Five Rules for Looking Like a Computer Genius! or ... How to make Information Literacy relevant to middle school students!

This school year I have been teaching a class for 6th graders called "Information Literacy". I love teaching this class and feel that it may be one of the most important courses a student will take in the middle school - or perhaps in their life! Of course I created the class so my opinion of it is high, but I still believe that if students come away with better skills to find, evaluate, and use information, they will be head and shoulders above others in high school, college, or the workplace. What this course provides by way of introduction is truly a life skill for life long learners.

Students come to the class with almost no understanding of what "information literacy" is and even less about how it relates to their life and education. There are many definitions ... I've placed some of the major ones from organizations like ALA and prominent libraries at my web site here. When I start talking about "information retrieval" and "evaluating information" I can see student's eyes glaze over sometimes. So, I had to develop a way to spark their interest in what I had to say. The result is what I call my "Five Rules for Looking Like a Computer Genius"! And while I know - and I suspect most adults know - that "information" is not limited to what can be found on a computer, most 6th graders have already developed bad habits and turn to a computer for everything. My rules are designed to address students where they are and move them forward into a greater understanding of information literacy.

So here are my five rules for looking like a computer genius ...

Rule #1 - Read the screen!
Rule #2 - It's all about the words!
Rule #3 - Computers are dumb!
Rule #4 - Think before you compute.
Rule #5 - What's on the Internet, STAYS on the Internet!

In future posts I will elaborate on each one of my rules and attempt to illuminate the principles behind them.

Thing 23

Take a few moments to reflect on your journey. You've covered a lot of material over the past ten weeks. What does it all mean? How has your thinking changed between Thing 1 and Thing 23? Has this program changed how you view the Internet or how view teaching in the digital world? What plans have you made for using these tools in and out of the classroom? How will you continue to learn about Web 2.0 tools? What are your big "take aways" from this experience?

I am so glad I took this online class. I knew that I needed to update myself with Web 2.0 ... and figure out exactly what "Web 2.0" means. I don't claim to have a complete understanding but I now know the possibilities ... and that seems more than half of the battle. I completed all of the "Things" (I had worked with a wiki previously so did not do that section here) although not by the December deadline. Still, it was one of the best learning experiences I've participated in and I will recommend it to colleagues.

As I leave this class I am sobered by the lack of acceptance or knowledge of Web 2.0 in my school system. Our technology is underutilized and ruled by fear of what is out there. Our discussion still focuses more on blocking and filtering than exploring and using. Even though we've had computers for literally 20+ years, our institutional technology "vision" is woefully lacking and outdated. I'm still struggling with how to make these tools and an open attitude more prevalent with my fellow teachers and, most importantly, with the decision makers. To that end, I want to continue this blog and use it to bring ideas, applications, and resources to those who are interested. The sub-title of this blog was "23 Things & Beyond" ... it's time for the "BEYOND" part!