Blog Archives

Digital Research Skills

7/26/2019

As I approach the beginning of the new year and I am thinking about transitioning into more of a project-based classroom, I can’t help but feel a little anxious because my students are not equipped to research and analyze information found online in a quick and efficient manner. So what am I to do about it? Well.. take matters into my own hands… OF COURSE.

Why is this important you may ask? Many students open up google, type whatever comes to their mind, click on the first few links and if they don’t see anything rather quickly they give up and say they can’t find anything. Sound familiar? It does sound familiar to me and I want to equip my students with the skills it takes to 1. Take the time (even if it’s a few seconds) to think about what they are going to search. 2. To look at the links provided and make an informed judgment on whether it may or may not help them. 3. Tell if it is a legitimate 4. Learn how to scan a web page for the information they are looking for. I have found some resources I plan on using to help my students with these skills.

Let’s start with what activities you might need these skills for. In this link edutopia has listed some really great authentic activities. If your students are old enough you are going to want them to look for some authentic resources on their own.

The following articles have good strategies to start teaching students how to research and analyze information online:
Best Practices in Teaching the New Literacies of Online Research and Comprehension

Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research Online and Filter Information

11 Ways to Teach Savvy Search Skills
Teaching students to brainstorm to come with keywords is a critical skill. At first it may seem like it is time consuming and boring but it will help students search more efficiently. Once they have practice that thought process will go on in their heads and they will no longer need pencil and paper but for starters, brainstorming is best. Teaching students how to skim websites, read headings and using Ctl + F will really speed up and make the time they spend figuring out if a website is useful more efficient. When students are equipped with the right tools they are more likely to be successful. This builds confidence in them and that confidence will help them figure out more challenging problems down the road.
My plan is to start off my scaffolding this information for my students and of course practicing it as much as possible. To be able to participate in a project-based learning environment students have to be fluent in these skills. If they are not they are going to have to rely heavily on the teacher and what we want for the students is for them to be successful in their future endeavors. These skills will help them problem solve for the rest of their careers and lives.

Here is a video on Teaching Students how to research:

0 Comments

Reflection On Connected Learning

7/24/2019

0 Comments

In my classroom, I can say that for the most part, my students are engaged and using technology to create products. That is all good and well but I always want to push myself to make a more authentic language learning environment. I have no problem with TPACK. I think there are great ways to implement it into language learning. I did find a great lesson while researching around. Check it out if you need an idea. The same or similar idea can be used in different contexts. My issue is finding connected-learning for all Spanish 1 topics. This year I am trying out a curriculum that was made by teachers using relevant materials such as pop-culture, social media and youtube. There is not a lot of literature about connected learning in the language classroom so I am wondering if this is a good place to start. Will the students feel like they are connecting with the information because it is delivered in a way that is relevant to them? I am excited to find out and do hope they connect with it.
To add to the curriculum, I have found a couple of resources but the best one I found is an edutopia blogpost about ways to connect the language classroom. I do like the idea of connecting with native speakers but the problem I see is trying to find a safe way for students to connect with them. One of the safest ways that is mentioned in the blog is through pen-pals. And I think it is a great idea. Students can get excited about actually using the Spanish they know and practice with someone in a real life situation. If your school is big enough to have a large class size of ESOL students you could do pen pal letters to and from the Spanish to ESOL Classroom.
Students don’t only have to interact with people, they can interact with published materials. The internet is great for finding these if the students are trained to do so. For example, I taught my students how to find McDondald's website from different countries so they could compare the menus to their favorite items here. Here is a great video on different digital authentic materials that can be used in the language classroom.

With these resources language teachers can create inquisitive units that can inspire ownership of the material in students. When the students collaborate with each other on creating materials or solving problems they also get the real-life experience that many work environments require nowadays.
Even though there is not a lot of material on the connected language classroom, keeping the classroom connected by creating a collaborative environment where students use realia to actively engage with the language and giving the students a voice in their learning can be the key. Opening the doors for them to take ownership of their learning is our job. We must step aside and let them take the steering wheel. We are facilitators of their learning.

0 Comments

Reflection on diGital Literacy

7/17/2019

0 Comments

I want to talk about a very important literacy that we must integrate into our language classroom (not saying that a of good teachers don’t already), Digital Literacy. Let’s dive right in…

For example, copyright infringement, finding information from reliable sources, how to behave on social media, how to behave on professional social media and the list goes on. How to protect themselves and keep their privacy. Here is a great little read called Knowing the Difference between Digital Skills and Digital Literacy and Teaching Both. We should always try and practice what we preach, so letting the students know your use of digital literacy is a great way to get them to start thinking about it. Check out the infographic on a couple do’s and don’t when it comes to protecting student privacy. Click on this link to check out others helpful infographics from the same source.

Digital Literacy
The great thing about teaching a foreign language is that in an increasingly digital world, access to authentic materials is right at our fingertips. Not only are materials readily available but people and places are as well. We can pen-pal electronically, Skype with other classes around the world, take a digital tour in a different location or shop at stores in different countries. We are more connected than ever. What does that mean for us as educators? We need to be aware of digital literacy and how to facilitate implementation by our students. We are teaching our students how to use digital resources but sometimes forget to teach them how to really use a resource. For example, copyright infringement, finding information from reliable sources, how to behave on social media, how to behave on professional social media and the list goes on. How to protect themselves and keep their privacy.

Some of us might think that it is just more to add to our teaching plate but this is something that is very important. Here is an article that talks about Integrating Digital Literacy and Language Instruction. We are headed in a direction where digital literacy is a must and we should be prepared. Mozilla has compiled some great Teaching Activities that can be used in any classroom. On that page there is also more on digital literacy and helpful tools. It makes me happy that a company that is so heavily invested in the internet is taking responsibility by having these resources available. BBC has also taken the initiative to make youtube videos about digital literacy. I have linked the first one in the series here: Digital Literacy – What is digital literacy?.
If we want our students to be connected and learn about different cultures, see different countries and people and really connect with the outside world, we need to teach them to it responsibly. I am getting ready to start this new year with a lot more digital literacy lessons, especially since I have scrapped my textbook and I am going to be following a different curriculum made by other teachers that is very heavy on realia ( objects and material from everyday life, especially when used as teaching aids). I want my students to be safe and I want them to be responsible citizens in the digital world as much as they are in their everyday life. A lot of students think that hiding behind a screen grants them the power to do things they otherwise would not, but that is simply not the case. Let’s make sure our students are aware and prepared for their future.

0 Comments

Digital Research Skills

Reflection On Connected Learning

Reflection on diGital Literacy

Education Blog

Archives

Categories