and they are updated daily-to-monthly. (Alverno, Sept, 2005). One thing to keep in mind when searching library databases is that they may or may not provide you with the entire article, sometimes you may only find an annotated citation. However when providing a citation it will also include the title, issue, page number, and any other information that you might need to find the entire article. Libraries try and update their information where as the World Wide Web allows anyone to post information without providing continuous updates. Libraries are also able to focus their content, providing researchers to spend more time on qualitative analysis of the articles, rather than the initial search of material. Search results on the World Wide Web may not always have helpful or accurate links to the information that is sought. Any user of the Internet will have found websites where the information that was presented was not accurate and was based on the opinion of the author. Based on the accuracy and up-to-date information provided by library databases, it may be more productive and less time consuming to use a library database, rather than to merely search the World Wide Web for information.
When would it be more productive to use a library database, that your school library subscribes to, for students, teachers, and staff? Based on the research by Alverno (2005, September ), it is more productive to use library databases when you are searching for journal and newspaper articles. Librarians can provide students, teacher, and staff with lists of information concerning each school database and how it is broken down into different subjects. Many school databases, depending upon their budget and staffing, will be broken down into the following general areas: expanded academic (scholarly journal, news magazines, and newspapers that cover all academic subject areas), general reference center (newspapers, reference book, magazines, and trade publications), InfoTrac OneFile (one source for news and periodical articles), student editions (such as periodical databases designed for high school students), and professional collections (some contain over 250 full-text educational periodicals). Researchers can choose one or more of these topics and be able to search by subject, article title, author, and key words.Some databases are even accessible to students and teachers from places outside the school, although passwords are sometimes required (Shiffler, 2005).
Madeline Albright, a former teacher, began teaching her own students how to be better researchers and to accurately assess Internet sites, which she discusses in the following interview, “I used to be one of these people who spent large portions of my life in the library with index cards, looking things up and writing them down, I felt as though the information had to go through me, so to speak. And – this makes me sound antediluvian- trying to figure out what information was relevant to what I was doing was also part of the process. Now, you can click onto Google and the information just comes up in whatever order some dataset muck-a-muck has decided. So what I’m doing with my students is trying to get them to use information not in long papers, but to change it; to know the quality of the information being used, and to in some way go through the process. But I have to tell you it’s a challenge, because it’s an entirely new way of turning information into knowledge,” (2003).
The Times library has embraced it as an opportunity to grow. The library’s Intranet -- the home page for newsroom users – offers over 1000 Internet links organized into subject categories, as well as fee-based resource and customized data bases developed by librarians (Wilson, 2002). There are a multitude of other libraries that have begun offering database services to their customers to ensure that they are giving the most up-to-date and accurate information possible for their users. Contacting most local libraries and schools with their own computer-based library systems will provide their patrons with access to the databases to which they subscribe, giving students and other researchers access to more accurate and reliable information.
What is an electronic Database? Electronic databases are prevalent in today's technologically-immersed world, and continue to grow and become useful for many professions and topics. "An electronic database is a collection of information that can be searched by computer" (Friends Academy, 2006). Electronic databases are used to help researchers locate periodical articles that relate to their topic. Databases have also been used in public to create a place where officials can find information that they need for criminal records, health records, etc.
According to the tutorial for Expanded Academic ASAP User Tutorial, an electronic database can be defined as "an organised list of published information sources (usually journal articles), either giving directions (a citation) to where you can find the full information or containing the information itself (full-text databases) (Thompson Gale, 2005). One thing that is absolutely significant to databases is that they function differently based upon the content that they cover. Not all databases are created equally, thus it helps to understand the particulars of the database before utilizing its multiple functions.
Databases differ from company to company and from state to state, but they are all warehouses of links to information that teachers, and students alike, will be able to find information necessary for reasearch. There are multiple databases provided by local libraries, schools, and universities, such as InfoTrac Onefile, which provides access to educational research materials; The Library of Congress Database; WilsonWeb; Expanded Academic ASAP; Lexis Nexis Academic; American Poetry Database, etc., all of which can be found at The University of Mary Washington's Simpson Library Website (http://www.library.umw.edu). Local libraries also contain their own databases, as well as hospitals, insurance companies, and various other businesses which have their own internal databases to provide them with the research necessary to find answers to their own questions. Electronic databases exist for the help of electronic researchers to both broaden and narrow the search for information.
