One of the most striking revelations, yet it sounds simple, is how to find reliable sources. I never went into as much detail as I did this year with the research process. Students use the internet all the time and most understand the non-linear steps. Digging in deeper to the searching for reliable sources made the process go smoother and I could tell the students really looked closely at the sites.
According to David Warlick, “The technology is coming from the students, it’s personal” (Laureate, 2009). I have never been trained on how to teach students on how to use the internet safely. For the most part, I taught myself by experimenting and practicing. This class has given me a better understanding of what to look for and how to find information in a safe, reliable way. I will definitely continue to use the tips, worksheets, search engines, and searching techniques with my students. This process also helps the students dig deeper in those questions they are curious about. The internet has given students the ease of having answers to questions right at their finger tips. Now, I feel more confident helping students get to the right answers in a timely manner. One professional goal I have for myself after taking this class is to continue to use questioning techniques throughout the year. Students better understand how to use technology to find answers, and I want to challenge the students to keep asking those questions. In order to make this happen I will bring question strategies into the discussions we have. When students have questions, we will write them down so we can look into finding answers. I will also continue to model this by coming up with questions that I am curious about and finding the answer by doing a think aloud.
