These are my personal reflections on Web 2.0 teaching strategies.
A. Hotlists
1. Paper lists would not be my choice because of the potential for loss and inaccessibility.
2. Bookmarks would not be my choice either for sharing with students although I could create bookmarks in a bookmarking site. If students need a password, they may forget it.
3. Links from a school page would be my choice because of accessibility
I currently have a short list of links on my school library web page. Other links students use for resources are already listed on the district student page. The problem with using my web page for links is that it is so far in the school district pages that many students do not use it. On my own web page I have links to the statewide databases, the school online catalog, and the Minot Public Library catalog. However, the library is no longer just about books; it is about finding information. That means having links for students to use. Future links I am considering are links to citation help and other resources for research, such as fact checking sites and government sites. In addition, I would like to create lists of free images that students could use that would not be copyrighted. These lists work best when linked from the district page to the library pages. I also like to create links to help teachers. A couple years ago I collaborated with the biology department and found a number of websites the students could use for the animal adaptation unit. The biology teacher put the links on her home page, which students were accustomed to using for research help. However, one problem with links is that you must constantly check them to ensure that they are still working.
B. Multimedia Scrapbook
As the library media specialist I do not use multimedia scrapbooks myself; however, teachers may use different versions of them. Because of that I need to be aware of the uses so that I am able to help students when they are in the library working on the assignment. I have helped students with Glogster, but most students use Keynote or Google Presentation and incorporate sound, video, and images. In the past couple years assignments from various teachers have included making brochures, producing a personal scrapbook, creating a poetry poster using Glogster, creating a CD cover with music, and various presentation assignments. I help students with various aspects of uploading images or embedding videos or transitional elements. As the library media specialist my concern is how to teach students to use noncopyrighted material for their nonprint use in an ethical manner. Also, I am a trouble-shooter and help students with their use of technology.
C. Treasure Hunt
I do not have personal experience with the treasure hunt. At the secondary level students do use a form of the treasure hunt in current events. The current events teachers will have a series of questions for students to answer and direct them to specific websites, usually news sources, for their answers. I do know that these are time-consuming for the current events teachers because the topic is constantly changing and the treasure hunt is not often used again. information. I am not sure if these treasure hunts end with a “big question” or not. I have seen some treasure hunts online that are the Internet equivalent of filling in the blanks on a worksheet. I do not think that merely answering a series of questions is a higher level thinking activity. Synthesizing the information is the important factor.
D. Subject Sampler
I had not heard of the subject sampler, so I did some research on it. One key element that seems to distinguish it from other strategies is its relationship to the affective domain. For example, I found a subject sampler on what it means to be an Australian and the need for a personal connection for learning to take place. I am in agreement on the correlation between personal connection and learning. In biology students research and formulate responses and opinions, many of which would be influenced by their personal connections to the subject. The research on human sexuality could be to research the different methods of birth control and then choose and support that which would be the best. Another search involved researching a topic, such as stem cell transplants, and formulating an opinion based on the information. The student’s personal connection to the topic, whether through a family member receiving a stem cell transplant or religious beliefs, would affect their answers. The teachers and the text give websites to the students, but they are free to use others also. When the students are in the library, I offer help on which databases to use for research or which websites are trustworthy.
All the strategies listed above are utilized in some manner in research at my school. As a library media specialist I use only the hotlist, but I help teachers and students with all types Internet searching, and I am involved with a variety of curricular assignments because of student use of the library’s computers for research.
Some assignments students do are aided by giving them websites to use, for example many of the biology assignments. However, other assignments, such as language arts research papers, are teaching the skill of finding information, so giving students websites then would not be beneficial to them. Either way my goals are to help students become better at finding and evaluating information and at using information ethically and to help teachers develop the resources they need to teach students. These goals can be reached by using these online strategies.
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