Saturday, July 9, 2011
Due October 22- Beyond Cut and Paste Reflection Chapters 1-7; 10-21; 23-24)
As educators we are committed to aligning our lessons to AASL standards and confronting the cut-and- paste, lazy-thinking mentality that has overtaken our school children. Media Specialists must be leaders in creating lessons and activities that are challenging and worthwhile so we raise a generation of thinkers that ask remarkable questions and make up their own minds. Using ideas from Jamie McKenzie’s book, Beyond Cut and Paste, what 5 changes do you plan on implementing in your teaching? Why? Additionally, how has this book changed your definition of information literacy? Posting should be 2 well-developed paragraphs. Rubric posted to blackboard.
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I have greatly appreciated the tips and thoughts offered by McKenzie (2009) in Beyond Cut and Paste. I plan to implement a number of them into my classroom. One of the ideas McKenzie mentions that I plan to put in place is shifting from assigning topic-based research to question-based research (p.2). Topic-based research is far too easy for students to simply “google” and then plop down an answer. It takes very few high-level thinking skills and allows students to become lazy researchers. Question-based research gives students a problem to solve. The students must research in order to solve that problem. One way I plan to use this is in our lesson on New Spain. Instead of having the students research the missions of New Spain and explain each mission’s purpose and attributes, I will ask students to select a potential location for New Spain’s newest mission. They will be expected to explain why they have selected the location based on information about the current missions. McKenzie highlighted the value of moderators both inside a classroom (face-to-face) and online (p.10). This is the second change I plan to make. In fact, I have already begun to do so. This year, after a discussion of text coding and prior to beginning literature circles, I trained a group of six students to act as “discussion directors.” We talked through things they could say in their group discussions, ways to direct the conversation, and possible problems that could arise. I have been incredibly pleased with how these directors have been leading literature circles. Between Sunday’s class discussion and McKenzie’s assertion, I know that my third change will be to teach my students about “search logic” (p.36). Walking students through effective searching strategies and ways to evaluate websites (and databases!) will not only streamline their research, but result in a higher quality of information gathered. Using McKenzie’s SCAMPER acronym will be my 4th change. A recent push within my school district has been to ask questions of varying depth and level. One of the levels I need to reach is the synthesis level. SCAMPER is a great way to make certain that I am asking students questions that encourage them to take the information given and synthesize it. When teaching about Native Americans, for example, I can ask, “What other animal might the Cheyenne have been able to substitute for the horse?” The students will take their understanding of the many ways the Cheyenne used the horse and synthesize it to produce their response. A 5th change I will make is including movement and play within my classroom to a greater degree. McKenzie touts the importance of play and creativity both within the classroom and at home (p.118). One of the ways I plan to make this concept more central in my classroom is by implementing “Move It Mondays.” On Mondays, my students and I will participate in some type of physical activity (dance, sports, yoga, etc.) to get up and move. We also have a “Friday Fun Flick.” I show them some type of fun video (my dog, silly YouTube clips, etc.) to get the day started on a positive note. They can’t get enough!
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
McKenzie has truly helped changed the way I view information literacy. I will admit that my former perception of information literacy was far too narrow. Realizing that there are a dozen (or more!) literacies that students need to master has forced me to look at my planning and ask whether I am hitting each one. I have found myself thinking differently about the ways in which I teach concepts. I am taking more opportunities to go beyond what my standards state. Instead of breezing past the artwork in the opening pages of a new reading unit, we stopped and discussed it. After returning from the ballet, students responded in writing. How did you know what was going on without any dialogue? How did the music foreshadow what was about to occur? Yet even as I work to touch on each of the literacies throughout my curriculum, the best part of all is the look on a student’s face when I take the lesson into their area of expertise. Their confidence grows as they show the class how much they know, and the entire class grows in emotional literacy. McKenzie’s ideas have truly made me a stronger teacher.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
The five changes I would make to my classroom after reading Beyond Cut and Paste (McKenzie 2009) are:
1. Make projects revolve around answering important questions rather than re-hashing old information. I would require my students to answer a question, making a judgment, or use the information gathered in some way rather than just requiring them to learn about a person or event. For example, my students usually do a project on absolute rulers. Instead of gathering facts on what each one did, I may require them to rank the leaders, or use the information to show how one absolute ruler benefited his/her country more than another one (p. 32).
2. I would teach search strategies before giving an assignment. Simple things, such as using Boolean operators, can help students narrow their topic and get to the information they want, rather than giving up because there is too much information. I think using correct search terms is a part of this. One project my Geography students do is about climates, and they have to show how a climate has impacted the culture of a place. Many students give up after Googling “How continental climates affect a place’s culture” because this gives them few results. If I can teach them to figure out what they really want to know (How does this impact the food eaten? Homes? etc.) then they can be more effective at finding information (p.36).
3. Show students why Wikipedia is not a good source. I have always told my students I will not accept it as a source, and they whine and complain about this. They say “Its more accurate then the encyclopedia!” I need to show them how easy it is to modify information, and how little credibility is needed to re-write history. I think if I do this students will truly understand why I require them to use other sources, rather than just complain about it then go to Wikipedia when they think I’m not looking (p 53-56).
4. Encourage students to rearrange desks to fit the activity. I am fortunate enough to have a large classroom (I share with a teacher so it is not my own, but it is a bigger room than single-teacher classrooms) so I can try to use the space more effectively. Many times I feel like moving desks is a hassle because it takes away my teaching time, but I like the author’s idea of timing it and encouraging them to go fast. I like to do things in small groups, partners, and have whole class discussions, so I will encourage students to move furniture more in order to fit the activity and encourage interaction with each other (p. 66-68).
5. Incorporating more time to ask questions using SCAMPER and other effective questioning techniques. I usually take time at the beginning of class to ask questions that review what we did the day before. This doesn’t take long, but the questions are at the knowledge level. Instead, I could ask questions that require students to use that knowledge to make a decision: What other reasons besides the three listed in the book could we substitute as reasons for European success in exploration? How could Robespierre have reversed his reputation as a bloodthirsty revolutionary? This is still formative review, but it also requires higher-level thinking (p. 96).
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Information literacy to me was just being able to use information effectively. By reading the book, I have learned that it is also about searching effectively, questioning effectively, and producing something worthwhile instead of reusing old ideas and information. If students are given a project that requires them to question and make judgments about a topic or idea they are able to use the information to make a decision, so they don’t include every little silly detail about a topic but learn how to manage it and use it effectively. This has real world application because it is something they will need to do in the workforce as well. A boss who wants a report on how a product is doing on the market will not want silly details, but will want a worker who can use data to make a decision based on the information. So information literacy is about taking ideas one step further too. Rather than just being able to find information on a topic, students should know how to use that information.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Anne Hubbell
In addition to reading, Beyond Cut and Paste, I had the opportunity to attend a session presented by Jamie McKenzie last year when he came to LPS. He presents many important concepts that should challenge us as educators to provide lessons and activities that will encourage a generation of thinkers and problem solvers. One of the first changes I would promote would be the move from research about a topic, such as a person, place, or thing, to a question about a topic that requires students to think about the information they discover and make a judgement about it. Students could evaluate why someone was a good leader, or determine which place would be the best for a particular event. According to McKenzie (2009), the AASL standards “set the expectation that students develop good new ideas, not just scoop and smush, copy and paste”(pg. 5). Another concept I agree with is that “good citizens and leaders ask powerful questions”(pg. 20). It is important to teach students how to ask good questions. McKenzie shares some of the new technology available to help teach students these strategies and I would incorporate these into my lessons. I just attended a session on using mobile devices such as ipods and ipads with students. The fact that it is very easy to access information is fun and amazing but we need to remember to ask our students to evaluate the information they retrieve. We need to teach them how to use the information to formulate good questions. A third important element in helping students really invest in their learning is providing authentic learning. It benefits students to see how the lessons they are learning relate to the real world. Students can take fieldtrips, have guest speakers, conduct interviews, and participate in simulations. This is very similar to project-based learning in which students solve a real problem with a real solution. I think this would be a valuable addition to all lessons. A fourth change would be to help students develop critical thinking skills. McKenzie addresses the ease with which students can access superficial information. Instead, we need to teach students how to dig deeply to gather information and how to evaluate the reliability of the source. According to McKenzie (2009), “verification is an essential skill and checking the veracity of sources is a major component of media literacy” (pg. 51). Finally, I would want to encourage all students to become independent thinkers. I like the idea of play, experimentation, and improvisation presented in chapter 18. I would encourage students to make hypotheses, try different ideas, and draw conclusions. I think it would be important to teach students that there could be many “correct” ideas and move away from the concept that there is one right answer. Having students play with words to create poems is a great example that was mentioned in the book. I would want to promote creativity and playfulness in all of my lessons and activities.
Reading this book has helped me understand the different types of information literacies. It has also opened my eyes to the importance of providing lessons and activities that develop all of these literacies. Students need to know more than just text and numerical literacies. They need to have the “capacity to analyze, interpret, and understand information within a particular category of information” (pg. 141). Students need to develop critical thinking skills to become independent thinkers. They need to be aware of the world around them and make decisions with clear understandings. As educators, our role is much more than just giving our students facts and helping them score well on standardized tests. We need to equip our students to be prepared to learn in a world that is constantly changing. We want them to be productive citizens who can think deeply and critically.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Since this is my first semester in the School Library Media Program, I had never given information literacy a lot of thought. When asked, I would have defined it as the ability to locate and understand different types of information through print. However, my definition has changed quite a bit after reading Beyond Cut-and-Paste. From reading the rest of the book, I realize how important it is to teach students and teachers to analyze the source of the information. We all need to examine where the information originates, who is delivering the information, and be willing to spend the time to evaluate information and images to form an educated decision to determine what is the truth. Another change in my understanding of information literacy is that it’s not enough to locate the information, the correct information needs to be located. “The Web offers so much information that students may find themselves effectively starved and frustrated, lost and overwhelmed. The masses of documents and images confront them with what mounts to the poverty of abundance” (p.35). At this point in my learning, my definition of information literacy is the ability to effectively narrow search terms to find specific information and evaluate sources by questioning the origin and author of the information. I do feel that this definition and understanding will be ever changing as I continue to study and as technology changes.
McKenzie, J., Ed.D. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste . Bellingham, Washington: FNO Press.
As a teacher, I will approach research in a different manner. My understanding of information literacy has grown and my instruction will change as a result. The first change I would make is teaching students and teachers to search effectively. “Search logic is the thoughtful combination of search terms-much like a boxer’s combinations of punches-that allows the researcher to eliminate irrelevant information and focus on the most promising sources” (p.36). This is a skill in which both teachers and students could improve. Without the ability to conduct effective searches, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of information available on the web. The next change I plan to make is to teach students about evaluating sources to find credible information. In chapter 11, McKenzie focuses on questioning “...the validity of historical images as a source of information about figures in history” (p. 77,78). Before reading this chapter, I didn’t really think too much about the validity of a historical image on the web. Now, I realize that I need to explicitly teach my students to compare images and evaluate them before accepting them as fact. The next two changes I would like to make in my teaching relate to one another. The first is to challenge assumptions. It is my responsibility as a teacher to show my students how to question the information that they read and hear so they do not develop what McKenzie describes as mentalsoftness(p. 82). If students lack the ability to question information, their minds become weak and they will accept anything they read or hear without much thought given to the merits of the position being presented. I find that to be very scary. How are students going to be innovative thinkers and informed voters and decision makers without this skill. Along with challenging assumptions, I plan on teaching students to recognize when there is an evidence gap. Understanding that there is a lack of plausible reason or information missing on a position before accepting it as truth is a very important skill for our students as 21st Century Learners. Without the ability to do so, students may accept the first piece of information found on the web as fact. That is not what we want our students to do. Finally, I think it’s really important to teach our students how to be original. During my teaching career, I have found very few students who know how to come up with their own original ideas or thoughts. They want the information and even opinions spoon fed. I think that it’s really sad that so many students haven’t developed that ability or been given the opportunity to think for themselves. I attribute this to the amount of time on test preparation and not as much on developing the ability to think critically and learn how they feel about certain topics. I believe that by implementing these changes, I can make my students more aware and informed of what they read, watch, and hear.
McKenzie, J., Ed.D. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste . Bellingham, Washington: FNO Press.
The five changes I would make to my classroom after reading Beyond Cut and Paste (McKenzie 2009) are:
1.Schools must equip students with powerful search strategies and search logic (pg. 35)
It is imperative in today's world of information technology that students are able to decipher between the "trash and treasure" of information. In my classroom we would work on utilizing search logic in order to locate relevant information through online researching and databases. As a class, we will focus on using the advanced search engines in order to narrow down search results. By narrowing the results it provides students with a manageable amount of results they can use, so students do not feel overwhelmed.
2. Stress student’s originality in work and thought (pg. 109).
I feel that it is important to stress originality in student’s own thoughts and work. In my classroom I will stress that students take the extra time to develop their own work as opposed to “copying and pasting” ideas from others. I feel that as a teacher it is our job to create an environment that nurtures creativity, supports originality, and inspires students to think outside the box. By providing this environment I believe students will feel comfortable to express themselves and gain confidence in their own work and thoughts.
3. Learn to question validity of sources (pg. 78).
There are extensive amounts of information available at any given time, but knowing its legitimacy is not always guaranteed. In my classroom, students will learn how to critically evaluate web pages and research results for authenticity, biasness, and usability. Teaching students to critically evaluate information is an important skill in preparing students for their future in the information age.
4. Properly use primary resources (pg. 33).
Thanks to the broad scope of the Internet, students now have access to primary documents anywhere and at any time. In my classroom, students will utilize primary sources to connect with unique documents and time periods that bring history to life. By utilizing primary sources in my classroom it will engage students, develop critical thinking skills, and help students construct their new knowledge.
5. Implement the SCAMPER method for problem solving (pg. 96).
I enjoyed reading about the SCAMPER method for problem solving, and how to apply it into my classroom. In my classroom, the SCAMPER method can be put into use to generate more solutions to a class problem, for example, deciding what type of class party to have, by considering different strategies. By using this approach in a classroom setting it would allow students to suggest, share, or modify ideas.
