Using Personal Digital Inquiry and Web Literacy to Improve Foundational Skills

 

    As I have explored web literacy and personal digital inquiry (PDI), I have gained a deeper understanding of both their complexity as well as their affordances. The process of PDI and reading the web requires students to utilize new literacy skills as well as foundational skills simultaneously. This can be challenging for even advanced students, even more so for struggling readers. However, the affordances of digital tools, e-reading, and inquiry itself could serve as a support for developing these foundational skills. This thought led me to the idea of using web reading and PDI as reading intervention.

              One of the tenants of PDI is for students to be the driving force behind their own learning. It encourages them to explore their own questions instead of answering ones given to them (Sorenson & Anderson, 2017). Engaging students in inquiry teaches them more than how to learn, it teaches them how to think and wonder. This is important for all students, but especially for those who struggle.

 Our learners who struggle in reading or other academic areas typically have low self-esteem regarding school. When classroom tasks and curriculum are continuously difficult for them, it makes it learning arduous and discouraging. PDI can allow teachers to reach these learners in a new way. Through the process of PDI, students interact in an authentic experience to seek true understanding (Sorenson & Anderson, 2017).. When the student holds value in the end result, then they better understand the purpose of the process Centering learning around students’ interests keeps it relevant and meaningful (Kroustallaki et al., 2015). Supporting students in their exploration can contribute to their feeling of competence and worthwhileness. Case studies involving PDI have shown this positive effect on students' attitudes (Kroustallaki et al., 2015). With this disposition and support, struggling students can gain so much through PDI.

              The complexity of web reading and PDI requires the process to be broken down into easily manageable steps, which many frameworks such as QUEST (Dobler & Eagleton, 2015) provide. Structuring each component of a PDI framework as a guided intervention allows the teacher provide explicit instruction through an empowering process. The multiple steps of inquiry address skills such as critical thinking, metacognition, inferencing, analyzing, summarizing, and synthesizing. Students will be more able to understand and utilize these complex skills when they interact with them in an authentic way. As the constructivist theory suggests, students learn through personal experience (Dobler & Eagleton, 2015).

              Reading itself can be supported through digital and web reading. Affordances such as text-to-speech and embedded dictionary support can aid students who struggle with surface level reading. This can help make text and curriculum assessable to all learners (Dennis et al., 2015). Furthermore, multimodal representations of information can provide students with additional modes to help construct meaning in ways that traditional text cannot do.

    Digital tools provide rich opportunities for students to communicate their understanding in the creation portion of PDI (Sorenson & Anderson, 2017). All students have different ways in which they express their thinking. Students who struggle with language and writing can be very  restricted in adequately expressing their understanding through traditional writing. Having multiple modes such as photography, videos, cartoons, and podcasts can give students a voice they haven’t had (Smith & Okolo, 2010).  The use of collaboration in this PDI process can expand these benefits as well.

 I have seen first-hand how personal inquiry can inspire students to be more engaged in their learning. Letting them be in control of their learning helps establish a true learning community.  I am hoping to strengthen this empowerment through the use of a more structured and intentional framework of inquiry in my classroom, and use it as a catalyst for intervention. 

References

Dennis, D.P., Holmes, K.A., & Smith E. (2015). Exploring digital literacy practices in an inclusive classroom. The Reading Teacher, 69(2), 195-205.

Dobler, E. & Eagleton, M.B. (2015). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet Inquiry, Second Edition . Guilford Press.

Kroustallaki, D., Kokkinanki, T., Sideridis, G.D., & Simos, P.G. (2015). Exploring students’ affect and achievement goals in the context of an intervention to improve web searching skills. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 156-170.

Smith, S.J. & Okolo C. (2010). Response to intervention and evidence based practices: Where does technology fit?. Learning Disability Quarterly, 33(4), 257-272. 

Sorenson, E.K. & Andersen, H.V. (2017). Strengthening inclusion of learners with attention difficulties through interventions with digital technology in processes of production. European Journal of Open, Distance, and e-Learning, 20(1).