It would be illogical to assume that all conditions remain stable. I remember spending hours in the local library as a young student (I'll spare you the dates, but be assured it was before computers were in the library) looking through a variety of encyclopedias for information on some very specific topic. Ultimately I would discover that most of the information was the same across volumes or in a format that was so daunting I couldn't begin to figure out how to take advantage of it. The librarians would help, but the fact was that the resources were limited and the process was lengthy and cumbersome. I was largely left to teach myself how to find and utilize the information the library had available. However, I never really had to consider the validity of my sources and was rarely overwhelmed by information overload. Unfortunately my education also predated the formal idea of Reciprocal Teaching (RT), which was developed by Palincsar and Brown in 1986 (Ok, so maybe you're getting a sense of age now). The key element of RT is to create a dialog between the student and the teacher whereby the teacher guides the student through a process designed to allow the student to establish their own understanding. The teacher helps ensure the student is on an appropriate track, but provides the latitude for the student to choose their own learning path. I'm sure that as students we learned from each other informally, but we certainly could have benefited by a more structured approach. Reciprocal teachings ideas of predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing would have been a welcome change from the 'assign topic/deliver results' method I endured.
It's the custom of my people to help one another when we're in trouble. We are only in the 21st century but the technological changes we have encountered feel very much like startdate 3259.2 (23rd century by the way). The Internet has changed the way people ask questions, research and ultimately consume information. Take a moment to consider the basic capabilities of Siri, Google Now and Cortana. We are at a point where we are progressing beyond the keyboard and now have digital assistants that allow us to engage in a rudimentary dialog for the purpose of easing access to information (if you haven't seen Her yet, you should). I remember being fascinated watching the crew of the Enterprise talk to their computers as if they were part of the crew....and we are creeping up on that reality. That leads us to some some basic questions: How do we ensure everyone understands how to effectively use the new tools they have? Do people know how to construct questions (searches) that will enable them to locate relevant information? Do people have the skills to effectively evaluate the content they find on the Internet for accuracy? Many children today are undisputed digital natives who are very often raised in technology rich households and have a corresponding comfort level with a variety of technologies. However, it's clear that simply having a comfort with technology and that being handed a device (or computer) does not result in technology proficiency. I regularly observe the unstructured confidence of kids as they interact with Siri, browse the web, search for apps and text using Hangouts. They typically exhibit comfort in the device user interface and struggle with utilizing the technologies effectively or (often) appropriately. In our century, we've learned not to fear words. Fortunately there are tools that can assist bridging the technology and New Literacies gaps. Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT), for example, is a newer concept with it's roots in reciprocal teaching. IRT continues to rely heavily on the teacher as a guide but places more responsibility on the students for peer collaboration and student led inquiry. It is the student led inquiry that is at the foundation of IRT. Reciprocal teaching assumes a more linear approach to information gathering and consumption, while IRT recognizes that in this new technology and New Literacies era it is becoming increasingly important to recognize the non-linear nature of the Internet and to provide a format for students to be able to construct their own learning pathways and establish more authentic learning situations. IRT relies on the process of inquiry and is closely aligned with cognitive apprenticeship and the ideas of a community of practice. Wilson and Meyers, in their paper "Situated Cognition in Theoretical and Practical Context" discuss the idea that "learning, and cognition are social constructions, expressed in actions of people interacting within communities". IRT is a series of phases designed to teach fundamental technology, research, comprehension and collaboration skills. IRT, at its core, introduces an idea or concept and allows students to construct their own narrative. Students are typically separated into groups of varying abilities and are allowed to develop their ideas collectively which allows for engaging learning experience that more closely resemble the authentic interactions that occur outside of school. Internet Reciprocal Teaching is a tool that will enable teachers to address existing technology gaps, establish core capabilities related to online reading, researching, evaluating, synthesizing and communicating while positioning their students to succeed in an increasingly digital age. It's our responsibility to engage students in authentic learning opportunities that enrich their educational environment, support critical thinking and establish foundations that will propel our students lead into the next century.
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