Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Secondary Education Perspective

Students are immersed in a variety of digital and web-based technologies outside the academic realm. In order to facilitate students in developing 21st Century skills, students need to go beyond just using technology, but to learn use it in ways that facilitate collaboration, problem solving and higher-level thinking.

As an educator, I use technology as a way for my students to show their understanding and engage in a dynamic learning process. Using technology in the teaching and learning process takes student learning beyond the walls of the classroom, beyond their local community, allowing them to connect, on a global level.

We formally teach students how to read and write. But now there is a greater need to explore the message within the moving image. This is motion media literacy. People create video anywhere at anytime. It’s crucial to formally teach young people how to use these tools to communicate a powerful message. In my work with Rosebud Institute, we’ve taught students how to use camera angles, cinematic language and filming techniques to construct meaning. Specifically, teaching motion media literacy is about helping students to form a critical eye when viewing any moving image, in their every-day lives.

As an educator I also work hard to create an authentic learning environment. I believe it is crucial for students to be able to apply what they are learning in the classroom to other areas of their life. Students won’t always have a teacher telling them what to read or how to discern between different sources of information. There is a need to educate students about how to create a professional digital footprint, teach the rules of intellectual property right and digital citizenship, heightening students’ information literacy skills.

Specifically in collaboration with Rosebud Institute, my students created digital portfolios to share their learning process. Having students create their own ePortfolio is a way to teach students about the significance of how they present themselves in a variety of mediums.

More on the results of our collaboration with Rosebud Institute to come!

Caroline Haebig
Social Studies Educator
Apple Distinguished Educator

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