Effective Strategies to Support Student Online Comprehension Presented by Lisa Hervey M. Ed., NBCT North Carolina State University

“The Internet is This Generation’s Defining Technology For Information, Reading Comprehension, and Learning.” Leu et el, 2008) Over 1 billion readers are reading online today, one-sixth of the world’s population. (de Argaez, 2006; Internet World Stats: Usage and Population Statistics, n.d.) Internet use at work to read, write, communicate, and solve problems increased by nearly 60% in the U.S. during 2002 among all employed adults 25 years of age and older. (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2002) In the U. S., students aged 8-18 report spending more time reading online per day, 48 minutes, than reading offline, 43 minutes per day. (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005) From old to new...

Online Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies Read to identify important questions; Read to locate information; Read to critically evaluate the usefulness of that information; Read to synthesize information to answer those questions; and Read to communicate the answers to others.

Asking Questions Students need to know what a really good question is. Students must be able to revise the question. Students must stay focused the question and not get distracted.

Locating Information Students know how different search engines work. Students know simple strategies for making my search more specific. Students know advanced search strategies and when they could be useful.

Let’s Give It a Whirl! Use Google and enter these words in a keyword search: 1:1 laptop classrooms You can ONLY make one click! Which link would you select to find a research study on 1- 1 laptop classrooms? Why?

Critical Analysis Of Information Understanding – Students know when information makes sense. Relevancy – Students know when information meets their needs. Accuracy – Students know how to verify information with another source. Reliability - Students know how to tell when information can be trusted. Bias – Students know that everyone “shapes” information and how to evaluate this. Stance – Students are “healthy skeptics” about online information.

Students must know how to construct the information they need as they read selected information. Students must know which information to ignore when they read. Students must know how to put information together, and make inferences when it is missing, to answer the question. Students must know when they have the answer. Synthesizing Information

Communicating Information Students know how to construct a clear message so that the reader knows what they mean. Students know how to use blogs. Students know how to use wikis. Students know how to use . Students know how to write.

Online Comprehension: Teach with Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT) Based on the work of Dr. Donald Leu and Dr. Julie Coiro

IRT: Phase I Teacher-led Basic Skills Check internet literacy with Teaching Internet Comprehension to Adolescents (TICA) Teacher-led demonstrations of basic Internet use skills and cooperative learning strategies Explicit modeling by teacher Largely whole class instruction Mini-lessons as transition to Phase II

Let’s Give It a Whirl! First, Use any web browser to find the height of Mt. Fuji in either feet or meters. Next, find a website with a different height. Now, which answer do you consider accurate? WHY? Be able to explain your answer to others.

IRT: Phase II Collaborative modeling of online reading strategies Students are given information about problems to solve. Students work in small groups to solve those problems. Students collaboratively share strategies. Students report their findings or do metacognitive think alouds at the end of each lesson. Initially, start with locating and critically evaluating activities. Later: Synthesis and communicating.

Let’s Give It a Whirl! The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

Let’s Give It a Whirl! Turn to a partner and discuss the following questions: Who created this video? What perspective or context is the video coming from? Are there ideas missing from the video? Whose perspective is missing?

Let’s Give It a Whirl! Turn to a partner and complete the following activity: Identify Fact Versus Opinion Tell which website you think has the STRONGEST opinions about the use of sled dogs in the Iditarod. Tell whether you think the author of the website you chose is for or against racing sled dogs for competition. Select a quote from the website you chose and explain why you think it is an example of the author sharing strong opinions.

Permission for use granted by Dr. Coiro

Let’s Give It a Whirl! Turn to a partner and complete the following activity: Indentify and Consider the Author's Stance and Reliability Tell which website gives opinions from more than one side of the issue. Who are the two people whose opinions are given in the website you chose in for the answer to the question above? Who do they speak for (themselves, a company?)? How do these opinions effect the reliability of the author? What is the author’s stance?

Let’s Give It a Whirl! Turn to a partner and complete the following activity: Indentify and Consider the Author's Purpose and Bias Identify the general and specific purpose(s) of each site and provide at least two reasons to support your answer. For example - detecting evidence of bias: Does the website provide factual information? …try to persuade you to think or feel a certain way? …try to sell you something? …try to raise money or collect donations?

Let’s Give It a Whirl! Complete the following activity: Identify Your Own Perspective Compose a blog entry or discussion forum response that explains what you believe about the issue and give at least two reasons from the websites you read or viewed to support your ideas.

IRT: Phase III Collaborative modeling of online reading strategies Inquiry Projects (local or global) Define the question. Locate information. Evaluate information. Synthesize to answer the question. Communicate the learning experience.

IRT: Phase III Inquiry starts with a GOOD question…

Question Matrix Permission grant by Dr. Coiro

Everything is changing!

Project-Based Inquiry Approach to Learning (Spires, Hervey, & Watson, 2009 in press)

Global Connections for Inquiry

Global School Net

Let’s Review… Teachers must provide “information challenges” within and across content areas. Teachers should engage in the 3-stage IRT model. Teacher should use flexible collaborative grouping strategies. Teachers allow students to distribute the lesson’s targeted skill, when it appears in their classroom. Teachers should integrate many online communication tools.

Let’s Review… Expect students to learn from one another. Expect opportunities to learn from the students.

Reflections & Questions… What implications do these ideas have for your role as a Technology Facilitator? Any other questions?