Internet Research for TechQuest Project

The following resources were useful in defining my problem, finding potential solutions, and planning for implementation in the classroom.

Resources focused on similar projects:

o Luo, Lili. (2010, January). Web 2.0 in Integration in Information Literacy Instruction: An Overview. Journal of Academic Librarianship, v36 n1, p32-40. Retrieved from ERIC.

This resource provides examples of Web 2.0 integration to promote information literacy. In particular, this source outlines the use of blogs, and social bookmarking sites to support the social construction of knowledge.

o Hicks, Troy. The Digital Writing Workshop. Heinemann: 2009.

Hicks outlines why it is important to use web 2.0 tools in the writing classroom and how to do so effectively. Specifically, he addresses how to use RSS feed readers and social bookmarking sites in a collaborative setting to increase information literacy skills.

Resources that may help guide my project:

o Chen, H..Online reading comprehension strategies among general and special education elementary and middle school students. Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, United States -- Michigan. Retrieved July 23, 2010, from Dissertations & Theses @ CIC Institutions.(Publication No. AAT 3381123).

This resource provides details for online reading strategies, while bringing a research based focus to a skill set that has been often overlooked at the middle school level. I have used this resource to solidify the importance of teaching this skill set at the middle school level.

o Lawrence Erickson. (1998). Informational literacy in the middle grades. The Clearing House, 71(3), 165-168. Retrieved July 23, 2010, from Education Module. (Document ID: 27007210).

This resource provides activities for supporting information literacy skills using best practice. It focuses on incorporating cooperative grouping, mini-lessons for targeted literacy skills, and assessing student growth with the use of rubrics and checklists.

o Dow, M.. (2007, December). Assessing Information and Technology Literacy: How Do We Know Our Students Learn? School Library Media Activities Monthly, 24(4), 56-58. Retrieved July 23, 2010, from Education Module. (Document ID: 1381407201).

This resource provides ideas to consider for assessing information literacy skills, such as using e-portfolios and project based assessment. It also substantiates the importance of developing these literacy skills as relevant and necessary for life-long learning.

o Silvernail, David, Dorothy Small, Leanne Walker, and et al. (2008, February). Using Technology in Helping Students Achieve 21st Century Skills: A Pilot Study. Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation, 1-44. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from ERIC.

This source includes research based findings of what information literacy skills students struggled with the most during this pilot study. Some of these skills included differentiating between primary and secondary sources and the ability to explain the reasoning behind their decisions. Students apparently are somewhat successful at identifying the purpose for a website or establishing credibility of a site, however, they are not able to provide evidence or reasoning to explain and support their claims.

o Eisenberg, Michael B. and Robert E. Berkowitz. (1987). The Big 6.

This source provides ideas and resources for developing information literacy skills, both online and in a traditional way. It includes a blog of ideas and resources, however, many of the links are broken.

Resources that may help in the implementation of my project

o Marlene Asselin. (2004). Guiding the Inclusion of Information Literacy. Teacher Librarian, 31(4), 63-64. Retrieved July 23, 2010, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 624197801).

This resource provides ideas for helping educate staff and getting them on board with the importance of developing technology literacy skills. This might prove to be a useful source in working to integrate my project into the other 7th grade classrooms, which we have decided is necessary as a result of our district technology meeting’s alignment of middle school technology standards.

o Netvibes: RSS reader page

This resource could be a potential tool to use for the RSS reader portion of my project. Students would be able to add pages and organize them by tabs from their dashboard.

o Google Reader: RSS reader page

This is another potential tool for using an RSS reader for the project. This site organizes information slightly differently, as there are folders along the side of the screen that show updated sites.

o Diigo: social bookmarking page

This tool could be very useful as the bookmarking page for my classroom. There is a feature which allows teachers to set up classrooms and student accounts. Then, students can bookmark interesting articles they find on the feed reader, highlight and create sticky notes as they read, and post comments for assignments targeted on specific skills.