Electronic databases can also provide full-text databses, but students need to understand the difference between a standard database which may only provide access or reference to information, and a full-text database. "First students must realize that such databases exist and then we have to persuade them to point the browser in the right direction" (Matthews & Wiggins, 2001). An excellent example of the difference between an electronic scholarly database, or library database and merely using Google or Yahoo: it's "like walking into the mall and shouting "Hey, anybody know the side effects of tetracycline?", you might get an answer, but wouldn't you rather ask that question of an authority, such as your doctor?" (Matthews & Wiggins, 2001).
Electronic Databases-How are They Different From Library Databases? The past few years have seen big changes in the way research is conducted. Using a library database is a time-consuming process that can provide valuable results. However, using a library database cannot bring you the results in a short time frame, as it takes quite a significant amount of time to refine your research to produce needed material. The greatest benefit to using a library database is the security of the information that you will find, "if students click on the school library's databases and catalogs, they have albeit virtually stepped through the doors of the building itself. If they click on an Internet search engine, however, they have hurled themselves into the entire world, the world of cyberspace. Once students understand and acknowledge that difference, they seem almost comforted by taking the less risky step of remaining in the confines of a more familiar, albeit electronic, circumscribed world" (Jenson, 2004). This is not to say that library databases are better, but when doing research for educational purposes, it may be wise to consult the library database, and most especially the libararian.
If research is being done within a library of hard copies, it is a great help to have the assistance of a librarian. A librarian can assist researchers with varying techniques of locating the information as well as processing it. At times, it is difficult to call upon the help of a librarian as they are serving such a large number of the population. At Herrick District Library in Holland, MI, six librarians serve a population of 105,000 (Roncevic, 2002). Traditional print items are becoming scrutinized in terms of continued procurement and transitional formats for electronic uses.
An electronic database is different from a library database only in structure. The general basis of results is primarily the same. Performing a search with either database is going to generate several works in which the researcher can choose from. However, an electronic database differs from a library database in that the timeframe is significantly shortened in a library database, and the location of generated results typically is inconsequential if they are listed in full-text formats. We can endlessly defend the value of books, but we can no longer deny the many advantages of electronic resources: their ease of use, cross-searching capabilities, and simultaneous and remote access options (Roncevic, 2002).
Librarians are witnessing a shift in resources that they offer. In an ideal world, many librarians would like to see their libraries with both print and electronic resources. However, economically, this is a tough feat to accomplish (Roncevic, 2002). An electronic database is difficult in nature to build in terms of cost. An electronic subscription to a journal may cost twice as much as the print version (Roncevic, 2002). Though there are many ways in which electronic databases can help the researcher, it is often difficult for the database to be generated because of funding.
Both databases offer a wide variety of results for any type of research. As our classrooms become more enriched with technology and our society becomes more netsavvy, print databases will become less popular. Our society is already at a point of familiarity with technology that print databases become frustrating. We are in a ‘now’ state of mind when it comes to research, in that we do not want to waste time on a wild goose chase to produce valuable results. In many libraries, using a print database can be difficult since the options are becoming limited. Electronic databases are becoming more prominent in schools and regional libraries throughout our county. The shift from print to electronic is inevitable.
