Internet Workshops

The feedback that I received from my other groups members was positive overall. It was nice to hear that my objectives were clear and my scaffolding documents (rubrics and graphic organizer) were also clear. My group thought that the lesson was straightforward and would be easy for my students to follow. Two members suggested that the students' evaluation of the website should go beyond ranking and should include room for explanations or should specifically ask higher order questions. One member suggested that if the students did not have any background in research authenticity, then a lesson on research authenticity would need to precede this lesson.

I would use this internet workshop in a future classroom. I would use all of the feedback that I received to strengthen the lesson. Revising the evaluation forms would allow for richer assessment of the students' understanding of their research, not just their opinions on the research sites. Asking higher order questions would push the students to more thoroughly investigate research websites and consider any and all implications.I think it is important to bring technology and integrated research into the English or language arts classroom to encourage the collaborative read/write/publish aspect of the web and how that can have potential benefits for young writers.

The group consensus on the November's statement was that teaching students the skills necessary to critically evaluate and read a website for authenticity, purpose, bias and safety was of as paramount importance as learning any other fundamental skill. Students must possess these skills in order to make meaning from their research, use it appropriately and transfer their ideas across the curriculum. We also discussed how important it is for adolescents to be aware that anyone an publish on the web, and reading critically is vital to determining the validity of the research. Further, we agreed that initiating and maintaining an open dialogue on the subject with students allows for ongoing discussions as issues arise in the actual research. Lessons can be cemented when they are applied in real time, as the student is doing research and in the moment, the message of the lesson will be stronger than when it was theoretical. Finally, we discussed how critical literacy, ala Paulo Freire asks of students to "read the word, read the world." Students need to look beyond the printed word and consider the implications of the printed word for issues of social justice, media bias, and agenda. Then, the student is fully equipped to make his own value judgment and apply the understanding as needed to successfully accomplish a task.