The Research Process: Strategies and Findings

I mainly searched through MSU’s library, in particular using Proquest and Eric. I searched by using key words, alternating phrasing including “information literacy, technology literacy, language arts, middle school, informational reading comprehension, technology tools.” I usually browse through articles avoiding those that seem to just propose uses for Web 2.0 tools, looking more for research based articles reporting findings on studies. Also, I think that date of publication is especially important because these tools and contexts are really changing so quickly. So I avoided any articles published before 2004.

Research is becoming more and more popular about using technology tools, but is still limited compared to other educational topics. However, finding research about particular tools with study based reports can be challenging to find, especially for social bookmarking, which was one of the tools I focused on. It is easy to find excerpts suggesting when and how to use the tool, but much harder to find material on implementation and actual results. Next time, I would probably search in much the same way, however, I might try searching through blogs and postings on the educational ning site in order to find more examples of actual projects teachers have implemented and the results they found.

4.6 Instructional Strategies Reflection

Instructional Strategies for Blogging

Blogs increase relevancy and meaning making through social construction, giving student voice an authentic audience with which to engage. Blogs work well for cooperative learning groups, both to communicate with peers in your group and to see what other groups are doing/discussing. This works well for the teacher to review and chart the progress of groups as well, based on what students are discussing in their blogs and how they are interacting. Blogs are also a good tool for providing scaffolding for students. For example, I have previously used blogs as a way for students to practice using new writing forms, developing authentic voice, and expressing knowledge about the content. One assignment was to quote a peer’s blog and integrate it into a complete sentence while also fully integrating it into the context of their own writing. Eventually, this skill would build in complexity for the research paper students would be writing. So blogs work nicely to build and support the pieces of small steps that can later grow in complexity and professionalism.

Less Applicable Instructional Strategies for Blogs

While most instructional strategies could be enhanced in some way by using blogs, the only context I can think of that would not work well is a teacher-centered classroom (sage on the stage). One of the greatest advantages of using blogs is the social construction of knowledge, which directly opposes the purpose of this teaching style that relies on the transmission of knowledge from teacher to student. I suppose that this approach to instruction might find blogging to be unnecessary or even undermining the authority with which information is delivered (not created).

Blogs in My Classroom

I have had great experience using blogs in my classroom in the past. My students have used them to discuss literature, share poetry, and practice writing forms. This year I hope to use blogs in three specific ways. First, I am hoping to keep my own blog on our classroom page, updating it on a weekly basis with updates and information of interest to my parents. Secondly, I am going to use the blog site for students to post and comment on peer poetry again, because this has always been very fun for students, while also improving the quality of their poetry. I will slightly alter the comment feature, to insure that more comments on focused on using terminology and discussing more detailed features of the poems, as opposed to some of the more random “great job” comments. Finally, I am considering using blogs as part of my TechQuest project for 812. This project uses an RSS feed and social bookmarking site to develop student informational literacy skills. I am debating between using the commenting feature on Diigo or a blog site for students to post their assignments, which will be short activities focused on informational reading skills.

The Case for Adaptation

I think because I have already manipulated many applications to achieve new goals, I have a very easy time being creative about use. I didn’t include the listed example of understanding math facts as a situation that wouldn’t be benefited by using blogs, because I thought blogs would actually work very well for that. For example, blogs could be used to demonstrate student thinking, as they could explain not only the steps but the reasoning behind the steps required to solve a problem. Or, students could create their own word problems/situations to post on blog entries and then be required to respond to peer problems. Or, students could use a blog for a group review activity (even though a wiki would probably work better), to cover different sections of material to share with group members.

Wiki Lab

For my wiki addition, I added a line of updated information concerning our new status as a Schools of Choice district.



I have used Wikispaces in the past to create a presentation for the Bright Ideas Conference and in my classroom (as a book review site and a collaborative project to create a companion site to the Inferno). Currently, I am working on a wiki with group members from 812 and also am working on a page for my WebQuest (which students will be adding to this coming school year).

Here is the link to my webquest page and our classroom Inferno page.

