TEACHER REVIEWS

Pat Harrison | Dan Blake | Linda Shantz-Keresztes

DAN BLAKE

Integrating Information Technology into the English Program

In December 2003 I asked my Grade 8 classes to choose a poem and to prepare themselves to read it to the class. I assumed that most of my students would choose a poem from their textbook. To my surprise, many of the students turned to the Internet. The poems that the students found online ranged from works by Edna Vincent St. Millay and Robert Frost to the doggerel found in Hallmark cards. I was torn between wanting to engage my students in a discussion about making thoughtful choices when using the Internet and not wanting to be too critical of their choice of poem. After all, I had encouraged them to choose a poem that interested them.

Coincidentally, during the fall of 2003, school districts across BC were directed by the Ministry of Education to develop plans for integrating Information Technology (IT) across all curriculum areas. The ministry directive on IT was passed on to individual schools, and we began discussing the new requirement at English Department meetings. In a nutshell, the expectation from the Ministry was that course outlines in English (and other subject areas) would include specific activities involving the use of computers and the resources available through the Internet. In late October 2003, I had an opportunity to attend an in-service, given by Anne Taylor of the Media Awareness Network (MNet), on a new resource that MNet had developed to help students use the Internet more productively. The resource, Reality Check! Evaluating Online Information, seemed like the answer to our prayers. Furthermore, it would allow me to address the lingering concerns about the way a number of my Grade 8 students had used the Internet for their poetry project. I offered to pilot the resource with my Grade 8, 9 and 11 classes.

Reality Check!, which is available on CD, comes in two formats –an Independent Study Unit (in pdf) to be used by students in a computer lab, and a PowerPoint presentation for teachers to give in a classroom setting. I opted first for the Independent Study Unit in order to meet the Ministry guidelines for integrating IT into my English classes, as well as address ongoing concerns about how my students were using the Internet for their assignments.

Both the pdf and PowerPoint versions comprise an introductory unit followed by six self-contained modules based on the Five W's (and One "H") of Cyberspace: Why, Who, What, Where, When and How. It is recommended that students complete these modules sequentially, although individual modules can be taught as stand-alone units. Each of the modules contains information to be read, links to Web sites and hands-on exercises to reinforce specific critical thinking skills.

For example, in the module that follows the introduction, students are asked to consider whether using online resources or the library is more appropriate for a school assignment. Let’s say students are asked to write an essay on Harry Potter. A Google search reveals thousands of Harry Potter sites. Many of the sites are commercial sites promoting Harry Potter products, or the personal sites of awe-struck fans. Some are academic sites and very sophisticated. Students can spend a lot of time sifting through a plethora of sites without having very much to show at the end of their search. Of course, students can attempt to refine their search, but they are still going to be faced with having to assess a large number of sites. For this particular project, the library may have been a better bet. The module ends with an assignment in which the students select a research topic, and compare their research experiences using 1) the library and 2) the Internet.

The other modules follow a similar pattern; first a look at an issue, then an exploration of Web sites (direct links to the Net are embedded in the pdf units) with questions to be answered in their notebooks, and finally, a unit assignment. Other modules get students deciphering URLs, investigating the person or organization behind Web site content, examining the relationship between the purpose of a site and the information it offers, optimizing searches and applying ethical considerations to the issues of copyright and plagiarism.

For my colleagues in BC who are looking for ways to integrate IT into their English Language Arts, this resource is ideal. It covers all the important questions that we would want students to consider when they go online to get help with an assignment. And more importantly for the busy teacher, all the assignments are set out for the students to follow. (If a teacher chooses to present the PowerPoint to the class, the teachers’ guide provides the handouts and assignment sheets for each unit.)

Nevertheless, as is usually the case when teachers present new material for the first time, there was much to be learned from the experience of teaching the unit.

Presenting the Unit

I used Reality Check! with two classes of Grade 8. With the first class, I gave a 15 minute introduction and took them to the computer lab to work with the Independent Study Unit. With the second class, I used the PowerPoint presentation to present the introductory module and then proceeded with the independent unit in the lab. In the second semester, I plan to use a compromise of the two approaches with my Grade 9 and 11 classes. A good introduction can prevent a lot of confusion. When you use this resource, give lots of thought to how you introduce the work to your students. As students work through the Independent Study Unit they are asked to respond to a lot of questions. Some of the questions are designed to get students thinking about an issue, rather than to respond with written answers. The questions that require a written answer are clearly identified, but I still had many queries from students as to whether they should be providing a written answer or not.

Some of my students asked permission to open files on their computers to record their answers. For the students who were comfortable opening a file this was a better option than writing in their notebook. When I use Reality Check! in the second semester, I’ll encourage more students to open a file to record their answers. However, I am concerned about the painfully slow keyboarding skills exhibited by a number of students who worked with the unit in the first semester.

I used one class period of 55 minutes for each module. Most students were not able to complete all the activities included with each module, so I will need to plan for this when I present the resource in the second semester. All of the modules involve students visiting Web sites. For example, at the end of Module Three students are asked to visit four sites and answer a series of question about each site. If less able students only visit two sites instead of four, they will still have an opportunity to acquire the understanding intended by the activity. Each module concludes with a special assignment. It’s a good idea to plan the lesson to ensure sufficient time to work on this assignment.

Surrey School District’s server blocks Hate sites. In the introductory module students are asked to visit a Hate site to see how deceptive the homepage can be. This led to an interesting class discussion about school districts blocking certain sites from access by students. After that experience, I made sure to check all the sites to be visited in each lesson beforehand to see if they could be accessed through the district server.

The Media Awareness Network has done a great service for teachers by making this resource available across Canada. Although there was resistance from some students that they needed to learn anything about the Internet, it is my belief that the next time they use the Internet for a school assignment, they will be more critical of where they get their information and how they use it in their work.

Dan Blake is President of the BC Association for Media Education and teaches English at Earl Marriott Secondary School in Surrey.