These Instructional Models act as a guide for internet educational research in the classroom. The web-based Internet Project would work well for an agriculture class to compare the agricultural market globally. The Internet Inquiry would be a great model for students to research a current event question in agriculture that pertained to their area of interest such as the benefits of precision farming or the control of invasive species.
One similarity I saw in the four instructional models was the use of collaborative skills. Collaboration is one of the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (ISTE, 2011). The students can either work together on the projects or work individually and then share their findings. This can help them to take the information they have gathered one step further and make connections or explain the meaning of the information they gathered. Leu (2002) discusses how the "Internet Workshop permits students to learn from one another about content information, critical literacy skills, and the new literacies of internet technologies". This standard coincides with the CT State Department of Education's Common Core of Teaching which emphasizes the importance of using a variety of instructional methods which enable students to think critically (2010).
Another similarity I noticed was that students would develop research strategies. The internet is a valuable research tool if students know how to effectively use it. Leu (2002) gives examples of research engines which are "organized for teachers and children" and which also screen "out inappropriate sites for children". All of these models help to develop technological skills which are essential for both the teacher and student to know and integrate in the classroom.
A key difference between the four instructional models was the complexity and the application it can have for students. Some offered more flexibility and freedom of inquiry which is appropriate for older students to do individualized research. The web-based internet project requires more teacher involvement to collaborate with other classrooms. Each model however, promotes the use of technology in an effective and productive manner which is consistent with the National Educational Technology Student standards (ISTE, 2011) and these models will fit "easily into the instructional schedule of any classroom" (Leu, 2002).
ISTE, (2011). NETS for students 2007. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx
Leu, D.J.,Jr. (2002, February). Internet Workshop: Making time for literacy [Exploring Literacy on the Internet department]. The Reading Teacher, 55(5). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/RT/2-02_Column/index.html
Ct State Department of Education. (2010). Common core of teaching: foundational skills. Retrieved from http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/educatorstandards/board_approved_cct_2-3-2010.pdf
Good job identifying relevant similarities and differences. I like how you integrated the NETS into the post - however - there were definitely other places where citations were missing. If you are going to reference the Common Core of Teaching you need to include a citation and reference. Also - the NETS wasn't included in the readings this week - so in this case - would be considered the extra credit component. You still need to reference the readings as well.
ReplyDeleteFor reference: "International society for technology in education" is the organization name and not the title of the of the web page that you accessed. Also - your citations should be ISTE (2011), not NETS (2011).