Prior to reading this book I was unsure how to define the term information literacy. After reading McKenzie’s book, I have learned that information literacy encompasses a range of topics, including but not limited too, effective researching strategies, proper questioning, personal creativity, and utilizing multiple literacies. Information literacy skills are important for students to learn in order to find, evaluate, use, and share information across various forms of media. After completing McKenzie’s book, I am excited to apply his suggestions and recommendation in my classroom, in the near future.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
McKenzie (2009) made some very enlightening points and suggestions throughout his book. There are a number of these that stood out to me. One of which is that I would like to do a better job of showing students how to evaluate a source. McKenzie states, “Google…gives us all a false sense of security and wisdom…” (McKenzie, 2009, p. 1). It is easy to type in a general search term, and click on the first thing that pops up. However, students need to know what bias means and where their information is coming from. Upcoming elections are a great way to connect students with the real world, and it’s biases. What is a politician’s goal? What kind of spin do you think they put on information? Another thing I would like to implement in my classroom is to start teaching search techniques. Not only is this evident from the reading, but also our in class database assignment. Students need to be taught how to put together search terms utilizing the advanced search feature in order to come up with more concentrated and meaningful search results. Once they have attained better search techniques I would like to implement more question based research into my curriculum. When students are able to come to their own understanding of a topic, it is much more valuable then regurgitating facts. I loved McKenzie’s example of having students choose who was the better poet between two (p. 110). Rather then look at what other people wrote about them, they should read their works and come up with their own evaluative traits. Along with expanding the research process, a fourth thing I would like to be more conscious of is evaluation. I think it is not only important for me to give a grade, but for the students to be provided with a rubric so they can self-evaluate. They should be able to work with a purpose. Finally, one last strategy that I would love to implement is SCAMPER. One way I think I could use this would be to ask some more in depth questions about our weekly reading story, to make them think more critically and aid in comprehension.
This book has changed my definition of information literacy in many ways. First and foremost it has given me a greater understanding of the term. Before now I did not realize the vastness and importance of the different literacies. When it comes to information literacy I think one of my greatest understandings is to learn what it is not. Just because you use a tool on the web, does not mean that you are using it effectively. Students, and teachers, need to be more aware of the purpose for using resources. One meaningful example I found was defining what a “friend” is on Facebook (p. 13). Social networks can be powerful tools, when used and understood properly. McKenzie (2009) also pointed out that the immense amount of information available can give us a false sense of simple answers to complex problems. Google is easy and at our finger tips, but that doesn’t mean it is the end-all for answers. It has been helpful to read more about the dangers and misconceptions of information literacy, so I can teach my students correctly and more effectively.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new
ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
The five changes that I would like to implement in my classroom after reading Beyond Cut and Paste (McKenzie 2009) include the topics of search logic, classroom landscape, SCAMPER, authentic learning and imaging to develop more questioning. I think that incorporating search logic by teaching the students to focus their searches to keywords by using advanced search, Boolean operators and truncation/wildcard techniques would help to eliminate the overwhelmed feeling when hit with a flood of information after hitting “search”. The landscape of the classroom has been set up for a lecture style for decades. With the addition of more mobile technology the style is now able to be more relaxed. I am going to try to be less rigid and more open to setting change as the groups and activities change. SCAMPER is a technique that could really improve any lesson by allowing students to be more inventive in the ways they create and share their ideas. This would be a great way to introduce research to students by brainstorming first with the SCAMPER technique. Authentic learning allows students to think, problem solve and communicates in a variety of ways using situations that imitate or are within a real life context. This allows to students to have an actual physical and sometimes emotional connection to the tasks they are completing. I would like to use this in historical research by using reenactments students would have to support changing key components in history or leaving them the same. Students today live in a very visually graphic world, everyone is competing for their attention. This is why it is so important to teach students to delve deeper into what they are looking at and really question if it is what it truly appears to be. This could be accomplished by viewing any newspaper, magazine or media website. I would have the students read the headlines and then research them.
Mckenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Kelly Eby
One point the author, Jamie McKenzie makes in his book, Beyond Cut-and Paste was for educators not to limit a classroom arrangement to desks in rows facing the front of the room. I will continue to think of alternate arrangements for the learning space in the media center. I totally agree with Dr. McKenzie that the classroom landscape can “serve particular learning goals better than others.” It is a cool idea to have groups and arrangements configured ahead of time so students can quickly get into a particular set up as the teacher calls for it. A change I will make as a result of reading this book is to restructure some the media units I teach to allow for digging deeper. As I am planning lessons for media, I must consistently structure lessons to include critical thinking on the part of the students, where they not only have to research in order to find answers, they must first come up with questions they would like to explore. I will lead my students to inquire about things and allow for us to feel uncomfortable in order to reach into the unknown for enlightenment. This is just something that students aren’t used to practicing. They are driven to find the “right” answer, not necessarily the answer to a question that they, themselves have thought of during the discussion or lesson. Another thing I would like to do as a result of reading is book is try to encourage our school to move toward learning and teaching synthesis. I believe this is an important step toward moving us into a better way of teaching. There is a new hands-on workshop created by author, Jamie McKenzie at http://fnopress.com/SYN/
and a description of synthesis activities can be found at http://fnopress.com/PL2/index.htm
It is very important to me to help my students understand that digital resources can be wonderful in many ways, but can also be very distracting and disruptive to our thinking and learning. This generation of digital natives must be able to discern for themselves when technology is beneficial and when it is disruptive.
My original thoughts about information literacy were that literacy was mostly associated with reading, writing, comprehension and vocabulary skills. I now have a much broader idea of information literacy. Literacy is knowledge in any area of life. It is not limited to languages or cultures. Information literacy is the ability to inquire, search and seek answers! It is not a simple process, on the contrary- it is extremely complex. Our brains are capable to understand so much more if we only train them to stretch. I want to encourage original thinking, and making time for experimentation. I liked the strategies outlined in Chapter18 on pg. 121 by P. David Pearson called “flexing:”
questioning, picturing, inferring, recalling prior knowledge, synthesizing, and flexing. Each is defined and more information is found in the source: “Power of Reading and the School Library,” at http://www.fno.org/sum05/powerread.html
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
This book has not only altered my definition of literacy but has also expanded my comprehension of what it means to be literate. Before reading Beyond Cut and Paste (McKenzie 2009) I would have only listed a few of the information literacies, grouping many together. Throughout reading this book I have become more aware of how important it is to teach my students the skills to really question and analyze the information before them. I think that sometimes we are so concerned about our students being able to read the text on the page we let comprehension slide. McKenzie said that bettering relies on synthesis – a set of change strategies that modify and adapt what is to what it might become (pg. 95). After reading this book I hope to implement some of these change strategies to give my students the skills to develop into what they may become.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Raelynn Buffington Beyond Cut and Paste #2 Due: 10-22-11
I agree that library teachers need to be leaders in dismantling the lazy “cut and paste” that can take place in schools. While reading Beyond Cut and Paste by McKenzie, I noticed original thinking seemed to be a common thread in each chapter. Creating thinkers that turn students into special agents digging to find the answers or the truth, is the ultimate goal of the teacher. I would implement the following five changes in my teaching after reading this book:
1. I would use a mind mapping software program to generate thinking with students. For example, if a student needs to research a famous African American, this tool would help them create questions they would answer during their research, allowing for experimentation, therefore, creating original thought. I would not give them a topic since this would be the first question they would need to address. What famous African American do I want to learn more about?
2. Using advanced search engines to decrease information overload and possible non- factual information would need to be taught as soon as possible. Depending on the age of the student, I will change the search engine to assist in authentic learning and not cutting and pasting. I would plan ahead to make sure the information they are obtaining is at their level and solid information they can use.
3. Setting my long range goals and standards for the school year will allow for me to know what I will need to teach in order to reach my destination. Anticipating things that can go wrong and resolve issues before they arise is something that should be taken into consideration.
4. I like the questioning tool Scamper. Since questioning is what makes better thinkers, then the use of a tool that has been tried and true is a win situation. With Scamper, students will analyze as well as evaluate information; therefore, turning this into synthesized knowledge. This tool could be used in almost any subject area to generate thinking.
5. Experimentation has a place in my library. Students need to experiment with questions, ideas, conclusions, and evaluations. Too many times teachers work harder than the student in trying to create learning. Students will synthesize information if they have had the opportunity to experiment with their building of knowledge. I would explain that they need to establish 5 questions they want answered about their specific topic. Once they have done that, I would encourage them to experiment with different ways to answer their questions. This will help them as they move into high school and they need to make choices. They will know how to use judgments based on questions they might ask of themselves.
I believe these 5 new changes are possible and would make me a better school librarian. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn about fresh ideas to build original thinkers in our schools today.
This book has changed my idea of information literacy by making me realize there are many way to get to the final project. It is important to realize information literacy involves every aspect of our lives. Because everything we see or do involves some type of literacy. It is how we choose to view information that makes the difference whether we embrace it or ignore it. Too many people go through life without ever taking time to really learn about themselves or their lives. When new literacy is experienced we need to acknowledge it to be literacy in whatever form it is presented . My eyes are open now to a whole new world of knowledge and I do not intend to let it pass me by without thoughtful consideration.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond Cut and Paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
McKenzie White
Beyond Cut & Paste Reflection
(Ch. 1-7,10-21,23-24)
After reading the remaining chapters from McKenzie’s Beyond Cut-and-Paste, I have gleaned several information literacy strategies to use with my younger students. The first strategy that I plan on implementing is the use of essential questions rather than fact extracting as we conduct our research projects/units in the library. McKenzie (2009) calls this method of questioning “questions of import” (p. 3). According to McKenzie (2009), this process insists “questions of import usually require that students wrestle with difficult challenges and build their own answers rather than relying upon the thinking of others” (p. 3). For example, my students are currently researching insects in anticipation of our upcoming author visit. We are focusing on the research question: Why would my insect be the best choice for the main character in the author’s next book? This method allows students to have multiple opportunities for choice and self/peer evaluation during the defending of their choices (based on information gathered during research).
McKenzie (2009) supports the idea, “before hopping onto the research bandwagon and urging all students to blog, wiki, and network, schools might be wise to focus rigorous attention on questioning, inventing, collaborating and powerful writing in face-to-face situations with close attention to scaffolding and skill building” (p. 15). I plan on implementing this strategy of questioning/collaborating with my 6th graders and our 6th grade educator team. We have chosen to mine student chosen fiction novels for information and resources students will use to conduct small group conferences to construct writing prompts that we will use in whole group discussion/reflection points in a class blog.
The third change that I plan to implement is to reorganize seating in our computer lab and with library laptop usage. In chapter 10, McKenzie (2009) describes gaining attention in the laptop classroom (p. 63). The focus of this chapter shows “the importance of teachers being able to see the students’ screens when they are working on challenges and tasks assigned by the teacher” (McKenzie, 2009, p. 67).
Since one of my goals this year is to have students questioning/evaluating photos and images, I would like to implement the activity McKenzie outlines in chapter 11 (p.78). Some accommodations I would use for elementary students include: choosing 5 images (instead of 10) and organizing them by accuracy in the computer program Kidspiration.
The last strategy that I would like to try in my classrooms is the synthesis strategy of “SCAMPER” (McKenzie, 2009, p.96). The acronym SCAMPER represents: substitute, combining, adapt, modify (magnify/minify), put to other uses, eliminate, and reverse (McKenzie, 2009, p.96). McKenzie’s example uses an analysis of a play, but I would like to try this strategy as we conduct film vs. book analysis.
McKenzie (2009) defines the term “literacy” for this book as “the capacity to analyze, interpret and understand information within a particular category of information or within a particular medium” (p.141). Literacy charts in chapters 4, 9, and 22 illustrate a dozen literacy categories. So, I have come to realize the importance of labeling an individual as literate in any of these categories. For example, a person may be able to use a computer; however, that does not necessarily make them computer literate. An in depth understanding, practice, and analysis and evaluation in each literacy is needed to truly be literate. It is also my belief that information literacy is constantly evolving-requiring us to frequently reassess our competencies in these literacies.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
McKenzie White
Response to: Emily Dietzschold
Emily, your comment “rather than just being able to find information on a topic, students should know how to use that information” is so true of our students today. Educators are always stating that we are preparing 21st Century students for the future, and you give a great example of using those interpreting skills in the workplace. 21st Century students should be able to wield information as a result of their mastery of multiple literacy concepts.
Response to: Amanda Ziegenbein
Amanda, I liked your implementation idea for using the SCAMPER strategy for student choice in the classroom. I, too, am excited to use this strategy in the library; so, I hope to glean several different ideas for usage. Student choice, collaboration, and consensus are huge considerations for student success.
Teresa Bell
I agree that Media Specialists must be leaders in 21st century learning and skills acquisition. McKenzie’s Beyond Cut-and-Paste offers ideas and suggestions for our practice with our students as well as challenges our own cut-and-paste mentality. As I am not in the classroom or school library, yet, I do not have five changes to implement but I have chosen five concepts from McKenzie’s work I intend to embrace in my future practice.
1. The idea of authentic learning outlined by McKenzie (2009, p. 23) using the following criteria:
• Activities are rooted in issues challenges or decisions that people face in the world
• Activities are genuine
• Wrestling with the challenges has meaning and significance
• Students can see the benefit for work well done and skills acquired
2. Equipping students with the skills and attitudes to challenge assumptions (McKenzie, 2009, p. 81)
• Ask tough questions
• Picture the idea (3 elements of a good idea, sound logic, sufficient evidence, standards)
• What are the assumptions about the idea
• Challenge those assumptions
This is how students will challenge assumptions and begin to become critical thinkers and problem solvers.
3. The idea of bettering, according to McKenzie (2009, p. 95), relies on synthesis but also requires analysis and evaluation skills. In addition, questioning (an essential part of bettering) is what makes bettering possible.
• SCAMPER- Substitute, combine, adapt, modify (magnify, minify), put to other uses, eliminate, reverse
4. Sometimes I forget learning should be fun. While I do not feel like I should be an entertainer, I can definitely design lessons that are enjoyable for my students. McKenzie (2009, p. 116) reminds us of the important connection between play and invention.
5. Finally, students as information prospectors; they must be skilled at asking probing questions. This can be a scary proposition for teachers because you cannot control this process 100%. However, I firmly believe that educators must be committed to developing good questioners. (McKenzie, 2009, p. 138)
I chose the above concepts because I think they outline some of the most important and relevant information in McKenzie’s work. I also genuinely agree with these concepts and think they are important to embrace in order to help produce the most competent students and the best citizens. I believe McKenzie has laid out a number of good points and details ways in which we can truly help our students become media literate.
McKenzie’s work has definitely made an impact on my ideas about information literacy. Before reading Beyond Cut-and-Paste, my definition about literacy was very narrow and my view of media literacy, in retrospect, was only the very tip of the iceberg. I am beginning to see my own cut-and-paste thinking and now truly want to inspire my students to become creative thinkers and people who can intelligently make up their own minds. I know I will not always have an immediate answer for my students but I think that is the point. Learning is a process not a package for me to wrap up and deliver to them.
