netTrekker Blog

Are you 21st Century Literate?

Amanda has done a wonderful job sharing all about the 21st Century Channel and a bit about netTrekker’s d.i.’s involvement in the 21st Century initiative. It’s my turn to tell you about the ICT Literacy component, my favorite section of the 21st Century Channel.

ICT. What do those three letters stand for? No peeking at Amanda’s last post. Here are some of the answers I’ve been given in the past: Instructive Computer Tasks, Information Computer Technology, and Instruction for Computer Teaching. While all of those are components of ICT Literacy, it actually means Information and Communication Technology. It’s also commonly referred to as digital literacy, since it is the ability to use the technology available to accomplish given tasks, demonstrating skills and knowledge. Students, and teachers, are able to find the information they need, analyze the appropriate materials, and even evaluate which media is the right one for the given task.

With netTrekker d.i., many think that the task of finding the information has been  customized a little too much, but in truth it hasn’t. If you were a doctor, pharmacist or a lawyer you would use a specialized search engine or database to research your information for your field in order to save time. netTrekker d.i. is similar in that all the resources are geared to be the most appropriate for education. You still have to use your digital literacy skills to determine which ones are the most effective and will help you accomplish your goals.

Onward with the great features of ICT.  To start with, it is a great place for you to learn more about the tools and processes involved in the variety of digital medias. When I was a student, our resources included magazines, journals, newspapers, encyclopedias, and other books. Today our students have all of those, plus podcasts, blogs, vlogs, digital video and digital images. Instead of just writing a paper, students can create digital stories, their own podcasts or blogs, use other Web 2.0 tools to share information, and other digital presentations. If you want to learn more about these medias and the tools involved in creating them, check out the ICT Literacy Component.

My favorite section though goes beyond learning about the tools and how to use them. I like the 21st Century Integration Models, which are lessons for teaching the 21st Century Skills. The ones from www.nettrekker.com were written by teachers for netTrekker. For these lessons they took a traditional lesson plan and added a technology-rich components to make the lessons 21st Century ready. Other lessons include those from Apple Learning Interchange, State Departments of Education, and other great 21st Century sites. Many of the lessons were written by teachers just like you!

Head on over to the netTrekker Village and share just how digital literate you are in one of the discussion boards.

Tags: 21st Century, Digital Literacy, ICT Literacy, Integration Models

Template Test Drive

How’s the folder coming along? Shaping up pretty nicely? Which websites did you add to your portfolio?

Today’s tip is how to use the Templates in the My Portfolio. Next to the ADD WEBSITE button is another button that says ADD TEMPLATE. netTrekker d.i. has two templates available. These templates allow you to add details to your portfolio which comes in handy when dealing with research or project based learning.

The first one is a Digital Literacy Template. This template has five questions a student should ask themselves before they decide to use a website for research. What a great practice for 21^st Century Literacy! Now with each template, you must add a title. The description is optional, but is a great place to add directions. With the Digital Literacy Template the five questions are already in place, but there is space for you to add more details. For example, the first piece of information a student should question is the author or creator’s level of authority. What does this mean? The space below gives you a place to put prompts or more details for the students, such as “what level of educational degree do they hold? Are they an enthusiast, hobbyist, or do they work in the field?” Or you could tell the students to look for a biography of the creator and tips on what to investigate.

The second template is a USER DEFINED TEMPLATE. This is a blank page for you to add your own content. You must add the title, but the rest of the information is up to you. I like to use this page to write the project directions, to create a Web Hunt or WebQuest, or to list the printed material you want students to use in the project. The possibilities are endless! Here is a PDF of the template I used for the science fair project. Another possibility for the blank template is for students to collect and save their research notes. They don’t have to keep track of the paper and pen or remember where they put their file. All of the details they need for that project are contained in one space.

The template is not a worksheet, but rather a digital reference or guide for the students. It can be printed off if needed.

Share with us how you use the templates by leaving a comment below. If have one that is extraordinary, send it to Danielle at dabernethy@nettrekker.com. She’ll share them on the blog for others to use.

Tags: 21st Century, Digital Literacy, My Portfolio, netTrekker, netTrekker d.i., template