March 2005 — Exclusive
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The Changing Classroom: Challenges for Teachers
Cultivating Information Literacy Skills
While computer literacy concerning how to use different computer programs is usually interpreted in narrow, technical terms, a broader conception would involve learning how to access and evaluate information, using the technology for research and discussion of issues, and even producing Web sites, Weblogs or other forms of Internet culture. In order to achieve these goals, teachers need to involve students in hands-on projects that make them active participants in the learning process rather than passive receptacles of information. Group projects can also spark curiosity, making the learning experience fun.
Merely putting computers in a lab or classroom will not necessarily have beneficial effects; there are important preconditions that must be met before technology can enhance learning. At the most basic level, many schools lack adequate technical support and expertise that will enable teachers to make effective use of information technology. Some teachers simply do not have a clear idea of how they can actually use information technology to better teach their subject matter and their students.
Many teachers are developing highly promising projects that make productive use of information technology, and in some cases students are taking the lead and helping produce instructive educational material. However, some students may be more computer literate than their teachers. These students are often willing and able to share their skills with their teachers and their classmates. The result is a changing classroom and learning environment that promises to re-involve students in the learning process while cultivating multiple literacies that will be of use in further education, future job endeavors and everyday life.
To begin, it is useful for teachers to start with assignments that do not require specialized computer skills and knowledge. Teachers can take a topic from current events or an issue from an existing course, and assign students to use a search engine such as Google to search for three or four items on a specific topic. They can then ask their students how useful the material was for clarifying the topic or issue at hand. A further exercise might explore what limitations students encountered while using Internet materials as opposed to textbooks or library resources. Teachers must advance their own "information literacy" skills and learn to discern the quality of material their students are accessing through this process. Teachers, along with students, will quickly learn that some Internet sites may contain misinformation and be highly biased, while others will be educational and instructive. Just as students need to learn how to use the library to access the most relevant and sound print material, both teachers and students must also become Internet literate and learn to critically evaluate the online information they access.
Providing Participatory Learning Projects
When using technology in the classroom, teachers must become open-minded and recognize that learning new processes and skills is an ongoing necessity. Although this involves added work, there are many imaginative ways of using technology to engage students in the learning process.