TechQuest: Project Description

Introduction to the Problem
In reviewing our MEAP data from last year, our committee found that all three grades (6-8) scored significantly lower on the informational reading section of the test. While we arrived at this decision as our area of greatest weakness, we didn’t exactly brainstorm any solutions for how to address the problem. In reviewing the curriculum that I taught for the 7th grade this past year, I realized that I never explicitly taught informational reading skills or addressed the tool set required, other than to focus on some of the skills during different genre units or to briefly focus on informational reading during the research unit. In previous years, the unit constructed to address informational reading did a haphazard and aimless job in my opinion. The unit was based on advertising and culminated in a digital story advertisement that students made themselves. In my opinion, this could be a perfect example of using technology for a fun activity but not necessarily to advance higher level thinking or important skills related to informational reading.

Instead, I would like to find a way to foster this important reading skill across the course of the year, while also making it fun and interesting for students. Some of the skills I hope to develop include evaluation of text, ability to summarize text, identify main points and supporting points, identify and evaluate bias, analyze organizational patterns, use prediction, inferences, and concluding skills to analyze and make connections with material, and practice synthesizing within and across different pieces of text. One of the first goals would be to create a context that engages students, allows for student interaction, and allows for creativity in creating lessons to elicit the skills above. I believe such a unit would be important not only for increasing MEAP scores, but more importantly increasing student source analysis for the research project, close reading across units, and life skills and engagement in reading more generally.

Research Approach
My approach towards researching this problem was to clearly define informational literacy and its importance to student learning, identify possible reasons for why this skill is lagging in the middle grades, and find potential strategies to improve student ability. After identifying these strategies, I also hoped to uncover examples and applications for technology tools to potentially solve this problem.

To begin with, information literacy is often closely aligned with technology literacy, which makes the use of technology tools a perfect resource to solve the problem. Information literacy refers to the ability to “manage information: locate, gather, and organize information using appropriate technology and information systems (Asselin).” The ultimate goal of this skill is to “gather and synthesize information” with the ability to “create and communicate knowledge (Asselin).” This skill set continues to grow in relevancy to student learning, especially as a result of the quickly changing technological landscape of the 21st century. Information literacy is crucial to student ability to locate and use resources both for school purposes and for real-life purposes (Dow). The ability to locate and evaluate non-fiction sources also engages critical thinking skills and requires student strategies for online reading comprehension. However, this skill is often overlooked in the middle grades because of a preference to teach “classical literacy.” “Fiction, in fact, is used more than four times as much as nonfiction in U.S. classrooms” (Erickson). There is also a huge gap in research and data related to the online reading comprehension of middle schools students, suggesting that in many curriculums there is no explicit teaching of information literacy skills, strategies for improving these skills, or even an understanding of how to do so in an online context (Chen).

In order to improve student ability in the area of informational literacy, it is important to explicitly teach the necessary skills while building strategies to increase reading comprehension. Many suggested activities for teaching these skills are based on the “ability to analyze and construct knowledge” (Erickson). Some ideas include concept-based learning, incorporating non-fiction sources and texts into classroom reading, using cooperative learning groups where students have the ability to analyze and evaluate through peer discussion, explicitly teaching literacy strategies such as QAR and note-taking skills, and applying Web 2.0 technologies as a context for social construction and development of information literacy (Erickson and Luo). Popular tools such as blogs and wikis were cited as useful Web 2.0 applications for helping students evaluate content through social interaction (Luo). Another potential tool is social bookmarking, which has been used to help teach controlled vocabulary, summarization, and the ability to sort and organize resources (Luo).

Proposed Solution
After reviewing the targeted skills covered under information literacy, my plan is to combine the tools of rss readers and social bookmarking to create an interactive hub where students can practice and develop the required skills over the course of the school year.

• RSS reader: Students will create a google reader site and be required to add a minimum of 5 educational websites. We will discuss together how to find these sites and which pages might be interesting to add. Over the course of the year, students will be prompted to find new sites or add required sites as they are discovered. The goal is for students to have access to a variety of resources and articles related to current events and educational interests. The teacher will explain the purpose for the rss feed readers and model how to use the site, as well as targeted informational reading skills.