McKenzie, J., Ed.d. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
One piece of information that I really like to implement is using questions of import. Instead of topical research where the student just finds and reports on information, a student goes the extra step and is challenged to make decision with evidentiary support. Students would have to use critical thinking skills to compare and contrast the information to come up with research based and substantiated answers. Another change I plan to use is more simulation and document based learning. By placing a student in the context or problem in the world or in history, they explore choices and investigate the scenario to formulate hypotheses and determine courses of action. If it is a topic in history class, a student can also explore what really happened and how it affected the course of a nation’s history. Another change I might try to make is spending time discussing with students how to understand the validity or soundness of an idea. Students would look at a concept or statement and would have to look into what are the underlying assumptions. Also, they would have to determine if the source provides enough information and is the most logical. One thing that can be done is have students watch a program with commercials and then discuss what types of propaganda, maxims, are and clichéd thinking are present. As Mackenzie (2009) states, “if schools fail to meet the challenge, the young grow up prone to mentalsoftness” (p. 82). The fourth change I would make is using more concept maps for students to think about the information and give them space to examine and compare information. Such techniques can help students organize and focus on specific facts as they process information. Students have the chance to map out the problem and discern what information they need to look at and research. We have visual thesaurus at our school and it can be implemented a lot more than it is now. Lastly, another implementation is giving students time to experiment. Let students try different things and give points for letting them participate and create and not grade them on the outcome. Time also can be given to go through the process of experimenting and having the student examine what they learned, what they would improve, and how would they approach the problem next time. It is a type of metacognition and gives students opportunities to enjoy learning and finding things on their own.
When I think of information literacy now, I think about the wide spectrum of skills and abilities to decipher and understand the world. Not only should students have the ability to find information online that is relevant and applicable, but they should go into any situation and problem solve. They will take the information they experience and apply critical thinking skills that will let them process what they learned to develop a plan or find an answer. Information literacy in the digital world is focusing on how to search, how to decipher, and how to understand the source and spin of the information. Information literacy is also not just about finding information, but how to use and apply it correctly. It will affect my teaching when I do activities or lessons. I can try to implement or incorporate more than one literacy and having students question and look at information through many different lenses and approaches. For example, in history having the students examine historical pictures would be using artistic or visual literacy. Ethical history would be having them look into the morals and principles of past generations or today’s current events. The main aspect is having students ask questions, the why and how, rather than the who, what, and where. The focus needs to be on the process of questioning, investigating, and evaluating rather than just knowing the outcome.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new
ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Jayme Prisbell- Part 1
American economist, social theorist, political philosopher, and author Thomas Sowell once said, “The problem isn't that Johnny can't read. The problem isn't even that Johnny can't think. The problem is that Johnny doesn't know what thinking is; he confuses it with feeling” (Sowell, 2011). How do teachers and media specialists alike, come together to ensure they are incessant inventors of eccentric lesson planning that not only challenges and engages the student, but also captivates them so they begin to ask questions, make connections, and ultimately create solutions on their own?
As a teacher, I am constantly trying to amend and change my lesson plans to ensure my students are becoming self-thinkers. Beyond Cut and Paste, by Jamie McKenzie (2009), offers a multitude of ideas and suggestions to improve and amend current teaching practices to this new generation of 21 Century Learners…or shall I say, “The Cut and Paste Thinker.”
McKenzie (2009) believes that in order to eliminate topical research rituals, there must be a school wide implementation that eliminates the traditional topical projects (i.e. Martin Luther King Jr.). The American Association of School Librarians Standards for the 21st Century Learner (AASL, 2007) was created to teach this new way of teaching to the 21st Century Learner. By replacing a topic with questions of importance, student can begin to build his/her own answers (i.e. provide a series of questions that promote the green light affect to encourage students to continue to ask questions throughout the process).
Secondly, collaboration must occur between the teacher and students instead of only the teacher providing ideas and suggestions. Students need to think on their own, and in order to do this, they must begin to process the skills they will be using. This can be done by team learning (i.e. team work, open mindedness, and exploration). It is pertinent that students understand the necessity of quality and reliable information while being able to decipher the necessity of weeding out bias and outdated information.
Thirdly, schools must adopt what is called, Mystery Curriculum. “If schools adopt a mystery curriculum, students may approach issues with familiarity and confidence instead of confusion, contempt or panic (p. 101). Mystery teaching allows the students to answer questions that may otherwise go unanswered in classroom and encourages the student to learn about a subject (i.e. history) then apply it a current event; thus, allowing the student to use their own research to make connections.
Additionally, McKenzie (2009) believes schools and teachers must understand technology must not only be used as a fashionable tool. Learning goals must be set and established prior to the use of technology and computers. Once the goal is created, then the teacher must enforce activities that have clear expectations, intention, and purpose for each student. The students will be guided through the process of solo work, paired work, and group work.
Jayme Prisbell – Part 2
Lastly, teachers must begin to deviate from the traditional classroom setting and begin to create classroom landscape. This can be achieved by the activities and lessons set for the day (i.e. lecture, discussion, debate, solo research, pair research, team investigation, team dialogue/interpretation, or model city council (p. 66). As teachers begin to incorporate laptops in the classroom, they must also realize the importance moving around the room, scanning the room, announce the shift in activities prior to the change, ensure students are shutting the laptop lids when it is not in use, making sure that complete attention is held by the entire group prior to providing instruction, ensuring conferences are taking place with students that allow the teacher to assess the students as they work; thus allowing the teacher to move from theory to practice while teaching in the classroom (McKenzie, 2009).
In conclusion, Jamie McKenzie’s book, Beyond Cut and Paste (2009), has allowed me to understand that information literacy is a set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information. The 21st Century Learner is exposed to an explosion of information output and informational sources, and it is informational literacy that equips these students with the critical thinking skills necessary to become independent lifelong learns. It is too often educators assume students writing research papers and reading textbooks are gaining sufficient informational literacy skills. McKenzie provides insight, examples, and methods that allow educators to begin to introduce and put in place the skills needed to effectively introduce and teach in a world that now offers a gateway of information. He allows the reader ways to effectively analyze and evaluate the information students find, thus giving confidence in the teaching methods use that ensure the information the students are provided to make decisions allow them to properly research and create a final project on their own.
American Association of School Librarians. (2007). Standards for the 21st century learner. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA:FNO Press
Sowell, Thomas. (2011). Brainy quotes: bookrags media network. Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/
by: Cynthia Stogdill
I have found McKenzie’s book to be very informative and a useful guide in terms of guiding students toward a deeper thought process. There are so many aspects and ideas that I have highlighted and noted in the text it is hard to know where to start. First, I plan to stand firm in my refusal to “pander to simplemindedness, (p. 29). The position of school librarian is an often overwhelming position, but it is my hope to inspire teachers and students to ask and wonder further and deeper than they normally would. In order to follow this path, I have to be willing to stand in the face of mediocrity and not allow students to be “good enough.” I recently worked with a struggling student on a research paper and she had her in-text citations wrong. She said it was good enough and she was going to hand it in. I made her go back to her computer and fix the citations. She was in tears and very frustrated with me, but I told her that she asked such great questions and had insightful answers during discussions and that good enough was not acceptable to me, nor should it be to her. We both ended up crying, but I wanted her to know that she was capable of so much more. During the same research unit, I was often so wore out each day from hanging onto my expectations, but I started each new day with a sense of purpose. If I let the students be simpleminded, then I was failing them. Second, I plan to work to direct students to primary sources as well as secondary sources (p. 33). Primary sources are more accessible now than ever before, and they provide a crucial perspective in research. They are so easily combined with facets of digital learning such as interactive websites, skype, and virtual tours. They also allow students to evaluate information before relying on secondary interpretations. Third, I plan to direct students to databases instead of letting them settle for Google when they ask for my help in researching a topic (36). I believe they will find the payoff far outweighs the extra few minutes it takes to access the research as opposed to time evaluating search results on a search engine. I also plan to hold students to a high standard in terms of citation when I assist them. This is definitely going to bring some negative feedback from teachers who choose not to follow a standard citation procedure. Fourth, I will continue to develop lessons that are authentic and not be tempted to create busywork (pg. 107). Even a small concept can be taught in an authentic manner which will allow students to apply and synthesize task components in later experiences. Finally, I will model and encourage the concept of “unplugging” in order to gain some perspective in an overwhelming digital and information rich global society. We can’t function at full speed and full access on a constant basis. I have had to learn this one the hard way.
McKenzie’s book has given me such a different and better informed concept of information literacy. It is a text that I have scribbled in and refer back to often. I feel that it has provided a foundation of information and understanding that I can use to guide my lessons, inspire teachers and students, and grow as a professional. Initially, my concept of information literacy consisted of how to find and evaluate information. After reading and re-reading parts of McKenzie’s book, I realize how much larger the concept of information literacy is in our global society. As overwhelming as it may seem, however, the task of guiding students to a mastery of information literacy is a key to our future.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Padilla
Beyond Cut & Paste Reflection #2
My definition of Information Literacy has been greatly expanded by what I have read in Jamie McKenzie’s “Beyond Cut-and-Paste”, as well as by my own personal experience with the assignments in this class. No longer do I feel that “knowing” how to access a web site is being information literate. Information Literacy involves knowing, being literate, within 13 different categories. In teaching research I have to include more than how to push buttons on the computer keyboard or click on the appropriate choices on the computer screen. My teaching will need to include lessons of Media Literacy interwoven with the literacy lessons provided by classroom teachers.
I will need to teach about the reliability of sources. A starting point can be talking about the problems with wikis that McKenzie (2009) talks about in chapter 2 of his book. This is something I have not done in the past. This could be followed by introducing databases and evaluating them through “information field trips” as suggested by McKenzie (2009). In the past I told the students what databases to use but spent extremely little time in showing them how to navigate through them or how to evaluate them. I will also have to spend ample time in teaching about primary sources vs. secondary sources. This can also be done while working with databases. A third focus, i.e. change in my teaching, will be making sure that I use questions of import rather than topical research. In so doing I hope to move students from the practice of scooping and smushing (McKenzie) to wondering, pondering, wandering, and considering (McKenzie). Some of the research projects our students now do attempt to go to this depth, but the students need to be made aware that this is in fact what they are doing. Another change will be to use more mystery activities rather than puzzle activities. While this may not be possible in all instances, there are plenty of opportunities to make this change. In making this change I hope to teach students to question assumptions and to make their own decisions. Mystery activities will also help the students learn to synthesize and to collaborate. While learning to question assumptions they will also be learning to value actual truth and as a result be able to dialogue with others in a collaborative manner. A fifth change which I will make in my teaching is to investigate more sources, such as those provided by McKenzie (2009) in his book, different databases available to my students, and more collaboration with my peers. I feel that this will better prepare me to help my students with their assignments across the curriculum.
There are more than five changes which I will hopefully be making. However I don’t think that all changes will be a result of my intent but rather a result of my students' needs. I anticipate that I will be more aware of their needs with what I have learned in this class. I will also now be better prepared to help them.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and- paste: Engaging students in making good ideas new ideas. Washington: FNO Press.
The five changes I would make to my class after reading Beyond Cut and Paste (McKenzie 2009) are:
1. I will reinvent projects that used to be vague and open ended. Instead I’ll have them ask themselves a question about their topic and what information they wish to seek about that topic. I want them to think more critically rather than spinning out the normal “cut and paste” answers they are able to use now.
2. I will also take a look at my long term goals and standards, and make sure they are not only attainable for me, but the students as well. I think sometimes we forget that they have more than one class and class work. I will anticipate what can go wrong and how to help or revaluate what problems my students will encounter in their future assignments.
3. I will teach my students how to evaluate web pages for their validity. I know that in my college career I have stumbled across many websites that looked good in their abstracts, but once I went there I found out they had no real idea what they were talking about. I will at the same time stress the importance of truthful information verses someone’s bias opinions on the topic they are researching.
4. In the future I will also teach my students how to properly use databases so that they are more beneficial to them. I don’t want them to become aggravated or disheartened from database use and turn back to Wikipedia and Google for their information. It’s important for them to fully understand and be able to detect what are good primary resources verses secondary resources.
5. I will need to remember my time in a classroom as a student, and how I did so much better on an assignment that wasn’t dull and felt like busy work. I know that my students are there to learn, but they should also enjoy what they are learning, and that homework shouldn’t always be the huge burden it has become.
In reading Mckenzie’s book I have realized that I knew very little about information literacy. It has helped me pinpoint things that I do that are “cut and paste” and what I need to revamp them. Also I have learned that it’s important that I learn along with my students rather than being the constant go to source. In saying that I need to remember to do my homework before giving my students an assignment that is too vague and in return I have no hope of helping them with their research. I also have realized that part of the problem is, that in this information generation it is far too easy to go with the flow. In the future I need to be better about making each of my students think critically and not be afraid to ask questions when they don’t understand or when they disagree.
McKenzie, J., Ed.d. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Kristina Peters
Albert Einstein had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and often commented about the importance of curiosity and creativity. Einstein stressed curiosity with the following quote, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing” (ThinkExist, 2011). Einstein believed in the power of imagination and once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” (ThinkExist, 2011). Much like Einstein, Dr. McKenzie believes in the power of curiosity and creativity in students and ensuring that teachers harness these talents in various manners.
I will ensure that my students are explicitly taught how to be curious. Curiosity can be taught through powerful questioning, synthesizing, and employing search logic. McKenzie (2009) writes “good citizens and leaders ask powerful questions” (p. 20). Students need to be taught how to ask questions and expected to use multiple types of questions across the curriculum. Students can then be introduced to the idea of synthesis, which puts questioning to use. Synthesis strategies such as SCAMPER (p. 96) should be used to help students see the need to consistently refine their questions and seek out new information. Once students understand these processes, they need to be taught how to seek answers using search logic because “too much information can act like fog, obscuring rather than illuminating” (McKenzie, p. 35). Learning how to maneuver advanced searches and utilizing Boolean operators will aid students in their inquiry. By implementing these three things in my classroom, I can ensure that students understand the value of curiosity.