How can databases be used? What are they good for? What are they not good for? It is important for teachers to recognize when it’s appropriate for students to use electronic databases in their research. If the objective, for instance, is for students to develop information literacy by evaluating the credibility and appropriateness of the information they encounter, perhaps the Internet is best because it requires students to sort through misinformation and unreliable information to get to the facts they’re seeking. But if the goal of the assignment is in part to familiarize students with scholarly journals and expose students to the detailed research conducted by others, then electronic databases are best. The teacher also should consider the topic students are researching. If they are researching a current event that occurred within the past few months, the Internet of course provides the broadest scope of up-to-the-minute information. But if the students are researching a scientific topic or perhaps a topic in literature, electronic databases can provide the most relevant information culled from many sources. Teachers must always provide as much information for their students as possible, "this means including step-by-step instructions that have been tested and proved accurate each time the exercise is assigned. Given the continual updates and a change that academic libraries necessarily experience, this step is crucial. Providing incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading instructions is often more detrimental than providing none at all" (Jenson, 2004).
Using databases for research ensures that students are accessing credible information. Students can use either selective (subject-specific) databases, in which the content has been selected to support the topic, or comprehensive databases, which contain thousands of journal, magazine and/or newspaper articles (Gilbert and Regenbogen, 2000). "However, the last item on such a research exercise should give them the opportunity to write down any questions they still have about what they are to do in the library or how they are to do it" (Jenson, 2004).
In order for students to use databases effectively for classroom projects and research, teachers cannot assume that students will automatically know how to search databases because they know how to search the Web.
College professor Jill Jenson shares the story of a freshman who became frustrated while using electronic databases for a research project in her introductory writing class: “Suddenly, his hand shot up in frustration. ‘I'm finally finding some sources,’ he said, ‘but look at how short they are. I can't use these.’ Looking at his computer screen, I quickly understood the problem: He was searching in our library's Newspaper Abstracts index. He had no idea that he was looking at summaries of the articles rather than the articles themselves. In fact, he had no idea what the word ‘abstract’ meant” (Jenson, 2004).
Jenson (2004) asserts that because today’s students have never used the traditional print-based search methods (card catalogs, Library of Congress subject headings, etc.), teachers can’t expect them to simply adapt traditional research skills to the electronic environment as the teachers themselves have learned to do. She advocates physically taking students to the library (in the high school setting, this can take the form of a trip down the hall to the school library, or, in special instances, a field trip to the local college library) to conduct research. If they’re going to search electronic databases for articles that originally appeared in print, they need to see the original print sources to understand the differences, she writes: “Unless students are shown otherwise, without actually going to the library they may never learn to appreciate the distinguishing format and design differences between scholarly journals and popular magazines, which, when physically observed, are immediately apparent” (Jenson, 2004).
It is unfair, Jenson argues, to perpetuate the myth that all research can be conducted from home through use of databases. There are some very valuable resources, such as reference books and other non-circulating materials, that students miss out on unless they physically visit the library. So, for certain research projects, it is important to couple the use of electronic resources with access to print resources.
With younger students, certain databases can be great tools because, unlike the vast World Wide Web, they are tailored to the students’ comprehension level. Also, they provide solutions to some of the obstacles that face younger students in their searches for information. Beth Dempsey (2003) notes that many premium children’s databases are available free through statewide information resources and the websites of local libraries. Kids InfoBits, a child-friendly spin-off of InfoTrac, is aimed at students in grades kindergarten through five. It culls only those resources appropriate for children and does not contain advertising (Dempsey, 2003). “The younger group often can’t narrow their topic to a single phrase, or if they can, they don’t know how to spell it. Kids InfoBits ™ opens with a lively icon-rich topic tree that enables children to click and drill down to a single topic” (Dempsey, 2003).
For younger children, databases like Kids InfoBits do what an Internet search engine can’t: “Organize vast resources into a narrower range that's child-friendly, highly structured so kids can find things easily, and vetted for appropriate content” (Dempsey, 2003). Because databases can sometimes provide more meaningful content for young students than the Internet, teachers should check with their school’s media specialist about the school’s access to children’s databases before starting a research project.
But just as Jenson recognizes that print resources are still valuable sources of information for her college students, third- and fourth-grade teacher Julie Kaufman believes that teachers must introduce print resources in order to help students develop the ability to delve deeply into information (a skill that will help them when they use electronic resources): "I think you need to read a book to practice getting at in-depth information. We're teaching a microwave generation and they need to be taught to do more than skim the surface" (Dempsey, 2003).
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