Reflections EDCI 5825 Week 4

• What is the right balance between giving students freedom to explore the Web for research and providing them with structure and guidance?

I believe that the web has so many great opportunities for students to explore different subjects, and acquire information that may be limited without the Web. It seems important for the teachers to help students learn that exploration with multiple sources about the same idea or content, can give them different perspectives which will help enhance their understanding. Like the example in the text of the student looking up material on George W. Bush, and being able to connect a WWII plan crash with him, lead to great exploration and interest in the topic. The teacher can help a student critically think about different questions they might have with the primary source material that will lead them in finding more primary source materials that can help them connect to answers. An example that November gives is “to teach students to let go of the notion that the answers are more important than the questions and the process” (November, 2001, p. 61). By teaching in this way, teachers are helping their students learn research skills that are very helpful. It’s hard to pin point the exact amount of balance that a teacher should have, but I believe it should be enough to engage the student in critical thinking, but not enough that it restricts their exploration and desire to learn more.


• What is the role of the teacher in helping students to make meaning of primary source material?

The teacher can help the students make meaning of the primary source material in multiple ways. As mentioned in November’s text, it is important for a teacher to help students acquire certain skills like database searching, identifying information sources, visual literacy, and perspective, to be able to accurately use the information on the Web in the most beneficial ways for the student (November, 2001). I did agree with November with the idea that students can learn from search mistakes that they make, like using the wrong type of word, because it helps them understand the importance of certain words and empowers them when they successful figure it out (November, 2001, p. 65). Perspective is an important variable in providing some structure to students. The example in the text talks about the students searching the “trail of tears” and coming up with no results (November, 2001, p. 64). I can understand how a teacher might want to guide the students attention to critically thinking of multiple words that can be used, helping them strengthen their skills in understanding language.

• How can teachers use Podcasting and/or multimedia tools to promote collaborative learning?

Using Podcasting and multimedia tools helps promote collaborative learning in different ways. By using Podcasts students will have to learn how to collaborate multiple technologies to produce what they want, and share or publish it with others. Just in designing, making, and publishing a Podcast, students work with microphones, systems designed in creating Podcasts, itunes, voicerecorders, garageband, googlevideo, or other online technologies. Developing the skills to work with different processes, while sharing the students own interests and knowledge, help shape and structure different ways of collaborative learning. I also looked at this question with the idea that collaborative learning happens through the use of publishing your Podcast, listening to other’s Podcasts, and using different technologies like video conferencing the same way (November, 2001). A student learns how to collaboratively work with the environment, and people around them. Through the use of all this technology, students are now able to expand their learning into a vast array of different people’s lives, and work with people from across the globe.

p.s. Just for better understanding, I have both editions of the text so sometimes I pull quotes out of November 2001, or November 2010