I will guarantee that my students are explicitly taught how to be creative. Creativity can be taught and practiced through authentic learning and play. Worksheets and “repetitive tasks that require little thought and involve mere scooping, smushing, memorizing, and regurgitating” simply don’t allow students authentic learning situations “that demand imagination, resourcefulness, persistence, and stamina” (McKenzie, p. 23). If students are asked to simulate real-world applications of what they are learning, they will be much more inclined to involve themselves, use higher-order thinking skills, and think outside of the box. Students must also be taught the importance of play within the learning process because of its effects on creativity, ingenuity, and invention. Educators need to model play in its purest form by having fun with students, brainstorming ideas, drawing, writing, creating, and using the right brain. Many great teaching strategies come from these moments and students learn that such “play” can lead to productivity. If I explicitly teach creativity in my classroom using these two ideas, I will ensure that students understand how imagination can have lasting impact on learning.
I first learned about the idea of a “literacy” from educational consultant Angela Maiers during one of her workshops in 2009. In reality, many of our own abilities within a given area constitute a literacy. Information literacy seemed obvious, but also too large to define. Truly, it is. Dr. McKenzie’s book helped me understand the role of information literacy and the dozen literacies that are unique to each of their own categories. While there are so many literacies that students should be exposed to, it is unfortunate that schools mainly focus on numerical literacy and text literacy. It is my duty as an educator to introduce the multiple literacies within the overall information literacy to my students.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging Students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA:FNO Press
ThinkExist (2011). ThinkExist.com. Retrieved from
http://thinkexist.com/quotes/albert_einstein/
While I am not currently in a classroom, after reading this book there are several ideas and things I would want to implement in my class/library in the future. I think McKenzie’s thoughts on making a research project more than just looking up and reporting on facts but making students think about the important questions is a great way to get students to dig deeper into a topic or person and learn more. I think this would be an important project to get students to research a topic and then make their own ideas and thoughts and not just repeat someone else’s ideas. McKenzie states (pg. 15) that “before hopping onto the social networking bandwagon” teachers need to focus on asking questions, collaborating and teaching students to think. As a future teacher librarian I need to remember that while technology is a great tool and important to integrate into teaching, it needs to have a purpose. “The presence of laptops in a classroom should not dictate the nature of lesson design” (pg. 64). This is an excellent quote to remember, just because technology is available, doesn’t mean teachers should only use technology, sometimes the tried and true methods of teaching work just as well if not better. A third change I would want to implement into my teaching would be the use of authentic learning. Students need to learn strategies that they can use in the real world and be engaged in an activity that they are passionate about. McKenzie points out that even though some activities may be staged, they are still authentic learning activities because they are rooted in real world issues and are genuine (pg. 23). I want to also make sure that I teach students how to do good research and use tools that are available to them. I think it is valuable for students to learn about the different databases that are available and how to use a database and the benefits of using databases instead of just depending on Google and Wikipedia for their research. I also want to teach students about primary sources and how and where they can find them. I found some great sites when we were doing our Diigo assignment and am excited to share these resources to my future students, and even explore them more for my own interest. I really liked the exercise that McKenzie discusses on pg. 78 about doing an image search for Joan of Arc and rating images based on their historical accuracy. I think this would be a great exercise to try with students just to show them how perspectives are different and how they can’t always trust the first thing that Google brings up or what a Wikipedia article tells them.
I think before reading this book I had a very limited view and definition of what information literacy was. I never realized that there were a dozen different types of literacies. McKenzie defines a literacy as “the capacity to analyze, interpret and understand information within a particular category of information or within a particular medium” (pg. 141). When you think about literacies by this definition it does make sense that there would be many different types of literacies, it seems very natural to have artistic literacy and numerical literacy. Just as students have different learning styles that teachers need to recognize and tailor their teaching to these different styles, we also need to remember the different literacies and incorporate them into our teaching as well. If we can teach the different literacies, I think this will help students be more well-rounded and more capable of using critical thinking and 21st century skills.
McKenzie, J., Ed.d. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
While I am not currently in a classroom, after reading this book there are several ideas and things I would want to implement in my class/library in the future. I think McKenzie’s thoughts on making a research project more than just looking up and reporting on facts but making students think about the important questions is a great way to get students to dig deeper into a topic or person and learn more. I think this would be an important project to get students to research a topic and then make their own ideas and thoughts and not just repeat someone else’s ideas. McKenzie states (pg. 15) that “before hopping onto the social networking bandwagon” teachers need to focus on asking questions, collaborating and teaching students to think. As a future teacher librarian I need to remember that while technology is a great tool and important to integrate into teaching, it needs to have a purpose. “The presence of laptops in a classroom should not dictate the nature of lesson design” (pg. 64). This is an excellent quote to remember, just because technology is available, doesn’t mean teachers should only use technology, sometimes the tried and true methods of teaching work just as well if not better. A third change I would want to implement into my teaching would be the use of authentic learning. Students need to learn strategies that they can use in the real world and be engaged in an activity that they are passionate about. McKenzie points out that even though some activities may be staged, they are still authentic learning activities because they are rooted in real world issues and are genuine (pg. 23). I want to also make sure that I teach students how to do good research and use tools that are available to them. I think it is valuable for students to learn about the different databases that are available and how to use a database and the benefits of using databases instead of just depending on Google and Wikipedia for their research. I also want to teach students about primary sources and how and where they can find them. I found some great sites when we were doing our Diigo assignment and am excited to share these resources to my future students, and even explore them more for my own interest. I really liked the exercise that McKenzie discusses on pg. 78 about doing an image search for Joan of Arc and rating images based on their historical accuracy. I think this would be a great exercise to try with students just to show them how perspectives are different and how they can’t always trust the first thing that Google brings up or what a Wikipedia article tells them.
I think before reading this book I had a very limited view and definition of what information literacy was. I never realized that there were a dozen different types of literacies. McKenzie defines a literacy as “the capacity to analyze, interpret and understand information within a particular category of information or within a particular medium” (pg. 141). When you think about literacies by this definition it does make sense that there would be many different types of literacies, it seems very natural to have artistic literacy and numerical literacy. Just as students have different learning styles that teachers need to recognize and tailor their teaching to these different styles, we also need to remember the different literacies and incorporate them into our teaching as well. If we can teach the different literacies, I think this will help students be more well-rounded and more capable of using critical thinking and 21st century skills.
McKenzie, J., Ed.d. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Stephanie Schnabel
I found Beyond Cut-and-Paste by Dr. Jaime McKenzie (2009) to be extremely informative and helpful. I plan on incorporating many things from this text into my work. One important implementation will be educating the staff about good questions and the danger of copy and paste assignments. Teacher librarians are school leaders and should set the standard for what is occurring in the building. The list provided on page 2 of the text is not much different than actual assignments I have seen students “researching” after school in the library. I plan on sharing this information with those teachers. McKenzie points out that for over 20 years people have claimed that computers will “transform classrooms and bring amazing benefits to students”(p. 18) and suggests that this hasn’t happened because “attention has been focused on equipment rather than program and professional development” (p. 18). I agree with this and plan on spending more time learning how to use our available technology (Smartboards, clickers, websites) to better challenge students thinking and helping them think independently as opposed to just using these to keep their attention. A third strategy I plan incorporating is using primary sources more in lessons. I think this would help students develop independent thinking skills. The Joan of Arc activity described in Chapter 11 could be adapted to use in any history lesson. It is a great example of how to help students find evidence to support their thinking and their answers. McKenzie has developed a checklist for students to use to determine if an idea is good and shares it on page 87 of the text. I plan on using this strategy as well with classes. I think giving students an organized way to test an idea is essential while they are learning how to judge information for themselves. Another change I plan to make in my teaching is to incorporate play into each lesson. In chapter 18, McKenzie describes the relationship between play and invention and the lack of free play today. While I work with middle school students and not young children, I can see these affects in my students as well. I think that incorporating a little play into each lesson could help my students become more creative and more independent thinkers.
My definition of information literacy has grown from reading this book. In the August, my definition was limited to the idea that information literacy was being able to find information and evaluate if it was credible. I learned that there are 13 different literacies that actually make up the broad category of information literacy and that each needs to be addressed. Teachers who specifically address these different literacies help their students develop better critical thinking skills and prepare them for dealing with real world issues. Information literacy is about asking good questions, researching and finding credible sources of information, and analyzing that information.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA:FNO Press
The book Beyond Cut-and Paste: Engaging Students in Making Good New Ideas by Jamie McKenzie has given me many ideas in how I can help students to become thinkers who can make informed decisions. While there are countless ideas I can use in my library program, here are five changes that I plan on implementing in my instruction.
1. I plan on bringing authentic learning into my library. I would like to use this approach because it brings the real world to the classroom, or the classroom to the real world. This way, students can make real connections to see how the skills they learn are used outside of school. One idea I have in using this approach in my current setting is using Skype to interview a person who works in a field that fits into what the students are learning about. (pg 23)
2. Help students manage the “poverty of abundance” by “equip[ping] the young with powerful search strategies” (McKenzie, 2009, p. 35). This can make searching for information less frustrating and more efficient. While most of my students are younger and not quite ready for advanced searching options, it is important to make sure my students have the prior knowledge to learn these skills in the future. McKenzie focuses on using Google as an example for searching for information. However, I would focus on teaching and refining search skills with more age appropriate resources such as World Book Online or our online library catalog.
3. I plan on teaching my students to challenge assumptions. We need to teach students to think critically about issues and make informed decisions. This is a critical skill that students need to become informed decision makers. One way I can implement this into my teaching is recreate the idea evaluator described on page 87 (McKenzie, 2009) that is more appropriate for younger students. I can then develop activities that challenge students to look at more than one side of an issue before making a decision.
4. I would like to implement the SCAMPER method outlined on page 96 (McKenzie, 2009) to enhance synthesis in my teaching. According to McKenzie, synthesis is not widely supported by teachers (2009, p. 93). I would use this approach because asking questions that challenge students to use higher order thinking skills gets students to think creatively and builds problem-solving skills, which are life-long skills. The SCAMPER model seems versatile. I can see it being used in any grade level and any subject.
5. I also plan on helping students develop reading comprehension skills through experimentation. According to McKenzie, “there is a relationship between reading comprehension and experimentation, the focus of reading upon lower-order tasks and patterns threatens the development of advanced comprehension skills” (McKenzie, 2009, p. 120). Teaching comprehension skills is something I focus on with my students. However, if I tweak my questioning and activities to “make room for experimentation” I can get my students to play with ideas and activate their higher order thinking skills in a creative and engaging way.
Before reading this book, I am not sure if I had a concrete definition of information literacy. If I were asked this question before, I would probably say that information literacy is the ability to comprehend and read information. While this definition is not wrong, it is incomplete. My definition of information literacy has expanded. I would now say that information literacy is the ability to be literate in several ways in order to evaluate information, make informed decisions, activate higher order thinking, build answers, have original thought, develop new good ideas, and think creatively and critically.
Mckenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
After reading McKenzie’s Beyond Cut-and-Paste five things I would include in my classroom are:
1)Teaching my students to ask great questions. As an AVID Tutor asking great questions was core to the tutoring sessions. McKenzie (2009) states, “By developing questioning skills, students learn to go to the heart of the matter instead of skimming along the surface” (p.40).
2)“Assessment procedures” (p.72) this is a good example of what I do as a first year teacher. I plan lessons and then while I am teaching I may alter the lesson because I am not getting the results I want, or after I have taught the lesson I reflect on what could be better, is there something I can change to improve the lesson. McKenzie gives support to this process.
3)The concept of “Disneyfication” (p.90) of information is something I believe my older students can really relate to and recognize the effects. I think pointing this out and discussing it will make my students better evaluators of information.
4)The section “Cooking with Bloom – bettering the omelet” (p.98-9) was a great illustration for authentic learning. It took a simple process, making an omelet, to demonstrate how improving the process is higher level thinking at work.
5)One of the things I found very profound was McKenzie’s disclosure that many of the 21st Century Skill sets never discuss teaching our students to deal with mysteries. Our students expect answers for everything, McKenzie (2009) states, “…but this failure to prepare our students for mystery is a serious lapse” (p. 101). After all Google always has some kind of answer to your questions. Why then does life have questions with no answers? I believe that in teaching students to formulate their own thoughts and opinions we prepare them to meet those moments of mystery, when the answers are unknown with perseverance.
To me information literacy has always been the ability to find, evaluate, analyze and apply information. McKenzie (2009) broadens that to include the twelve forms of Media Literacy: text, natural, artistic, kinesthetic, visual, numerical, environmental, cultural, social, ethical, emotional, and scientific literacy (p.53). I now consider what it is my students are literate in and which literacy I am attempting to teach. I consider how this literacy will affect their development as an information consumer. I think this text has supported many of the things I thought about teaching and it has provided some great resources to support the choices I make as a Library Media Teacher.
While I am not currently in a classroom, after reading this book there are several ideas and things I would want to implement in my class/library in the future. I think McKenzie’s thoughts on making a research project more than just looking up and reporting on facts but making students think about the important questions is a great way to get students to dig deeper into a topic or person and learn more. I think this would be an important project to get students to research a topic and then make their own ideas and thoughts and not just repeat someone else’s ideas. McKenzie states (pg. 15) that “before hopping onto the social networking bandwagon” teachers need to focus on asking questions, collaborating and teaching students to think. As a future teacher librarian I need to remember that while technology is a great tool and important to integrate into teaching, it needs to have a purpose. “The presence of laptops in a classroom should not dictate the nature of lesson design” (pg. 64). This is an excellent quote to remember, just because technology is available, doesn’t mean teachers should only use technology, sometimes the tried and true methods of teaching work just as well if not better. A third change I would want to implement into my teaching would be the use of authentic learning. Students need to learn strategies that they can use in the real world and be engaged in an activity that they are passionate about. McKenzie points out that even though some activities may be staged, they are still authentic learning activities because they are rooted in real world issues and are genuine (pg. 23). I want to also make sure that I teach students how to do good research and use tools that are available to them. I think it is valuable for students to learn about the different databases that are available and how to use a database and the benefits of using databases instead of just depending on Google and Wikipedia for their research. I also want to teach students about primary sources and how and where they can find them. I found some great sites when we were doing our Diigo assignment and am excited to share these resources to my future students, and even explore them more for my own interest. I really liked the exercise that McKenzie discusses on pg. 78 about doing an image search for Joan of Arc and rating images based on their historical accuracy. I think this would be a great exercise to try with students just to show them how perspectives are different and how they can’t always trust the first thing that Google brings up or what a Wikipedia article tells them.
I think before reading this book I had a very limited view and definition of what information literacy was. I never realized that there were a dozen different types of literacies. McKenzie defines a literacy as “the capacity to analyze, interpret and understand information within a particular category of information or within a particular medium” (pg. 141). When you think about literacies by this definition it does make sense that there would be many different types of literacies, it seems very natural to have artistic literacy and numerical literacy. Just as students have different learning styles that teachers need to recognize and tailor their teaching to these different styles, we also need to remember the different literacies and incorporate them into our teaching as well. If we can teach the different literacies, I think this will help students be more well-rounded and more capable of using critical thinking and 21st century skills.