• Diigo: Students will also join the class social bookmarking site at diigo.com. The teacher will explain the nature of this site and model how to use it, as well as strategies for online note-taking and organization. On a weekly basis, students will be prompted to peruse the updates on their reader page, in order to choose an article to use for a specified assignment (the assignments will focus on practicing skills for informational literacy). Students will bookmark the chosen article from the reader page onto the class bookmarking page. They will use the highlighter and sticky note features (as well as comments) to complete the assignments. Their work will then be viewable to the rest of our class. At times, the assignment may be based on interacting and reviewing peer submissions, as opposed to adding a new bookmark to our page. Scaffolding will be used to build the complexity of the assignments and the critical thinking required as the use of the site grows more familiar.

• In addition to focusing on skills such as summarizing, drawing inferences, synthesizing, etc, the assignments will also work to develop systematic approaches to the following aspects of working with resources:

o Locate sources (how do I locate sources about my topic?)
o Evaluate credibility of the sources (is this site credible?)
o Scan for relevancy (will this site be useful for my purposes?)
o Locate/record citation information (how can I return to this source in the future?)
o Read and take notes (when should I take notes and on what information)
o Comprehension strategies (am I understanding what I’m reading? what can I do to better understand this?),
o Organizing information (how do I organize all of this information to easily store it for future use?)

• My goal is that the coordination of the reader page and social bookmarking site will support student acquisition of these skills and strategies through targeted assignments. Throughout the course of the first and second trimesters, students will access their RSS pages on a weekly basis. There will be a different response assignment to complete focused on a different element of informational literacy skills. After practicing these information literacy skills on a weekly basis, students should be equipped with the strategies necessary to embark on an extensive, engaging, and critical essay assignment which will require them to evaluate a current event of their choice. In the past, content was lacking because so much focus was on the process. So if we scaffold the development of the process over time, then students should be able to focus more attention on the actual content of the research paper.

Common Places of Education
The role of the teacher is very much focused on planning and preparation. After creating the sites, carefully introducing the sites, and providing useful practice opportunities, the teacher really becomes a facilitator. The student should be able to navigate the sites and posted assignments, collaborate and discuss with peers via the postings, and engage with information they find interesting. The teacher is available for troubleshooting and to help push student thinking when needed, but after students are comfortable with the sites and work through modeling and guided practice with the informational literacy skills, the teacher really becomes just a supportive structure. The subject matter is at the heart and soul of seventh grade language arts: informational literacy and the research process. This project aims to explicitly teach the skill set needed in order to support the research process. It also hopes to engage students by focusing on topics of their own interest. The context of the setting allows for student collaboration and discussion via the social bookmarking site. This is far more engaging and interactive for students than working on individual topics and notes in their binders. Instead, the setting encourages students to share and construct knowledge, providing feedback that may otherwise be missed. The teacher and peers are also available in a face-to-face context as well, to extend conversations and provide technical support.

Plan for Implementation
During this course, my goal is to develop the RSS reader page and diigo sites for my students. I plan to create specific lessons for implementation, which will introduce students to using these sites. I also hope to plan lessons and activities to target the different parts of the skill set (evaluation, summarization, synthesis, etc.) as examples of formative assessment. After this course ends, I will be able to implement my plan into the classroom, with a goal of extending lessons over the course of the first two trimesters. By the time students reach the third trimester, they should be prepared to move into the Research Process WebQuest (which I am developing for 811), which leads them into the main research paper for the final six weeks. So my plan is to use this project to scaffold and support student ability to complete the WebQuest, which is really designed to scaffold and support the ultimate outcome of the research essay and presentation.

2.6 Reflection: WebQuests

When creating computer based instructional objectives you have to plan carefully and thoroughly. One thing to think about is choosing objectives that students can accomplish on their own or in groups. It is important to provide scaffolding throughout the learning process, so students feel supported rather than overwhelmed. The focus needs to be on the content, not on trying to use the new technology.

Also, while you could focus on lower-level thinking objectives, there is huge potential for higher-level thinking and engagement with material that students will find interest and relevancy in. With specific directions (expectations/rubrics) and careful guidance, student learning can be fostered in a student-centered, interactive way through computer based instruction. As students progress through the activities and work towards completion of the objective, it is also beneficial to provide feedback. This is a benefit of using computer based instruction, as you can more easily provide immediate response on an individual basis.

