I am currently in the middle of a museum project with my class. I got the idea to have the students turn our classroom into a museum and each create their own exhibit after reading an article by Dr. Eakle on museum literacies assigned by Melissa in the previous class of hers I took. I thought it was a great idea as I love to create projects based around student interest.
This week we began talking about doing actual research for their exhibit topic (previously we had written memoirs on how we became interested in the topic to stay in line with the CCSS). I asked my class how people research topics they are interested in. Not surprisingly, the majority of my class told me that you should hop on google, type in the topic and pick a site for any answers you will need. Although this is not incorrect, it got me thinking about the world in which kids are growing up in and some of our discussions on how much technology to incorporate in the classroom and at what age. I found myself somewhat saddened by the fact that the answer of how to research something is no longer immediately to go to the library. I already knew that I was going to have the students use online resources as part of their research papers and have collaborated with my media specialist but I made a decision then and there to not make using a book source optional. Today I assigned going to the library and getting two books on their topic as homework and sent out an email to all of my parents making them aware of this and asking to please let me know if they would be unable to go to a library in which case I would go for them. I then went to my school's media center after school and checked out every book I could find on each of the student's topics.
Today I was hit smack in the face with a harsh hit of reality and the need to constantly remember that the things I valued and experienced in school will not always be pertinent today. I left school today with the knowledge that I want my students to not only understand how to research given topics, but to understand the importance and benefit of all types of sources.
Will we ever reach a point where we have to build using books into lessons as opposed to building technology into lessons?
I also read the article on the museum project. It sounds like a such a motivating, fun way for students to read and write for authentic purposes. It doesn't surprise me that your students immediately thought of using the internet for resources. It seems like actual books are becoming more and more obsolete as students get older. My own kids, who are in 8th and 9th grade, use the computer for the majority of their homework. They do research papers and projects without going to a library (i.e., such as creating an informational website for “History Day.”) They even do group projects by working with peers online. In my kindergarten classroom, we obviously use books a lot of the time. However, I am finding myself using technology more and more. Using technology for instruction is sometimes easier than finding a book about a certain content topic. There are a lot of great interactive, informational websites, as well as literary websites, in which books can be read to children. Does it worry you that your students did not think to use books for their research? It worries me that books may become “a thing of the past” at some point in time. Sometimes, it is hard to find updated books on certain topics. It is nice that you went to find books for your students to use in their research. Students who do not have access to technology can use the books at home for their research. One of my friends in the printing industry suggested that printed books may be replaced by computers in the near future, even for beginning readers. We will see what happens over time...
ReplyDeleteHey Allie,
ReplyDeleteI love that Museum Literacies article too – I definitely want to use something like it in my (future) classroom. Your question is an interesting one, and issues of access to technology notwithstanding, I wonder if it’s not very far away, especially with the advent of the e-book… I have always loved the research component of completing projects and papers, and reflecting on how I do it nowadays, other than our prescribed class texts, I can’t remember the last time I used a hard-copy book for information. This is partially a geographical issue, as my local library isn’t huge on educational resources, and I live nowhere near a JHU library, but it’s also an ease of access issue – I don’t NEED get off my chair to go look, when I can access literally millions of resources with a few keystrokes. But then, surely I'm missing a lot of information?
It’s also telling that your school library is called a “Media Center”; that information management is so multi-modal now, and books are but part of the research resources available to students. I think the issue is more and more that we need to be aware of the need to teach critical thinking skills of our students, and that the first google result that appears is not necessarily the best source.
Cassie
Kudos to you, Allie! I'm glad you insisted upon your students using some books as sources. As Cassie mentioned, I appreciate the convenience of online research options and e-books, but I don't think books are passe´ yet. Yes, I do think there will come a time when we'll have to build book usage back into our technology-driven classroom of the future, but I'm certainly not ready to give up my books yet!
ReplyDeleteAllie,
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you are incorporating such an awesome activity into your classroom! I also agree that it is equally as important for students to be able to research topics using the internet as well as print books. I recently asked my media specialists to help my 2nd graders research information about nutrition. Her first instinct was to show them all of the online resources that were available and how to narrow their search. While I was thrilled that she would be showing them how to do this, I also emphasized how I would like her to show them how to find books related to their topic at the library. Once they found the right books, we could then focus on recording information that was important to their topic. I also think it is great that you are making books a necessary resource and helping students who may not be able to go to the library on their own.
First of all, I would love to hear how your museum project turns out! I remember reading that article with Dr. Eakle in one of his classes last year. It was very inspiring, yet the thought of attempting it in my own classroom is a bit scary! Currently, I am also collaborating with my media specialist on an ecosystems research project my students are working on. We have guided them through all of the online resources available to them (PebbleGo, etc.), and we have also given them time in the library to find information using a plethora of books. Now our project is at the self-paced stage. Therefore, my students are able to research on their own during their independent time throughout the school day. They have access to any of the computers in the classroom and there is also a cart of books in the classroom. It amazes me how students immediately head towards the computer without looking twice at the book cart. Thankfully it is a requirement that the students use at least 2 book resources. However, it is sad to think that if they did not have to include books, most of them probably wouldn’t.
ReplyDelete