McKenzie, J., Ed.d. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
After reading Beyond Cut-and-Paste by McKenzie (2009) I took the time to reflect on my classroom instruction and how I can implement some of the ideas presented in the book. One of the first ideas I would like to use is changing the way students research. I am guilty of having students conduct topical research instead of using question-based research. When students are doing topical research, I am reinforcing the cut-and-paste idea. Making sure that students are using higher-level Bloom’s taxonomy will be easily accomplished when using question-based research. The second idea that I would like to implement is my classroom landscape. Too often I don’t put much thought into how my classroom set up can serve the students and myself in a better way. When using laptops in the classroom we need to change things to make sure that the tool is supporting the learning and not using it as the learning. The third idea I would like to implement is challenging assumptions. In a way, I do have the students question the information given, but the idea in the book will guide me to help students become better at evaluating the information they receive. I liked the idea of students thinking of themselves as building inspectors and having them look at the information from multiple angles. Too often we take the written word as truth without questioning or verifying any of it. The fourth idea is teaching about search logic. Giving students the power to understand and use advanced search techniques will allow them to have better focused results. Students that use better search terms will find the right information without having to sift through all the useless results. The final idea I would like to implement is SCAMPER. Teaching students using this model will help them to synthesize information for a better understanding. I love the idea that when using this model students wouldn’t be able to find the answer, but would have to create an answer by thoughtfully making inferences based on information.
When I think about information literacy, I feel like my definition evolves with each piece of related information. Before reading this book, I have thought about information literacy as the ability to understand different formats of literacy. After reading Beyond Cut-and-Paste I think about information literacy as very broad. Teaching students information literacy will allow them to become independent thinkers who analyze information so that they are able construct useful information in a variety of settings. I also think about the importance of information literacy beyond the library, but am worried about how I don’t hear “information literacy” in other academic areas.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
After reading the book, Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas by Jamie McKenzie (2009), the following are implementations I plan to pursue in my teaching. 1. I plan to implement more "play" activities into my daily routine in first grade. With the pressures of curriculum and testing it is easy to forget that children need time to explore and play on their own. As Mackenzie states, "play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth"(p.118). It is easy to forget that these young children have not been given ample time to explore and come up with their own ideas rather than being told what to do by a teacher. 2. Mackenzie also stated the importance of making sure that students know how to look for primary resources on the internet and how to thoroughly examine those resources in order to make their own conclusions and connections. With the internet and its vast number of resources like google and wikipedia, it is easy for students to trust the information they find to be fact. However; we need to teach children where to find primary resources and how to evaluate them on their own to form their own opinions and conclusions. 3. Another interesting point made by McKenzie on page 64 was, "We should not do technology for the sake of technology or go digital simply because it is fashionable. We begin by establishing learning goals, and then we identify the activities most likely to carry the day". I really believe that it is so important for educators to remember that there is a time and a place for everything. Technology is wonderful but might not be the best use of resources for teaching a certain topic. If it is not used properly or effectively, it is not enhancing the learning of your students. As educators it is important that we look at our learning targets first, and then figure out the best route to get there. 4. When teaching children how to research or find items on the internet, I plan to teach them how to evaluate sites and their credibility as well as teach them how to use advanced searches or use Boolean terms to help them refine their searches. According to McKenzie, page 37, "Students should also be taught search logic and the use of advanced search engines so they can zero in on sources that will actually shed light on their questions". After completing the database comparison in class, it is also evident that I need to teach children how to use the help menus that are offered on the various websites and databases as these prove to be very helpful in finding how to best refine a search. 5. Finally, I also plan to spend more time in the classroom leading my children in discussions and pushing them to evaluate their thinking and come to their own conclusions and opinions. On page 27, McKenzie states, "Schools must engage students in research and learning requiring them to construct answers and make up their own minds. Teachers must help the young to embrace complexity while find their own way toward understanding." In my first grade classroom I find myself moving quickly through subjects and "spoon-feeding" information to children. I end up making the connections for them instead of letting them come to their own conclusions or discoveries. I feel that this has been the case due to the amount of information we are required to cover in a school year. We have so much information to teach before children are tested that we end up shoveling information into the minds of our children and making the connections from one subject to another rather than letting them explore and find the information on their own. In order for our children to become citizens who can think critically and independently, we as teachers need to start changing how we teach. I am eager to make these changes in my classroom.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
When thinking about information literacy before, I believed it to be the ability for a person to find and obtain information through a variety of print sources. After reading Jamie McKenzie's book, Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas, I now realize that information literacy is so much more. McKenzie opened my eyes to a dozen types of literacies that students must be equipped with in order to understand the world around them. Teaching children how to be information literate does not mean teaching them how to find information. It means teaching them where to locate information, through both primary and secondary sources, as well as teaching them how to evaluate those sources, synthesize the information they found and then ponder the information until they are able to comprehend it. Students need to be challenged to dig deeper and come to their own conclusions or come up with their own solutions to a problem based on the information they find when researching. Students need to be given larger amounts of time to find information, express their findings, evaluate multiple views on a topic and then come up with their own conclusions complete with data and information to support their conclusion.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
I appreciate the ideas and insight I gained from reading the remaining chapters in Beyond Cut-and-Paste. The idea of students learning to make their own opinions rather than taking the beliefs of others and saying it is their own is refreshing and exciting. I want my students to be thinkers. I want them to analyze information from many primary and secondary sources. Then, instead of regurgitating that information, I hope to teach them how to transform the information they have found into meaningful knowledge to help mold their opinions and character. I want to make sure my students are only using technology to enhance the goal of my lesson. I agree that lessons should not be formed by what technology you “get” to use, but rather, what technology can improve the learning of the students.
I love the example of the biography about George Washington on page 31. Throughout my schooling I have often thought of biographies written in the classroom as an activity to learn about one person in history as a way to tell about their life and their achievements. Now I see how closed-minded that is. It is going to be so powerful to watch as my students not only learn about an amazing person of history, but more importantly watch them analyze the type of person they were and learn from their achievements as well as their mistakes. Asking questions like, “in what ways was the life remarkable?” and “What are the two or three most important lessons you or any other young person might learn from the way this person lived?” along with many others. In order for students to write these biographies along with doing many other types of research, they will need to be taught valuable search logic so they are able to navigate search engines such as Google and other databases.
Finally, keeping an opened mind to ways to rearrangement my classroom to benefit collaboration and inquire based learning is a must. I have always tried to be open about how my room is arranged and have used tables and desks to try to accomplish the best learning environment for my students but I love the idea of switching up the arrangement for pieces of the lesson and it is something I want to try right away.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Susan G. Harder
I am currently chomping at the bit to be able to incorporate many things with my students that I have discovered or re-discovered through our class and text. However, I continue to be stymied by the constraints of “no internet use by inmates” which really puts a kink in many of my plans. Much as our text suggests starting with the parents (chapter 18) I am starting with our prison security administrator. Sometimes the prison staff have a hard time seeing past sitting students in rows and having them fill in booklets. They do not understand cooperative learning, physical movement during class, or why a discussion can include excited and loud voices. So, I am working closely with staff to describe the impact these changes can have for our students. This last week our classrooms and the library were all fit for svga projectors with wireless connections. While many exciting sites are unavailable even to our teachers, we are looking forward to any opportunity to expand our teaching resources. As a result of reading our text, I have already spoken with one of our English teacher about expanding one of her classes’ focus on research based writing. Specifically, I suggested that, even though they can’t access the internet, she can show them how research is done through reputable sources rather than relying on Google and Wikipedia. I shared with her the information from chapter 2 regarding the three problems McKenzie noted with site integrity. In line with this, I have prepared a sign for the library with the famous quote by Abraham Lincoln, “You can’t believe everything you read on the internet.” Of course, I read that on the internet. I have also been speaking with classroom teachers about how to switch things up in their classrooms by re-arranging the room for different activities to change the dynamic and freshen learning. (pg 66) Reading the segment in chapter 18 on play and taking the time to breathe I was reminded of past research I have done on brain based learning and the importance of play and movement. This has given me the push to go ahead and talk with teachers and students about implementing movement (controlled) in their instruction as well as introducing fun activities into their lesson plans. I am also helping them review lesson plans to see how we can switch up the types of questions being used in their instruction and assignments to encourage students to develop their own theories rather than spout the theories in their books. (p. 120-121) One other thing that I pulled from the text in chapter 13 was the importance of teaching students the importance of substantiating the information they are given. I have created a game “Fact or Fiction” that includes a variety of bits of information found on the internet. Some of these have reputable sources cited while others are very vague in nature. I am looking forward to using this game with students who are prepping to do research studies. I know that the actual research is going to be either developed through mostly books or teacher printed internet information, but I still want to teach our students what they would look for if they were able to do their own internet search.
Reading our text has clarified much for me about information literacy. I admit that this has been a vague concept for me through much of my graduate studies. It is still hard for me to define the term as I think the term changes almost as often as do definitions on Wikipedia. However, I am getting a clearer picture of the vast array of information and values that can be placed on the different types of information from the text. I am also beginning to understand how much more emphasis needs to be placed on application of information literacy in the real world when providing instruction to students.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
Jamie McKenzie’s book, Beyond Cut and Paste (2009) has changed my definition of information literacy. I used to think that information literacy was the knowledge you got from books. Now I know that text literacy is only one of a dozen or more literacies students must have to compete in today’s world. The librarian must teach students how to sift through the information by searching wisely, how to evaluate the sources and the credibility of information and how to use the information to produce their own ideas. Instead of cutting and pasting, students must be taught and encouraged to think.
I want to be the kind of teacher who embraces questioning in my classroom. I am a questioner. Questioning allows me to clarify, to deepen my understanding and it gives me the opportunity to build my knowledge into something new. McKenzie says, “Good citizens and leaders ask powerful questions, but sometimes it takes courage as well as skill”. (p.20) Questioning puts a person on the spot - it makes them vulnerable. I want my classroom to be a place where people are free to ask questions.
This summer my school bought me an iPad for an iPad class I was going to take. I have worked hard to try to make the iPad worth the money paid for the students in my classroom. I could see myself when McKenzie (2009) warned us not to “let the tool dictate the learning, because sound instruction calls for clarity about goals prior to the selection of equipment”. (p.64) He also told us not to ”do technology for the sake of technology or to go digital simply because it is fashionable”. (p.64) It is hard to know how to use technology without the exposure to it, but our goal must always be to “grow young thinkers”. (p.64) Whatever we do must always reflect that.
McKenzie (2009) also talked about the importance of classroom management. While laptops are very important, it is also important for the teacher to have students shut them when they are not useful. He said, “Sometimes a group discussion is best served by cooling laptops”. (p.71) I know that I like to use the iPad to take notes, but sometimes it is hard to fight the urge to check my email. Sometimes the best opportunity for thinking comes when we are unplugged. I want my students to know that sometimes it is best to turn off technology.
McKenzie (2009) talked about the need to transform assignments. “Using a topical approach to school research was all about just finding information, rather than building an answer or solving a mystery.” (p.31) The Biography Maker at http://fno.org/bio/biomaker.htm has questions of such importance they cannot be answered by simply cutting and pasting information. The topical approach to research is used a lot in both elementary and high school. I want to educate teachers that there is an alternative. If as teachers, we don’t like what is produced, maybe the problem is what we are asking them to do. We need to challenge students to think rather than regurgitate information.
McKenzie (2009) talked a lot about good teaching and the role technology plays, but he also talked about the importance of play. The world is in such a hurry to educate, sometimes we go overboard. He said “many kindergartens spend two to three hours a day instructing and testing, with only 30 minutes per day or less to play”. (p.117) He said these methods are wide-spread, but are not producing long term results. He said that parents need to be educated in the importance of “free play” instead of structured activity. My four-year-old granddaughter loves to play games and read stories on the iPad. She loves the latest electronics and is already quite skillful at using them. We need to remember to not only acknowledge her love of technology, but also show her how fun and exciting life can be without it. This is a lesson I will also teach my students.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste. Bellingham, Washington: FNO Press.
After reading Beyond Cut-and-Paste, I would like to implement the following five concepts into my teaching:
1. In the future, I will emphasize the importance of original thought in projects, papers, and presentations, as McKenzie discussed in Chapter 17. When students are taking notes for a project, I have noticed that many of them copy directly from the source, often full paragraphs! Not only does this take way too much time, but it makes it more difficult for them to create an original product than if they took notes using the ABC method (Abbreviations, bullet points, and cave-man talk). I learned a new strategy today that would help create original work as well. It’s called “found poetry,” and to create these poems, students research a topic, jot down important words or phrases, and put them together in such a way that it looks like poetry.
2. One way I could encourage students to create original work is by eliminating topical research projects (Chapter 1), and instead leading students in question-based learning. This type of project encourages higher-level thinking skills, rather than just “sit and get” research. I would ask questions such as:
a. Which one…?
b. How would ____ change if…?
c. What caused…?
3. The third way I would change my teaching is to encourage students to not be attached to technology 24/7 (Chapter 16). This seems to go against everything our society is telling us, but I would teach my students that there is a time and place to utilize technology, and there is also a time and place to let it go. I could do this by taking my students outside on a “nature walk,” or if possible on a field trip to an inspiring outdoor location. Another option is to take students outside on a nice day to read a good book! To go along with this is the idea of “free play” (Chapter 18). It is imperative that students have time to relax and move around throughout the school day. Without this time to release energy, instructional time may be less productive.
4. Another way concept I would use in the future is teaching about the validity of sources (chapter 2). I believe Wikipedia can be a good starting place for research, however, I would teach students to use the references on Wikipedia articles more than the actual articles themselves. Obviously there are many sites that are not valid or truthful, and students should have the tools in their “arsenal” to determine which is which. One of these tools would be to cross reference information from multiple sources.
5. The final thing I would change about my teaching is teaching students to go beyond the “one lines, bloggery and tomfoolery” McKenzie speaks of in chapter 24. While I will strive to include technology as much as possible in my lessons and assignments, I want my students to understand they must use it to create meaningful products. I do not want my students buying into the “trivial chatter” that often happens on blogs, through social networking sites, texting or tweeting.
