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Start Your Search Eng<strong>in</strong>es! Authentic Activities and the Internet<br />

Eunice M. Merideth, Ph.D.<br />

Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Teach<strong>in</strong>g and Learn<strong>in</strong>g, Drake University, USA<br />

E-Mail: EM1661R@Acad.Drake.edu<br />

Hilda L. Williams, Ph.D.<br />

Professor Department of Teach<strong>in</strong>g and Learn<strong>in</strong>g, Drake University, USA<br />

E-Mail: HW9721R@Acad.Drake.edu<br />

Industrialization and modernization on a national scale became possible only when humans were able to<br />

harness natural sources of power--w<strong>in</strong>d, water, fossil fuels, the atom--to release energy. The abundance of<br />

such energy created force, allow<strong>in</strong>g the systematic organization and operation of work. The harness applied to<br />

nature’s power was that of the eng<strong>in</strong>e, “a mach<strong>in</strong>e that changes energy <strong>in</strong>to mechanical motion” (Compton’s<br />

Interactive Encyclopedia, 1996). In today’s In<strong>format</strong>ion Age, we are fac<strong>in</strong>g a revolution of another k<strong>in</strong>d--the<br />

explosion of <strong>in</strong><strong>format</strong>ion and communication via the Internet--for which we need new types of eng<strong>in</strong>es that<br />

will do work, save human energy, and focus power. Fortunately, serious Web users have a variety of eng<strong>in</strong>es,<br />

appropriately called search eng<strong>in</strong>es, to help them do just that.<br />

This paper presents a Three Step Approach to Integrat<strong>in</strong>g Web Applications and Services, harness<strong>in</strong>g the<br />

educational potential of the Web through the use of authentic activities (Brown, Coll<strong>in</strong>s, and Duguid, 1989)<br />

and generative learn<strong>in</strong>g projects (Ryder & Hughes, 1997). Step I: Critical Th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g Assignments which<br />

require analysis and comparison of search eng<strong>in</strong>es and <strong>in</strong>telligent agents <strong>in</strong> terms of usefulness for educational<br />

<strong>in</strong><strong>format</strong>ional retrieval as students learn cooperative problem solv<strong>in</strong>g to discover potential resources, develop<br />

research skills, and create their own mean<strong>in</strong>gful subject-based l<strong>in</strong>kages to the Web. Step II: Authentic Activity<br />

Procedures which accept learners as th<strong>in</strong>kers with valid questions and the ability to create mean<strong>in</strong>g and<br />

materials. These procedures would be rooted <strong>in</strong> authentic activities which result <strong>in</strong> observable performance.<br />

Step III: Published Products which share results of <strong>in</strong>vestigations or add orig<strong>in</strong>al materials and resources to<br />

an evolv<strong>in</strong>g knowledge base available on a Web site. This three-step approach can be adapted to either<br />

undergraduate or graduate higher education curricula as described below.<br />

Undergraduate Curriculum<br />

Follow<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>in</strong>troductory lesson review<strong>in</strong>g basic def<strong>in</strong>itions and navigational strategies us<strong>in</strong>g a Web browser,<br />

we distribute a handout with the address and brief annotation of a number of search eng<strong>in</strong>es. We ask students<br />

to use one of the search eng<strong>in</strong>es to seek resources on their curricular topic <strong>in</strong> preparation for lesson plann<strong>in</strong>g<br />

and presentation.<br />

Step I--Critical Th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g Assignment: F<strong>in</strong>d and download resources from at least four Web sites that will aid<br />

<strong>in</strong> the development of lesson activities <strong>in</strong> your subject area that you will be will<strong>in</strong>g to share with other<br />

professionals on the course Web site. This assignment for undergraduates re<strong>in</strong>forces their new skills <strong>in</strong><br />

navigat<strong>in</strong>g and retriev<strong>in</strong>g from the Web even as it helps students understand that quantity does not equal<br />

quality, and <strong>in</strong><strong>format</strong>ion does not equal <strong>in</strong>sight.<br />

Step II--Authentic Activity Procedures: Construct<strong>in</strong>g mean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>volves evaluat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><strong>format</strong>ion by sort<strong>in</strong>g and<br />

sift<strong>in</strong>g, sav<strong>in</strong>g only what is important. This authentic activity builds on a process most of us learned as part of<br />

our first research paper assignment--<strong>in</strong>dex<strong>in</strong>g cards. With the help of technology, we can take that process and<br />

update it by hav<strong>in</strong>g students build their own database on a hard drive or disk, directly cutt<strong>in</strong>g and past<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>in</strong><strong>format</strong>ion from the Web to the database <strong>in</strong>stead of download<strong>in</strong>g files <strong>in</strong>discrim<strong>in</strong>ately. The use of a<br />

relational database allows flexibility for further use of resources and addresses. The development of lesson<br />

activities us<strong>in</strong>g the database makes it personally relevant and a professional resource that one could cont<strong>in</strong>ue to<br />

expand.<br />

Step III--Published Products: Performance test<strong>in</strong>g of an authentic activity should be non algorithmic,<br />

complex, and <strong>in</strong>volve judgment and <strong>in</strong>terpretation (Resnick, 1987). By publish<strong>in</strong>g the product of their

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