Lesson Implementation Reflection

Holiday Inquiry Project

            I think personal digital inquiry was a perfect choice for my 5th grade students. They have participated in digital inquiry throughout the year, but this allowed them to do so more in depth. Also, since they chose their own topic, they seemed to be more invested in the learning experience. They also seemed very interested in become better researchers on the internet and learning how to do so. To me this framework allowed them to go deeper than simply researching a topic. It allowed them to learn and utilize the skills necessary in being critical researchers.
        There are a few drawbacks to this framework. First of all, it takes a lot of preparation. I had briefly previewed each step and lesson for my students, but should have done a more thorough job. Also, some topics were difficult for students to find relevant information on. It was also difficult for students to make up any lessons that they missed. 
        Overall, this unit went incredibly well. My students seemed to gain a new understanding of how to choose relevant sources, as well as determine reliability of information. They were very interested in their topics and truly wanted to find answers to their questions. The most overwhelming part seemed to be actually synthesizing the information they found. However, with some support they were able to do so. Even with limited time, many of them created wonderful presentations of their information through iMovie or a handmade poster. 

        I definitely plan on using this unit in the future, but will change a few things. First of all, I will modify my “Comparing Resources” handout. The searches usually did not give a number of results, so that was irrelevant. Also, searching the whole question versus searching keywords did not provide different results. I will modify that to have them search different key terms with the main topic. For analyzing differences sources, I will make an entirely different handout. I think it is most important for them to look at the domain, the publisher/host, and find information about the creators of the website. I want them to be able to explain why the source is reputable or not. Ideally, I would like more time to spend on gathering information. I would like to work more deeply on summarizing and picking out only the relevant information.
        This unit gave me a much deeper understanding of the complexity of internet inquiry. I did not truly understand how many skills are required for this process. It showed me how necessary it is to break down each step and provide students the opportunity to practice each step and skill in a slowed down, scaffolded experience. In order to understand the importance of each tiny step, they needed the authentic practice. For example, they didn’t understand the importance of including specific words in their search until the actually tried to search. Adding one word can completely change the results. I always feel like I don’t have enough time for everything in my class. I always feel like I am rushing through things. For this unit I HAD to slow down to truly allow my students to grasp each process. My students really needed guided support and affirmation through each process.
        This entire lesson also confirmed my beliefs that we need a specific digital skills and literacy class in elementary. Much like we have music and P.E., students need adequate and specific education in digital skills. As much as I would love to spend more time on these skills, I simply don’t have time. I can incorporate bits and pieces more into the classroom though. When doing units on specific skills, I could easily pull digital inquiry or digital text into it. I have already been utilizing digital tools in the way students show their learning. However, I feel I have a better idea of how to incorporate them into the learning experience.
        For any teachers who are wanting to support more digital and multimodal literacies in their classroom, start small! Choose one aspect to start with and incorporate it into your current skill. For example, if you are working on antonyms have students find an image that represents the two words. Also, it is extremely important to provide explicit explanations about what you are doing, how you are doing, and why you are doing it. Most importantly, students need authentic practice with each component. The digital world can provide so much for our teaching and our students; be open to it!

The videos below are a few examples of final products my 5th graders created using iMovie