Beyond Cut-and-Paste has enlightened me to a whole new world of information literacy. Before reading this, I really had no idea what information literacy even was. This is my first semester of library classes, so I had not taken the time to think about this topic before. I now know that information literacy means being an informed citizen, being able to ask critical questions and find appropriate answers, and being able to create meaningful, original products through research.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
After reading Beyond Cut-and-Paste, I would like to implement the following five concepts into my teaching:
1. In the future, I will emphasize the importance of original thought in projects, papers, and presentations, as McKenzie discussed in Chapter 17. When students are taking notes for a project, I have noticed that many of them copy directly from the source, often full paragraphs! Not only does this take way too much time, but it makes it more difficult for them to create an original product than if they took notes using the ABC method (Abbreviations, bullet points, and cave-man talk). I learned a new strategy today that would help create original work as well. It’s called “found poetry,” and to create these poems, students research a topic, jot down important words or phrases, and put them together in such a way that it looks like poetry.
2. One way I could encourage students to create original work is by eliminating topical research projects (Chapter 1), and instead leading students in question-based learning. This type of project encourages higher-level thinking skills, rather than just “sit and get” research. I would ask questions such as:
a. Which one…?
b. How would ____ change if…?
c. What caused…?
3. The third way I would change my teaching is to encourage students to not be attached to technology 24/7 (Chapter 16). This seems to go against everything our society is telling us, but I would teach my students that there is a time and place to utilize technology, and there is also a time and place to let it go. I could do this by taking my students outside on a “nature walk,” or if possible on a field trip to an inspiring outdoor location. Another option is to take students outside on a nice day to read a good book! To go along with this is the idea of “free play” (Chapter 18). It is imperative that students have time to relax and move around throughout the school day. Without this time to release energy, instructional time may be less productive.
4. Another way concept I would use in the future is teaching about the validity of sources (chapter 2). I believe Wikipedia can be a good starting place for research, however, I would teach students to use the references on Wikipedia articles more than the actual articles themselves. Obviously there are many sites that are not valid or truthful, and students should have the tools in their “arsenal” to determine which is which. One of these tools would be to cross reference information from multiple sources.
5. The final thing I would change about my teaching is teaching students to go beyond the “one lines, bloggery and tomfoolery” McKenzie speaks of in chapter 24. While I will strive to include technology as much as possible in my lessons and assignments, I want my students to understand they must use it to create meaningful products. I do not want my students buying into the “trivial chatter” that often happens on blogs, through social networking sites, texting or tweeting.
Beyond Cut-and-Paste has enlightened me to a whole new world of information literacy. Before reading this, I really had no idea what information literacy even was. This is my first semester of library classes, so I had not taken the time to think about this topic before. I now know that information literacy means being an informed citizen, being able to ask critical questions and find appropriate answers, and being able to create meaningful, original products through research.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
After reading Beyond Cut-and-Paste, I would like to implement the following five concepts into my teaching:
1. In the future, I will emphasize the importance of original thought in projects, papers, and presentations, as McKenzie discussed in Chapter 17. When students are taking notes for a project, I have noticed that many of them copy directly from the source, often full paragraphs! Not only does this take way too much time, but it makes it more difficult for them to create an original product than if they took notes using the ABC method (Abbreviations, bullet points, and cave-man talk). I learned a new strategy today that would help create original work as well. It’s called “found poetry,” and to create these poems, students research a topic, jot down important words or phrases, and put them together in such a way that it looks like poetry.
2. One way I could encourage students to create original work is by eliminating topical research projects (Chapter 1), and instead leading students in question-based learning. This type of project encourages higher-level thinking skills, rather than just “sit and get” research. I would ask questions such as:
a. Which one…?
b. How would ____ change if…?
c. What caused…?
3. The third way I would change my teaching is to encourage students to not be attached to technology 24/7 (Chapter 16). This seems to go against everything our society is telling us, but I would teach my students that there is a time and place to utilize technology, and there is also a time and place to let it go. I could do this by taking my students outside on a “nature walk,” or if possible on a field trip to an inspiring outdoor location. Another option is to take students outside on a nice day to read a good book! To go along with this is the idea of “free play” (Chapter 18). It is imperative that students have time to relax and move around throughout the school day. Without this time to release energy, instructional time may be less productive.
4. Another way concept I would use in the future is teaching about the validity of sources (chapter 2). I believe Wikipedia can be a good starting place for research, however, I would teach students to use the references on Wikipedia articles more than the actual articles themselves. Obviously there are many sites that are not valid or truthful, and students should have the tools in their “arsenal” to determine which is which. One of these tools would be to cross reference information from multiple sources.
5. The final thing I would change about my teaching is teaching students to go beyond the “one lines, bloggery and tomfoolery” McKenzie speaks of in chapter 24. While I will strive to include technology as much as possible in my lessons and assignments, I want my students to understand they must use it to create meaningful products. I do not want my students buying into the “trivial chatter” that often happens on blogs, through social networking sites, texting or tweeting.
Beyond Cut-and-Paste has enlightened me to a whole new world of information literacy. Before reading this, I really had no idea what information literacy even was. This is my first semester of library classes, so I had not taken the time to think about this topic before. I now know that information literacy means being an informed citizen, being able to ask critical questions and find appropriate answers, and being able to create meaningful, original products through research.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
As I am writing, my husband is laughing at a video clip with a 3 year old child who is asked, “What did President _____say?” His answers, while adorable, illustrate how our society has reduced the presidencies of these seven complex men to mere sound bites. We applaud the child’s ability to recite the answers and call him a bright child while he is only parroting what he has heard with no original thinking involved. This struck me as evidence which supports Jamie McKenzie’s claim that our culture “often seems content with the glib, the facile, and the ill-considered.” (p.39). If our culture is rewarding our preschoolers for thinking in sound bites. If we agree that it is true that “The very young can be challenged to make up their own minds, form their own ideas and create fresh and original possibilities” (p.114) then it is more important than ever to teach critical thinking beginning in preschool.
As a teacher of the advanced students, I have long been a supporter of teaching higher level thinking skills through simulations and real world problem-solving. So, I can’t say that this is completely new to me. However, there were parts of the reading which expanded and enriched my understanding through examples, strategies and resources. There are several which I can see myself putting into action right away. First of all, for years I have taught SCAMPER as a tool to help students “build a better mouse trap” for the Invention Convention. I had never thought to apply this method to the invention of new ideas as McKenzie suggests in chapter 14 (p.95). I can now see possibilities within the social studies and science curriculums to deepen student thinking. Secondly, I can now see the importance of student inventors learning to market their ideas. I have always focused more on the ideas, assuming that a great idea was the most important part of the invention process. I now realize that I had lost an opportunity to help my students learn valuable thinking through the creation of an effective marketing campaign for their product (p. 136). There is value beyond the vision if the money to be made in considering an audience and creating a rationale for the need for a product. A third change I am excited about is such a simple thing. I will have students close their laptops for directions, presentations and focus lessons. Laptops are, at times, an attractive nuisance, even for my adult students, and the solution is as simple as placing myself and them where I can see their screens as they work and instructing them to shut the lid when I need their attention. A forth change I intend is to renew my efforts to use problem –based learning strategies as often as possible. These don’t need to be huge projects as I had assumed in the past. They can be as simple as asking, “What do you suppose went wrong or will go wrong?” and requiring students to back their responses with supporting data from their reading. Constructing support for an argument is an essential skill for the citizens in our society (p.122). The fifth change I am planning to make is to investigate the use of the tool McKenzie described on page 87, the “Wait Just a Minute” Idea Evaluator, for evaluating ideas and proposals. I can’t think of a better time to begin to help students evaluate the claims of the Presidential candidates than now as the sound bites begin to fly. These budding citizens need to learn to examine the assumptions inherent in the claims of the candidates and search for the logic and supporting evidence. Alarms should be going off all over the place. At this critical point in our history we cannot afford to have another generation of individuals who are content with the simple answers and shy away from grappling with the difficult and complex problems of our society. I want my students to know the satisfaction and self esteem of successfully searching for solutions to difficult situations and ideas. They deserve nothing less.
McKenzie, J., Ed.D. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
After reading Jamie McKenzie’s book, Beyond Cut-and-Paste, I have lots of new ideas for lessons and activities for when I get my first elementary school librarian position. 1) After reading about the importance of play in Chapter 18, I can see play happening in the library, like during the time after check out before it’s time to line up. I will make sure my library has puppets, small puzzles, fairy tale flannel board kits, one set of A to Z wooden blocks, checkers, a listening center for books on tape, etc. Play time during a lesson might be singing a related song, “Simon Says” for remembering book care, or bingo with new vocabulary (like “boolean”). 2) Because it is so important for students to “wonder and wander”, as McKenzie speaks of in chapter 4, and which leads developing questions and an excitement to research for answers, my students will be given the time and freedom to explore and think for at least 2 days while looking for something that they want to know. For example, a class might need to do research on space, so the first day they would be wandering the tables I filled with “all” the books and magazines related to space, and at the same time, they would be reading, looking, and talking with other students. The second day, they would be on computers using a database to look at space topics they found interesting with the goal of finding something to research. 3) In chapter 1, McKenzie emphasizes questions of import being so much more effective for students as the beginning of a 21st century research project than just assigning them a topic. So once my students do the “wandering” mentioned above, they’ll need a research question (How did a bunch of asteroids all end up in a “belt”?), and not a topic (asteroids), to do research with me. 4) On page 20, McKenzie writes about the courage it takes for people to ask bosses and leaders the hard, but necessary, questions. It is much harder for students to question their teachers or adults in authority. So I would use the book he mentions, The Emperor’s New Clothes, and other similar ones, to read aloud and discuss the thinking tools needed to know how and when authority needs to be questioned. 5) If I ever have the power to choose computers or laptops for my library, I will choose laptops because I will be able to tell my students to “close your laptops”, which will immediately turn their attention to me. McKenzie mentions this in his teaching strategies on page 71, and I think it makes a lot of sense. In fact, I saw our teacher, Bridget Kratt, have to tell the adults in YA Literature class to shut their laptops, and it worked to make sure everyone was focused on the speakers.
To be honest, my definition of information literacy was not changed, but rather my understanding of it, by our text, Beyond Cut-and-Paste. Having recently taken a couple classes with Dr. Pasco as the instructor, where the text book for one class was Trilling and Fadel’s 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times, I already had a good definition. I now understand that corporations hire people to go into Wikipedia to change information to make them look better (p. 54), so for students to be information literate they must learn to notice and to question sources. I now understand that our major news sources are more interested in sensational events than more important news stories (p. 46), so for students to be information literate they must learn to think critically and identify the different types of information to determine what is useful and valuable to them.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste. Bellingham, WA: FNO Press.
In response to Willa G.:
One of my learnings from the book was also the importance of play for children. I really appreciated your idea on having puppets, flannel board activities and puzzles available for children to play with after they check out their library books. I think that this is a very smart way for younger children to play with items that also help with literacy. I would love to use your idea in my own library sometime!
In response to Amanda Z.:
You stated that you plan to "stress originality" to your students. I had never really thought of it this way. I understood that students need to make judgements about what they read and compare items to one another but I love the wording that you used here. It really is important to stress originality. Students need to learn to come up with their own ideas as well, rather than just evaluating what is right or wrong.
In response to Amanda Ziegenbein, I agree with her second point about stressing originality in her students' work. I have worked with middle school and high school students and one of the most amazing things to me is that there is not a lot of original thought. Students seem very ready to accept whatever idea is placed in front of them instead of coming up with their own ideas. I think that this is very dangerous, not only for the students, but for everyone. As I get older, I can't help, but think about the youth who will be making decisions as parents, teachers, politicians, and other jobs that have a great effect on all of us. I don't want someone who doesn't have a clue about what they think or the inability to analyze other ideas in control of my future. Stressing the importance of original work versus copying and pasting is one of McKenzie's points that I also plan on implementing in my classroom. I also plan to teach why it is so important to have your own original thoughts and ideas not only in the classroom, but also in everyday life and how that original thinking can affect life changing decisions many young people face on a daily basis.
In response to Jennifer LaFleur...
As a high school teacher who has been considering becoming a school librarian in an elementary school, I also found Chapter 18 insightful. The focus of the chapter was the importance of play and experimentation for young children. I really liked your idea of implementing more play into your first grade classroom. As the parent of a kindergartner, I can see the value in play at that early age and it does help children develop ideas. I especially like this statement from your reflection, "It is easy to forget that these young children have not been given ample time to explore and come up with their own ideas rather than being told what to do by a teacher." This is an idea that I am going to be sure to remember if I do have a position as a teacher librarian in an elementary school. Implementation of play in the library not only makes it a place students want to go, but it also encourages students to be original thinkers in the future.
Response to Ann Maass:
I really like how Ann pointed out that bridging the evidence gap is important. Students today take what they read online for granted, and never question it. I see my students do this all the time. We were recently working in the lab on a timeline about the French Revolution, and one of my students accepted as fact that an event occurred in the 1900s, two hundred years after the revolution! She could not understand when I explained to her why this did not make sense, and so we had to work through the idea of looking at multiple sources and using context to figure out that the first date she was wasn’t the right one. Students look at information online and take it for granted without thinking that it might be incorrect. It would be a fun project to give students a topic knowing that it would bring up multiple incorrect answers as well as correct ones, then spend class time weeding through it all and using primary documents to find the truth and eliminate the rest. I think something hands on like that might make it clearer for students that they cannot always trust what they read online.
Response to Sydney Peters
Sydney brings up a great point that our current election year provides us with a great opportunity to study bias online. It gives students a chance to practice something with real world implications, since they will be of voting age soon. This would also be a good point to show opposing viewpoints, and how events are interpreted. Winston Churchill said, “History is written by the victors, history is full of liars.” What if students understood what he meant by that by using multiple sources to interpret an event? What bias do the “winners” have? How would the “losers” write history? There are many opportunities to practice the concept of bias using the internet, and the election is a good example of this. This would also give them an opportunity to use primary documents, rather than secondary sources, to evaluate an event or person.
Response to Ann Maas
I agree with Ann that our students are so overwhelmed with information that sometimes it is hard to determine what is the truth, in text and images. I think that before we begin to instruct our students on where to get information ( print, databases, etc..) we need to help our students develop strong questioning skills. We do need to help our students be original (I love that)in their thoughts, not just scoop and smush. So many students (& adults) are so over stimulated with constant media and having so much at their fingertips that they have a hard time creating their own spark. They look at information as an outcome, anwers on a test, instead of gathering different forms and creating their own answers to the questions, or creating their own questions.
Response to Deb Kendall
I agree with many points that Deb made, especially beginning in preschool to teach critical thinking skills not repetition. Early childhood education can help students challenge themselves to be creative and form their own ideas and solutions. The "Wait Just a Minute" Idea Evaluator on the upcoming elections is a great idea. This will really give the students a chance to evaluate the candidates claims of what is the truth and what makes a good sound bite.It also gives them a chance to evaluate those reporting on the elections, and if they are reporting fact or opinion, and are they journalists or pundits. I enjoyed reading in chapter 12 about challenging assumptions and the upcoming elections will fit nicely into that.
Response to Willa G.
You have some great ideas for how to incorporate play into your future library! I like your idea of the bingo vocabulary, that sounds like something students would really enjoy and remember what they are learning in your library. My local public library has book character puppets and stuffed animals, puzzles and things like that in the children’s room and my three year old daughter loves going there and sitting with a character and looking at the board books that accompany them or doing a puzzle, it’s a great way to make the library more inviting and playful!
Response to Kelly Eby
I liked your statement about how our brains are capable to understand so much more if we would just train them to stretch. I think this is a great way to think about the different literacies. Students can’t learn unless we teach them and expose them to the different literacies. Teachers need to be pushing their students to reach their greatest potential and learn as much as they can so they can be successful in their future. Imagine the possibilities if all students were encouraged to learn and enjoyed learning and excelled in their life and what a difference we can make in their futures.
Response to Sydney Peters
I thought it was a great idea to use the upcoming elections to teach bias. The American public is inundated with election propaganda in pictures, text, television and radio. We need to teach our students how to look beyond the hype to uncover the true message. By analyzing the media that shapes election campaigns, we teach our students higher level thinking skills that can shape the future,
I also liked your idea about using Facebook to teach students about the proper use of technology. Facebook was designed to find and connect with your friends, but it has changed the definition of what a friend is. Can someone really have a thousand friends? How many of those friends could you call in the middle of the night? Facebook is an example of how media has changed society. Facebook would also be a good introduction to Internet safety.
Response to Susan Harder
I liked your original game “Fact or Fiction” to let students decide whether specific information on the Internet was true. Students need to realize that just because it is on the Internet doesn’t make it automatically true. The teacher could give the student a paragraph; they could check the information by using multiple sources and then make the determination “Fact or Fiction”.
I also applaud your willingness to think outside the box when the Internet is not allowed at your school. The Internet is wonderful when it is used properly, but people, for generations, have learned without it. As we have learned in this class and in the book, “Technology is no replacement for good teaching”.
Reply to Anne Hubbell:
I agree that we need to make more opportunities for authentic learning. Field trips are often not used to their fullest potential because they are not always tied into the curriculum. Having guest speakers or conducting interviews would be great experiences for students to see what they're currently learning in school really does apply to the "real world".
Many teachers that are on Twitter and blog about education discuss project-based learning (PBL) often. I wish that it would catch on more because of the powerful potential it holds for authentic learning and all of the 21st Century skills that are required of students. Do any teachers in LPS utilize PBL? How would you see it working for ELL students? I think it would make more sense for our ELL students because of the context with which the learning is done. It's literally the "whole" that we need to be using when we teach, and then we can guide them as they break the "parts" down.
Reply to Teresa Bell:
The idea of play is such an odd concept in today's classroom! It's sad, but true. I've been fortunate enough to teach Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 2nd grade to see how play is incorporated into these grade. However, at the same time, I also saw how play was quickly stripped away from students as they progressed in their school years. Now that I get to work with 1st-6th, I make sure to include time to "play" or be creative at least once a week, even though I'm supposed to be focusing on intervention. It's hard to be serious and be strictly focused on getting better academically every time I see my students because learning IS supposed to be fun!
I hope that you are able to keep learning fun for your students! It makes them see you for who you really are, provides a great model for how to be creative, and lets you "blow some steam off" with all the pressure we're already under.
Anne Hubbell
Reply to Mrskmpeters,
I was a part of the curriculum writing committee this past year for a summer school program called EdVenture at LPS. We all incorporated PBL in our lessons. I worked on 6th-7th grade and we looked at our district standards in science/social studies. We created lessons based on the Stripling Model of Inquiry that was presented in our class last time. It was fun to write and the teachers told us it was fun to teach. We adjusted some of the lessons for our ELL level 1-2 students but they still participated in all of the fieldtrips. I think this was a great project and hopefully more teachers are using PBL and the inquiry model.
Anne Hubbell
In response to Amanda Gregory, I agree with your change to create original work by eliminating topical research projects and instead helping students to ask good questions. You listed three very good examples. You also wrote about the need to teach student they don’t need to always be attached to technology. Students need to have time to think on their own. I appreciated the information about free play and experimentation in chapter 18 as well. I work with secondary students and I think they also need field trips and real experiences. They need to have some “down time” in order to let ideas incubate and be creative. You also mentioned the importance of teaching students to make their projects meaningful and to avoid “trivial chatter”. I agree that students need to understand the importance of real depth over superficial glitter.
Anne Hubbell
In response to Emily Dietzschold, I also think it is so important to incorporate questioning into our lessons. You mention the importance of asking good questions to help your students use knowledge to make good decisions. I agree with you and I think it is important to model good questions for our students. You also mention how important it is to teach our students how to ask quality questions. The SCAMPER questioning technique is one way to engage students in higher-level thinking. McKenzie writes about bettering questions, such as how to make something better. This concept relies on synthesis as well as analysis and evaluation. These are all the highest levels according to Bloom’s Taxonomy. As an ELL teacher, one of my objectives is to help my students develop these questioning skills.
Sandra Fey
Response to Emily Dietzschold
I enjoyed reading your thoughts about using Wikipedia. Unfortunately, many teachers don’t have the time or want to learn about the databases to use with their students. Many are using Google to search which eventually leads them to Wikipedia. By teaching students how easy it is to change the information and why the it might not be the most accurate information will help the students understand better choices instead of just being told ”no”.
Response to Cynthia Stogdill
Reading about your high expectations and the accountability that you expected from students was very inspiring. Too often students are overloaded and want to say their work is “good enough”. I love that you will not accept that and will push the students further even though it often makes more work for you. The role of the librarian is to support student learning to make sure that they are not taking the easy road but are doing their tasks well so that they can truly learn from them.
I was really impressed with the chapter regarding using laptops. In Chapter 10, Gaining Attention in the Laptop Classroom, I think that McKenzie really sheds some light on interesting points most teachers do not consider for a laptop classroom. I am working right now with my Honors US History class on a service learning project to perhaps get more technology, particularly laptops, involved in the classroom. Many of the points that are brought up in Chapter 10 are things I did not consider (ex. desk configuration or blackout shades). These are things I did not consider when originally setting up my plan with the students but they will now be incorporated into our final plan.
I also think that I will start to plan out how to inform students about research techniques better. I run through several things each year with classes regarding research, but after reading this selection, I am not sure I have given enough specific examples, or a wide enough range, for students to totally grasp what I am talking about. First of all, I will devote more time to explaining the problems with and repercussions of copying and pasting. I have many students who simply cut and paste and think I will not notice. From now on I will try to give students more examples of this and demonstrate how easy it is to check their work against that of varying websites. Secondly, I will spend more time explaining to students how they need to check their sources and information. The section on Joan of Arc (Chapter 11, pp.75-79) alerted me to the fact that I have not been making available all of the nuances of historical research. I believe I need to once again provide more examples of situation such as the one described in the book so students can actually see what to look for and avoid. To go along with this, I will provide students with more clearly defined examples of websites that are acceptable for them to use for research in the hope of avoiding a total reliance on Google searches and Wikipedia for information. To expand further on the Google topic, Chapter 5, Managing the Poverty of Abundance, made me realize that I have also not spent enough time demonstrating and having students practice using all of the features associated with search engines. Google, for example, offers many different techniques for shrinking down the size of search results which will help students to simplify and speed up their research practices. The final item I have found while reading the selected material that I will work harder to use in my classroom is the use of mapping out topics and also the way in which I present the question in the first place. Some of the work I do in the classroom has been narrowed as of late due to district assessments. Part of the issue is that I have simply presented the work without first attempting to help students understand what the final goal is. While I am forbidden from helping students with the content, I can, should have, and from now on will, help them to better understand what the final process should lead to. The mapping techniques shown in Chapter 3 would work very well when students are attempting to discover what the correct final product should be. Part of the process in getting students to this point is that they need to be presented the question in a way which makes them search beyond just a "yes" or "no" answer. I really want my students to be involved in and want to know about the information they are researching. I plan to put into practice more use of the information from Chapter 3 so that students know and begin to adjust to the way things need to be questioned and done before I reach the point in the semester that they are required to complete the district assessments. If I implement all of these aspects of research into my classroom, some of which I have done but not to the extent that I should have been doing, students will have a better understanding of what is asked of them and will also be able to reach out beyond a simple book regurgitated answer to complete better work.
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut and paste: engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, Washington: FNO Press.
1. In response to Raelynn:
I enjoyed reading Raelynn’s comments about experimentation in the library. I loved the idea of having students establish 5 questions prior to beginning their research on their desired topic. I feel that too often as teachers, we assign research projects that only skim the surface of a given topic. I feel that by assigning surface level projects students “get away” with not having to delve deeper into their topic. By forcing them to create 5 questions it eliminates the surface level questions and gets to the heart of what the students want to research and learn more about.
2. In response to L. Matthew's:
I enjoyed reading L. Matthew’s comments on web site validity. In this day and age of technology, validity of a site is crucial. We as educators must stress the ability to distinguish between a credible site and a site of false information, for students of all ages. If students do not learn the difference early in their schooling they will have a difficult time doing research as they progress through their education.
In response to Amanda Ziegenbein…
I wholeheartedly agree with your comments about stressing creativity and originality in student work. You are right that students need to feel free to express their own creativity in the classroom. The key is creating an environment that makes that expression safe. Students need to be given a consistent message that what they think is important and that their ideas are worthwhile. When this happens, they will be much more likely to rely on their own thoughts and ideas and less likely to plagiarize another person's work. In addition to abiding by the law, we’ll be creating more creative, thoughtful citizens!
In response to Raelynn Buffington…
I’d like to respond to two of your comments, Raelynn. The first is your desire to try the SCAMPER questioning strategy. It was also one of the new strategies that I wanted to try within my classroom, and I tested it last week. I asked my students to think about an animal that the Cheyenne could have “substituted” for the horse. I gave the students 30 seconds of “think time” and then we shared. We were able to discuss the qualities that a substitute animal would need to have in order to replace the horse (strong enough to pull weight, calm demeanor, etc.). The strategy worked like a charm! Your other comment that resonated with me was your mention of how the teacher often works harder than the student. (I actually nodded and said, “That’s right!” in my kitchen.) A former principal of mine used to say, “The person doing the most work is doing the most learning.” It is certainly a goal of mine to have the students learning the most. Your idea of having the students take more ownership of their research will lead them toward this goal.
In response to Amber Blair I agree with 2 of her five changes. The first one being, bringing the real world to the classroom with authentic learning. Students need to understand that learning happens in real time. Using Skype will demonstrate to the students how what is happening now can be authentic learning to them. I also agree with teaching students to manage the “poverty of abundance”. Teaching students how to search in efficient ways is essential in today’s world. The same language needs to be used with young students as well as high school students. Also making sure the search engine used is age appropriate is necessary for real learning.
I agree with Kelly Eby, that the classroom landscape can change the learning environment. Cooperative learning can be a great way to exchange and synthesis new knowledge. I also felt that teaching students how to question their learning was important. Often we tell children what they are going to learn, instead of giving them the opportunity to decide what they want to know and create their own learning. Students do need to learn when technology has become a distraction, since what they need to learn is critical thinking. I also liked how Kelly wrote, “Literacy is knowledge in any area of life. It is not limited to languages or cultures.” I agree that this book has changed the way I look at many things when it comes to Library Media and technology.
Response to Emily D.
Your comments about students using Wikipedia really resonated with me. I just spent the day talking to 7th graders about our databases and resources. The first question I asked is if the students used Google or Wikipedia for a recent project they did for a teacher. Every single one said they just “googled” the term they were given and over half of the students used Wikipedia. No student had a bibliography or cited their resources either. The majority of students knew that Wikipedia wasn’t the best source, but the reason why they chose it was because it was so easy. Wikipedia is like the WalMart of the cyber world- it may not have the best products, but it’s convenient. So it is important that students and teachers not only know the databases that are available to them, but they need to be easily accessible on the school’s webpage. Also, time needs to be spent educating the teachers and students about citing resources and why it is important.
Response to Kelly Eby
What I liked about your statements is the commentary about training the brain through original thinking and experimentation. The most interesting aspect was how you said that you are “stretching” the brain. While pondering that statement, I started thinking about how in experimentation, sometimes things just don’t work out correctly. Student can and do get frustrated, especially when something might be out of their comfort zone. Therefore, a supportive classroom environment needs to be in place so students feel like they can think originally and creatively. Also, if something doesn’t turn out right, they need to have the skills to evaluate what worked and what didn’t work, and then try again. It is a skill as well as a life lesson that all students need to learn so they can think outside of the box.
I agree with Amanda Ziegenbein that it is essential for teachers to design complex tasks which require students to create new knowledge. It will not be an easy task for either student or teacher. We will be asking students to think critically, which they are not used to and to risk failure. Failure is inherent in complex tasks. So, teachers do need to foster a culture of acceptance of failure and appreciation of creativity. Many students will need to overcome the feeling that if something is difficult it proves that they are not smart. Others will need to be motivated to risk failure. They will all need to be encouraged to persevere. But, when we push through, the self-esteem students gain by being successful at tasks they perceived as difficult will be an amazing by-product.
I agree with Findlay that teaching students the idea of bettering has been pushed to the side in preference to reading the text. We have many good word callers but poor thinkers. I think it will be empowering and motivational for students to embrace the idea of bettering. How awesome will it be for students to create solutions to real problems which adults have struggled with and “messed up”. By doing so, they will be analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing previous solutions and data, in the quest for their own unique solutions. We will not only generate better readers but better thinkers as well.
Kelly Eby
In response to Sydney Peters:
Sydney’s comment, “When students come to their own understanding of a topic, it is much more valuable than regurgitating facts,” caught my eye right off the bat! I totally agree with you, Sydney! What is the point of regurgitating? I have always detested this aspect of schooling (especially when I was a youngster in school). I love the idea of asking students to evaluate and give their views and ideas concerning a piece of information. I think it gives our students more confidence in their own abilities when we ask them to think for themselves. When we value the thought process of our students we celebrate the learning that will influence our future.
