Wednesday, March 30, 2011
April 4
I chose to read the Kymes article about online comprehension strategies. I thought this would fit in well with an article I looked at for our instructional model, which is reading and writing in content areas. The article I looked at for our instructional model project was specifically about comprehension in content areas and how to use writing to learn (versus learning to write) and gave many strategies to help students with this. The Kymes article deals with comprehension as well but focuses on online environments. In my placement I have noticed the great amount of digital media used in content areas for looking up information, filling in charts, or interactive activities. It is important to know how to deal with online environments because online and Internet sources for literacy are on the rise and will only increase in every classroom. I think it is very important to be able to distinguish comprehension strategies in print resources versus online resources and how to approach online environments as a teacher in comparison to traditional print resources. Although most strategies are the same across both types of resources, there are things that need to be kept in mind for online resources especially. The article talks about the need for awareness of purpose in order for comprehension and for online sources especially because it is so easy to be overwhelmed with the amount of text and it is easy for students to get sidetracked. The article also points out that skimming, scanning, and reading selectively is vital for online sources because there is so much out there and it is much more efficient to be able to read this way. Another thing the article points out is activating prior knowledge and maintaining the dialectic. Because “online text, images, and information is less explicit the reader must have a framework to organize and categorize new ideas and new knowledge” (Kymes). In addition, to maintain dialectic students must be able to assess the accuracy of the information. This goes along with the need to be able to evaluate text structure and quality. “The online reader must look for clues that indicate a less than reputable source and look for bias to determine if a source can be trusted” (Kymes). Because I grew up with a good amount of technology in school I distinctly remember teachers constantly telling us (even into college) that the most important thing about online research is determining whether the source can be trusted or whether a source is reputable or not. This is such an important aspect of online resources and should be taught starting at a young age. Technology and online material is continuing to increase and therefore teaching trustworthiness is crucial. It is also important to remember that these strategies must be modeled for students so that students can begin to master these skills and use them far beyond your classroom. I think the article points out a lot of great things in regards to online sources and they must be taken into consideration when dealing with any reading or writing (whether in the content areas or not).
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I didn't talk about the Kymes article in my post but I really, really liked it. I love the idea that literacy, which seems like something that can be set in stone, is ever-changing with the advent of new mediums. With new mediums come new rules for defining the literacy and while certain rules generally stay the same (reading left to right and top to bottom as a concept of print is generally still a formality, even in cyberspace) many rules need to be formed and reconsidered and revamped as the new form of literacy begins and continues to define itself.
ReplyDeleteI like when you said: "Because I grew up with a good amount of technology in school I distinctly remember teachers constantly telling us (even into college) that the most important thing about online research is determining whether the source can be trusted or whether a source is reputable or not." I grew up going to school when typing out a paper was probably the limit to the technology you were going to see in the classroom. I am 29 and I remember first hearing about the strange form of communication called e-mail towards the end of my senior year. Some of my friends had an email address, I didn't care and never thought I would know enough about computers to ever get one. In terms of doing research papers, however, the internet quickly has become my haven for information as I would think it has for many people. And you are so right about being cautious about which sources to pull from. The internet has become this blessing/curse all rolled up into one in which literally almost anything you could possibly want to know about something is right at your fingertips but every Joe Blow also has access to letting their opinions run wild at their whim. It is important to be able to separate fact from fiction and discern which information will and can be useful as you further your education. This is where comprehension comes in as well with online resources. Just because it is posted somewhere online, does not mean it inherently becomes valid. You need to be able to comprehend what you are reading and parcel out the good information from the potentially fraudulent information.