One final note is also to be sure to closely evaluate any sources/sites you are using for the activities. Websites should be chosen that match the particular audience, from reading level to display of content, so students can easily navigate and find the necessary information. Taking these points into consideration should help guide the process of creating/choosing a WebQuest or StAIR project appropriate for any classroom.

Some of My Favs
I found many interesting and useful webquests to use in my 7th grade language arts classroom, but there were a few that particularly stood out because they apply to areas of my instruction that I need to do a better job of teaching and supporting.

Greek Mythology
One topic is the genre study of mythology, which we cover right before the end of the year. I found a great webquest to uncover the stories of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. I particularly liked this quest because after researching the different myths, students could choose from a variety of response projects, all involving research information but requiring students to create something new using this information. Most importantly, the projects were focused on creative writing, which is the style I want to focus on for this genre unit.

Propaganda and Persuasive Writing
Another topic I found a great webquest for was Propaganda Techniques. I liked this webquest because it was interactive for many different learning styles. Activities included reading about the techniques, watching commercials and evaluating them for these usages, and then creating a script and a commercial to promote a product. Then after watching each other’s commercials, students will try to identify which technique their peers used. I think this is great for a variety of learners and will help to make this unit very fun!

Responding to Genocide
My favorite webquest, however, was one on Genocide. We spend a 9 week period covering the Holocaust, and I loved the idea of using this quest as a follow up to the unit by expanding the idea of genocide beyond just the Holocaust. Most importantly, after researching different genocides, the final project asks students to write a persuasive letter to the Secretary of State, requiring them to follow letter format, elements of persuasive writing, including research, and also considering and applying the challenging questions of whose responsibility is it to stop genocide. I thought this quest made the topic very relevant and real to students, while also allowing them a form of action by writing the letter. It wraps up this important unit very well, while targeting high level skills students are working on throughout the course of the year. Love it!

Draft #1- Project Description

While I was able to brainstorm many potential problems to address, I found one that seemed more pertinent than the others. In reviewing our MEAP data from last year, our committee found that all three grades (6-8) scored significantly lower on the informational reading section of the test. While we arrived at this decision as our area of greatest weakness, we didn’t exactly brainstorm any solutions for how to address the problem.

In reviewing the curriculum that I taught for the 7th grade this past year, I never explicitly taught informational reading skills or addressed the tool set required, other than to focus on some of the skills during different genre units or to briefly focus on informational reading during the research unit. In previous years, the unit constructed to address informational reading did a haphazard and aimless job in my opinion. The unit was based on advertising and culminated in a digital story advertisement that students made themselves. In my opinion, this could be a perfect example of using technology for a fun activity but not necessarily to advance higher level thinking or important skills related to informational reading.

Instead, I would like to find a way to foster this important reading skill across the course of the year, while also making it fun and interesting for students. Some of the skills I hope to develop include evaluation of text, ability to summarize text, identify main points and supporting points, identify and evaluate bias, analyze organizational patterns, use prediction, inferences, and concluding skills to analyze and make connections with material, and practice synthesizing within and across different pieces of text. One of the first goals would be to create a context that engages students, allows for student interaction, and allows for creativity in creating lessons to elicit the skills above. I believe such a unit would be important not only for increasing MEAP scores, but more importantly increasing student source analysis for the research project, close reading across units, and life skills and engagement in reading more generally.

1.8- Blogs vs. Webpages

The main difference between blogs and web pages is the connection between the reader and the content. With traditional web pages, the user is able to make choices about clicking on hyperlinks (as they can also do with blogs) or trying to find the author’s e-mail for additional information. However, the whole purpose of the blog is to engage the reader. There are keywords/tags to help organize blog topics for easy searching, and entries are often organized by most recent posting which helps users to find the most up to date information from the source. Most importantly, they allow for the user to comment right on the page in response to the information presented. This allows for an exchange between author and reader(s) which can enrich the work posted and allow for the connection and inclusion of the reader in creating meaning, which so many other contexts leave out wholly. This feature takes away the authority that usually comes with publishing written material and allows for the reader to give and receive feedback based upon their own insights.