In response to MJ White:
I really like your idea for allowing students to build their own answers through your insect research project. ☺ Rather than simply gathering facts, the students have to synthesize their information and defend their choices (build their own answers)! The example you used for using the SCAMPER strategy from McKenzie’s text in your film vs. book analysis sounds cool. I would actually love to hear more. It is great to collaborate with other educators to get new ideas, I wish we had more opportunities to do so on the job.
Steph Schnabel in response to Susan Harder
Susan, you wrote about the struggles you face working in the prison system with limited access to technology and a very controlled environment and what ideas you were able to take away from the text to implement in your program. While I do not deal with the extremes that you handle on a daily basis, I found myself relating to your goals of promoting movement, cooperative learning, and excited discussions. I work with several people who would also prefer to have students sit in rows and fill out worksheet. As teacher librarians I feel it is our job to help these individuals see that there are other ways to accomplish learning and show them the advantages and growth that can occur. While being limited in your resources you are still able to teach information literacy which inspires me to do a better job at it as well.
Steph Schnabel in response to Anne Hubbell
“Good citizens and leaders ask powerful questions” is a quote Anne took from the text when describing the importance of teaching her students how to question. This was a powerful quote for me as well when reading the text. Good questions can be difficult to form and then find answers to when our students have been conditioned to find the fast, easy solution. We need to give them strategies on how to ask/answer these questions so they can be self sufficient as adults. I like the idea of using mobile devices to help students develop these skills since many students are already using them to find the simple, quick answer. I also agree with Anne when she address the need to develop critical thinking skills in students. We cannot convince students to skip the easy and fast answers to poor questions if we have not helped them develop the critical thinking skills to analyze the information they are being bombarded with.
Teresa Bell
Response to Michelle Phillips
I absolutely agree! I am impressed by the way you are able to take these concepts and implement them so immediately. I find the section on how you trained students to be “directors” in literature circles to be a wonderful idea and I can see the benefits of this type of guided discussion. I am excited to use some of these ideas in my own future practice.
Teresa Bell
Response to Jayme Prisbell
I think you have hit the spot when you say “…too often too often educators assume students writing research papers and reading textbooks are gaining sufficient informational literacy skills.” Information literacy has exploded and educators must try to catch up with that explosion if we are truly to help our students become information literate!
I like McKenzie White’s suggestion of how to adapt for elementary students the activity in the book on evaluating the validity of images (p.78) by using Kidspiration to organize the five, instead of ten, images. Being a substitute, I have not used Kidspiration, but I like what I saw when I searched online for more information. So I now have something new to make sure is in my future library, and a great activity to do.
I like Leah Dicke’s suggestion of using TV commercials to teach students how to question the soundness or validity of an idea by looking at underlying assumptions. I had not thought of using commercials to do this, but her idea triggered my thinking to expand that to all types of advertising which can be found in magazines, newspapers, website side bars and popup windows, billboards, and junk mail. I can see this new-to-me idea also being something students of all grade levels would find useful and interesting.
Response to Amber Blair:
I agree with what you said about preparing students to manage the “poverty of abundance” we have in today’s world. I work mainly with elementary students too. It is important for us to remember that although our students may not be developmentally ready for all the research strategies we’ve learned from McKenzie, we can prepare them with the basics. They need that background knowledge before they can apply higher level skills. I also like what you said about building reading comprehension through experimentation. If we only focus on students recalling what they’ve read with simple “right there” types of questions, they aren’t going to develop the ability to think critically. We need to give them that opportunity by providing challenging questions and activities.
Response to Stephanie Schnabel:
I really appreciated what you said about teacher librarians being school leaders. Though I am not a librarian yet, I am looking forward to the opportunity to lead other teachers in bettering ourselves and our lessons. We do need to re-focus our research assignments so students are challenged to go beyond “sit and get” projects. I know I am guilty of assigning students to do a report on ‘fill-in-the-blank’. This does nothing for them, because in our technology-filled world, all they have to do is type the topic into Google, and all the information they could ever want—and more—appears. It doesn’t help students develop the critical thinking skills they’ll need in the future. I also like that you added learning more about the technology available on your to-do list. I feel that if things like a Smartboard or clickers are available, teachers should know how to use them effectively. The only way other teachers will venture out of their comfort zone to try these “new-fangled” things is if someone, like the school librarian, teachers and encourages them to.
Sydney Peters
Response to Amanda Ziegenbein:
I completely agree with your thoughts on using primary sources more in the classroom. On top of all the different ways you pointed out that these resources would benefit students, I also think that using them will help to connect the students to a certain time and place in history. These help make an event seem more real, rather then just a story, thus helping to gain and hold the students interest. By giving students more relevant tools I can see them being able to create more questions, and be in greater control of their learning. In the end, this would help in another area of improvement you pointed out, student’s originality in work and thought. Hopefully a greater interest level would allow them to come to some of their own conclusions and opinions.
Response to Stephanie Schnabel:
I loved that you pointed out that educating the teachers should be a main focus. When I wrote the entry my mind was completely student focused. However, teaching the teachers is such an important piece. There are SO many incredible tools available that never see the light of day. As we discussed in the last class, there are even tools that are being purchased by the district that teachers know nothing about. I completely agree with you that they need to be shown how to branch away from their every year, hand-me-down assignments. In my school, I see this starting with me. I know there are assignments that need some revamping. I look forward to sharing with others how I changed something, showing them our final product, sharing the kids’ enthusiasm, and through sheer example making them want to do it too!
Jayme Prisbell’s response to Leah Dicke
Critical thinking skills are vital to a student’s academic career. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2011), critical thinking is defined as the ability to think clearly and rationally. This skill provides the student with the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Leah, I as well agree that teachers and teacher librarians must implement the idea of using questions of importance rather than the traditional method of topical research. When a student has developed strong critical thinking skills, he or she is able to understand the logical connections between ideas while identifying, constructing and evaluating arguments. As the student fine tunes the skill, he or she will begin to detect problem solve on his or her, identify the relevance and importance of ideas, while reflecting on his or her own beliefs and values. Critical thinking requires careful reflection on the good principles of reasoning and these are pertinent skills our 21st century learners must have in order to successfully become the researchers we as teachers and teacher librarians are asking them to be.
Merriam-webster online .(2011). Springfield, MA : Merriam-Webster Inc. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/
Jayme Prisbell’s response to MJWhite
McKenzie, I as well agree that teachers and teacher librarians must begin to address the seating arrangements in both the library and the classroom when lab tops are being used. The traditional classroom/library setting must be amended according to the activities and lessons set for the day. As we begin to incorporate laptops in the library and classrooms, we must realize the importance of moving around the room, having visual access to the computer screens, and having students close the laptop lids when they are not needed. This allows the teacher and teacher librarian to monitor what the students are doing while on the computers, hold student conferences to check the progress of the students work, and ultimately allows us to move from theory to practice while teaching in the classroom (McKenzie, 2011).
McKenzie, J. (2009). Beyond cut-and-paste: Engaging students in making good new ideas. Bellingham, WA:FNO Press
Response to Michelle Phillips
I agree with your 5th response to McKenzie. After reading the book and what everyone has to say about what they have learned, I have a new outlook when I walk into a classroom. I think it’s important that children are allowed to move around and have fun doing school work. I can see it in the students I come into contact with each and every day. A student came up to me in the hall just this week and told me that they had learned something from Mr. Hostert, but they didn’t realize they had learned anything until they had left the classroom. They were just having a good time listening and interacting to what he had to say about World Cultures rather than being bored to tears.
Response to Emily Dietzschold
I like your fourth point. I have seen teachers share a larger room and the distractions seem to be numerous. Students are constantly wondering what’s going on in the other groups and not paying attention to what their class is doing. I can see how moving the desks to fit the day would be helpful, it would make it seem like a more intimate classroom with less distractions. It also allows the students to have a little free time to get out of a desk and move around, as well as making the classroom their own.
In Response to Isela Padilla:
I absolutely agree that knowing how to access a website means that we are information literate. After reading McKenzie book, I know there is so much more to that concept. I also agree with Isela that our lessons have to be deeper and more thought provoking, as well as collaborative. There simply isn’t time to present independent lessons on all the things we need to cover in terms of 21st Century learning and curricular subject areas. We have to be willing to work with other instructors to create lessons that cover many of these concepts.
In response to Teresa Bell:
You are so on track with what we need to be doing in our lesson in terms of authenticity and creativity. When I met with another librarian for my reference interview, she told me she does NOTHING with her students that can’t be used in an authentic manner and applied in any subject area. I have kept those words in mind as I prepare lessons this year. I also love your comment on asking tough questions. I do ask those questions and often get some “cricket moments” but then we have such awesome and inspiring discussions where students start asking questions and really digging into a concept. Those are the moments that keep me going. I will also say, that I often have to stand tough on those things that I feel are important and not be tempted to lower my expectations because those around me have already done so.
Response to Cyn Stogdill
Hurray for you!!! I really mean that! “Good enough” is a phrase I hear all too often and it drives me crazy. Good enough is not “I have done my best!” it is an excuse for doing less than what is expected and what we are capable of achieving. I agree whole heartedly that we, as their research guides, must pick a spot and draw a line in the carpet (the proverbial sand) and stand our ground. As educators of 21st century learners, we have to have high expectations; the future success of our students depends on it. Our students are shortchanged too often by “good enough.” It is an epidemic in the classroom and in society as a whole. Someday that girl will remember your commitment to help her do her best and she will be grateful. Until then, keep fighting “mediocrity” along with banishing “good enough” with all the “I can’ts.”
Response to Steph Schnabel
I enjoyed your comments about how we have grown to understand there are more literacies than just finding and using information. We must consider where our students’ strengths and weaknesses are in the realm of the 13 literacies as defined by McKenzie. We then create authentic learning activities to build up those weak spots and push their development so they continue to grow overall. I also liked the point you made about adding play into our lessons. So many teachers prescribe to the old adage of “Never let them see you smile before Christmas!” I cannot function that way. I love to laugh and play and I think my students learn more when I connect with them in humorous situations—like looking all over the library for the Elmo remote that is in my hand!!
I really liked Michelle's "Discussion Director". Having trained her directors she is definitly preparing her students to be 21st Century Learners. Also, being in agreement with McKenzie that there needs to be movement and play in learning. Michelle's "Move it Mondays" is a very good idea. Unfortunately this may not be as easily done at the high school level, but some movement is possible. In fact it may be easier since at that age students should be able to follow spur of the moment directions allowing us to "read" the class and make changes to plans.
Response to Kelly Eby
I agree that we need to make our lessons include critical thinking for our students. I also agree that a great way to do that will be for us to teach them to ask questions about the topics they are researching and then write their papers about the answers to their questions. This kind of research will take their thinking past regurgitating information from other sources and will allow them to go deeper.
Response to Stephanie Schnabel
I agree, teacher librarians are leaders in a school and should be advocating for assignments that are answering good questions rather than cut-and-paste assignments. Thank you for reminding me about the comments McKenzie made about spending so much time implementing new technology we have forgotten about using those tools to help out students think about things more deeply and challenge them in new ways. I have also challenged myself to learn the technology better so I can use it to improve my lessons.
Response to Michelle Phillips:
I strongly agree that giving students a more problem-solving oriented set up will be very beneficial to each student's development. If questioning is presented in a problem-solving way, it sparks a natural instinct in people to want to solve the problem. Using the natural curiosity of students to get them more involved is a great way to not only increase participation but to also increase scores. I also like your ideas about "Moving Monday" and "Friday Fun Flick." I have put some things into practice as well to try and get my students moving more in the classroom. Obviously performing simulations which require student movement is one great way to have students be more active in the classroom, but I also have them stand up to raise their hand. This is a simple way to get students moving without them even knowing they are getting some physical activity. If you have other ideas regarding student movement in the classroom I would greatly enjoy hearing them.
Response to Ann Maass:
I agree that it is important for teacher-librarians to help students understand the correct way to verify and validate research. I also agree that it is important to make sure searches on the web are done efficiently and correctly, especially in a day and age when technology may be limited and time with computers may be short as well. I think that some type of tutorial set up by the school demonstrating correct and efficient techniques using research techniques and validation techniques when finding information. This is something that needs to play a larger role in classrooms so that students can transition the information from the classroom into their lives.
Like several classmates I think that using SCAMPER is a great idea to make sure that we are teaching to be more interested in the journey rather then the end result. As librarians and media specialist many of us have ben focusing on using the evolving technology as well. Kelly Eby picked up on the the fact that this technology can be disruptive rather that beneficial. Perhaps by using SCAMPER we can also teach our students to make this differentiation. Perhaps students can see how some of the technology does not adapt to learning, but rather detracts.
I've read through some good ideas for putting what we're learning into practice. I would like to know about some these end results and what modifications may be made for future implementation.
Susan Harder
In response to Sydney Peters:
As I read through your comments on informational integrity, I had an "a-ha" moment as I thought about expanding to examine bias in terms of spin doctors and political elections. I am definitely going to share this info with our social studies teacher as I know he is presently re-examining how he will be teaching his students on the election process. He generally pulls info from the internet to help them see different perspectives, but I am already talking with him about different sites on the internet (Library of Congress and digitalvaults.org for example)that can provide him access to primary source documents instead of relying on newspaper articles and fast Google searches to get his materials. Thank you for this!
In response to Findlay:
You think there has been an over-emphasis on reading text over reading comprehension in some areas? Absolutely! Our teachers at NCYF have been struggling for the last few years to understand how to address this deficit in comprehension that seems to affect so many of our students. I do think that ours cannot be perceived to be a represent sampling of typical students by any means, but they may be a representative sampling of non-traditional male teen students. As such, as a whole, their average comprehension score is significant lower than age norm would suggest. Thus, this is a fabulous area on which to focus! I can only hope that any added emphasis you and other teachers can give to comprehension will benefit so many students. We have to always be cognizant of the greater issues and not get caught up in one arena only. I also think that if you want them to develop deeper thinking and problem solving, they will need to have concise understanding and lack of comprehension for what they find is likely to cause them to be surface researchers. Your ideas are solid and should lead to deeper understanding by all.
In response to Emily Deitzschold:
I also think that teaching students how to use a search engine before working on a project is important. The students would be more confident and competent when they can use effective strategies when searching. This brings to mind the gradual release model of instruction that my district is focusing on this year. The students would be shown how to use a search engine and given opportunities to practice the skill before they are expected to complete the task.
In response to Amanda Ziengenbein:
I agree that students should be given opportunities to be creative and form original thoughts. Students need to feel that they can express their ideas in a positive and comfortable environment. Being creative is fun, engaging, and uses higher order thinking skills. It will also give students an edge for when they enter the workforce as adults.
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