DIGITAL LITERACY AND ARTICLE SUMMARIES
Dan Nevo National University MAT 675 Professor Ronald Payne March 2, 2011
1
DIGITAL LITERACY AND ARTICLE SUMMARIES
2
Abstract The following assignment addresses in brief the following three questions: 1. How do we use photographs, drawings, paintings, and other visual material as information rather than for mere decoration or illustration? 2. How do we utilize databases and statistics to connect and interact globally? 3. How do we use electronic text and search engines to find new information? What does it mean to be "well read" in the 21st century? In addition, the assignment provides the highlight of the following three articles: 1. Designing a Dream – Provides the story of the architect that designed the new school 2. Buildings that Teach – Provides a description of the ideal school environment and
structure 3. Building the Future-Lessons from Tasmania – Provides the story of a school designed
from scratch to fit the needs of the community and students Finally, the summary provides a conclusion which unfortunately, according to my opinion, better fits today’s reality.
DIGITAL LITERACY AND ARTICLE SUMMARIES
3
Module 2’s Question: How do we use photographs, drawings, paintings, and other visual material as information rather than for mere decoration or illustration? According to McKenzie (1998), “Mary Alice White, a researcher at Columbia Teacher's College has found that young people learn more than half of what they know from visual information, but few schools have an explicit curriculum to show students how to think critically about visual data”. Having many great pictures is not especially valuable unless students can interpret the information. When using these kinds of resources in our classes, we need to teach our students to see the deeper meanings implicit in visual material. Module 3’s Question: How do we utilize databases and statistics to connect and interact globally? Since internet came about, we have access to numerous databases and statistics globally that present data on almost anything we want. These databases are often so large, there is often not much we can do with them unless (a) we know exactly what we are looking, and (b) we have the correct software application to analyze the data. As teachers, “We must teach (our students) to recognize the questions which reside within such data collections along with the skills to pose and explore such questions”. Module 4’s Question: How do we use electronic text and search engines to find new information? What does it mean to be "well read" in the 21st century? When searching the internet, we are offered with numerous search engines: Google, Yahoo, Bing, Altavista, etc. Once we begin searching, we are often overwhelmed with
DIGITAL LITERACY AND ARTICLE SUMMARIES
4
information. The quality of the search if only as good as the words we input into the search engine. “Words mean little by themselves. Students must learn to interpret and think about text so that important ideas come forward. We teach students to think critically, to "read between the lines," and to distinguish between fact and opinion. We also much emphasize effective search strategies�.
DIGITAL LITERACY AND ARTICLE SUMMARIES
5
In his article Designing a Dream: The Ultimate High School from Concept to Completion, Jones tells us that “The project began when the school district found itself faced with too many kids, not enough classrooms or teachers, and the feeling that its schools were in danger of being outpaced by rapidly changing technology. They decided to build a new facility and set goals that were lofty -- "state-of-the-art," "dedicated to lifelong learning," "a school for the twenty-first century" -- but lacking in specifics.” From the article, it’s pretty clear that something had to be changed, and fast, but it was not clear. Or well defined, what were the goals and objectives. When all was said and done (and built), “All areas of the school are outfitted with fiber optic cables to allow for networking of computers in all general-purpose classrooms and science labs. Some areas are even more technologically enriched, including a distance learning classroom that features interactive video conferencing, a TV production studio with closedcircuit capabilities, and several technology labs with specialized equipment”. In his article Building the Future: Lessons From Tasmania, Prakash mentions that “A consensus began to emerge that this kind of learning could not be properly accomplished under the old Reece model, with students occupying classrooms for significant periods of the day attending a series of lectures. We talked about project-based learning as a way out of this dilemma. But to have project-based learning, a lot of things needed to change”. Project learning, also known as project-based learning, is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges, simultaneously developing crosscurriculum skills while working in small collaborative groups.
DIGITAL LITERACY AND ARTICLE SUMMARIES
6
Because project-based learning is filled with active and engaged learning, it inspires students to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying. Research also indicates that students are more likely to retain the knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning. In addition, students develop confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and independent work. Project learning is also an effective way to integrate technology into the curriculum. A typical project can easily accommodate computers and the Internet, as well as interactive whiteboards, global-positioning-system (GPS) devices, digital still cameras, video cameras, and associated editing equipment. According to Prakash, “It’s important to note that all our discussions were being informed by best practice and research. As a group, we studied schools around the world that had already been doing some of the things we wanted to do. We talked about brain-based research and multiple-intelligences theory, about cooperative learning and performance-based learning, about multiage classrooms and learning with technology.” Prof Taylor, in the article Buildings That Teach: Design and Learning Go Hand in Hand, tells us that “The typical learning center is a large studio with a computer-managed network of workstations that gives students and teachers access to -- and control of -- applications and information. The network allows students to work on real-world problems in areas such as robotics, ecology, hydroponics, superconductivity, biotechnology, laser optics, design, and architecture. The total volume of space, not just the floor, is used for learning. Walls, ceilings, and windows are systematically designed by teams of engineers, architects, scientists, and students to meet principles of modularity, deployability, and retractability. Everything in the
DIGITAL LITERACY AND ARTICLE SUMMARIES room is on wheels, pulleys, and brakes. Some walls contain drop-down tables and pullout shelves.” Conclusion A lot has been said and written about the need to invest in the digital classroom. As one that comes from the business world, it definitely has a huge advantage to switch from paper to i-Pad, and to teach in a “large studio with a computer-managed network of workstations that gives students and teachers access to -- and control of -- applications and information”. As a teacher in forever budget-cutting environment, we are not there yet.
7
DIGITAL LITERACY AND ARTICLE SUMMARIES
8
References McKenzie, Jamie (1998); Visual Literacy, retrieved on February 28, 2011from: http://fno.org/PL/vislit.htm McKenzie, Jamie (1998); Numerical Literacy, retrieved on February 28, 2011from: http://fno.org/PL/numlit.htm McKenzie, Jamie (1998); Textual Literacy, retrieved on February 28, 2011from: http://fno.org/PL/textlit.htm Jones, John K. (1997), Designing a Dream: The Ultimate High School from Concept to Completion, retrieved on February 28, 2011from http://www.edutopia.org/node/1115/print Taylor, Anne P. (1997); Buildings That Teach: Design and Learning Go Hand in Hand, retrieved on February 28, 2011from: http://www.edutopia.org/node/1116/print Nair, Prakash (2004) Building the Future: Lessons From Tasmania, retrieved on February 28, 2011from: http://www.designshare.com/index.php/articles/building-the-futurelessons-from-tasmania/1/