Digital Literacy and Taking Action

Hobbs' Five Critical Questions

For the course EDTC 6070 Digital Literacy in K12 Classrooms, graduate students used an analysis and evaluation template designed by Dr. Renee Hobbs ( Hobbs, p. 66, 2011). The Five Critical Questions model is used as a tool for evaluating digital resources for credibility and reliability. There are several resources associated with research in Information and Digital Literacy. These are  designed to facilitate the research process in K12 classrooms. Hobbs' model is different from lock-step methods typically used to guide students in completing an assignment to conduct research. Five Critical Questions are posed in such a way as to help students look deeply into the motivation of authors or publishers. Students ask, "who is the author and what credentials are presented to ensure appropriate background and knowledge base are presented on the website?" The student researcher also looks at bias and how this might affect the reader. How might the student report biases as alternative viewpoints in a positive manner? Analysis of digital information to identify source of information and political, social, and cultural connections are important skills associated with digital literacy.

Abstract digital background. Globe based on public-domain NASA image:

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=7129

See below reports submitted by students in EDTC 6070. Students posed a question of interest, searched digital resources, analyzed information for reliability and accuracy, investigated authors and publishers, and summarized their information to present reports and conclusions in the Take Action project. The presentations are an indication of the quality of their reports using a systematic approach to document analysis.

• Social Media in the Classroom
• Physical Activity in Middle Schools
• Homework
• Life After High School
• Five Ways to Become an Upstander
• Parent Involvement
• Fibonacci Spiral
• NC Teacher Pay
• High School Graduation
• $7,562
• 1:1 Technology Initiative
• Effects of School Leadership on School Performance
• To Retain or Promote?
• Canvas in 21st Century Learning
• Are High School Students Getting Enough Sleep?
• Credibility of a Website
• Diversity of Education in Lenoir County

Hobbs, R. (2011) Digital and Media Literacy. Thousand Oak, California, Corwin Press. 

Resources for Literacy 

Oakmont Community Center

Greenville, North Carolina

Many of the children in our program are in grades 2-4. A good use of our time in the afterschool hour is review of sight words. Below is a link to a NCDPI wiki with sight words specifically for grade 2. 

Sight Words 

I will be trying this with one 2nd grader I'm tutoring this summer. I plan to create some games, mainly concentration games for matching. I may also use flash cards to make-up sentences. For a good day's work, we will look for images on the computer to match with some of the words. My 2nd grader also struggles with parts of speech. After he becomes more familiar with the words in the list, he can begin identifying noun, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Locating images for abstract terms like "run", or "sleep" is always fun and a good strategy for nailing both the meaning and recall of a particular word.