Reflection for Course EDUC 6712

I think using the word revelation is a little strong to use, so instead, I choose exposure. During this course, Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom, I was exposed to a new way for students to researching on the Internet, and when finding sources to use, how to correctly identify whether those sources were real or not. I was also exposed to how important it is for our students to credit their resources appropriately. If I were to choose which topic was the most striking “revelation” for me, I would have to choose crediting resources. I found this part of the course to be very eye opening for me. It is extremely important for our students to know the significance of why we credit our resources. Students are required to gather information for projects, and anything they learn from these sources should be credited so that other students as well as teachers understand where the information comes from.

The knowledge and experience gained in this course will influence my teaching practices by allowing me as the teacher to teach my students how to become better researchers. I thought I knew how to research the Internet, but little did I know the whole world behind the World Wide Web. By imparting my knowledge of researching on the internet I only hope that my students become more comfortable and more confident when having to research for any class that requires it. Once they locate resources that they can use, they will then be able to determine the validity of those sources to use in whatever application or project they have to complete. If my experience can teach my students the importance of giving credit to all of the appropriate sources that they find, then I know I have passed on what I learned while taking this class.

As a technology education teacher, I am always looking for professional development classes or workshops to attend. Because of funding, I am required to pay for conferences if I choose to go to them, or wait for my turn on the rotation to go to my National ITEA conference. As a part of our district, we have a Professional Development Committee that offers workshops and classes for professional development. Within the last 5 years we have added numerous technology classes for staff to take in order to improve their technology skills. What I would like to do is to talk to the librarian at my school, who is part of the PDC committee, along with myself, and see if we can offer a workshop that deals with teaching our students the importance of crediting their sources when they find valid ones. I think that if we can get the school on board with learning the importances of ethical usage, then our students can watch us model the appropriate manners and in turn do the right thing. The importance of crediting our sources is clearly stated in our course DVD where Dr. Sara Armstrong explains the reasons for crediting sources, “not doing so can result in negative consequences, shows how the work of others influenced your own thoughts, and how crediting sources shows signs of professionalism” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). So my focus is to not just build upon what I have learned, but rather introduce what I have learned to my fellow cohorts.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Safe and Ethical Practices; Supporting
Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom.