The document discusses the author's evolving views on literacy for the Information Age. Initially, the author had a limited view and was somewhat resistant to technology in the classroom. The author ran a traditional English classroom with limited Internet and media usage. However, after returning to graduate school, the author's views changed. Through courses that incorporated more technology, the author realized the importance of information, media, and digital literacies for student engagement and success. The author provides three lesson ideas for a 9th grade English class that incorporate more technology and online research skills. The lessons involve using the Internet to research ALS for a book, creating videos reflecting on themes from the book, and creating digital posters on Greek mythology with online research of allusions

1. Literacy in the Information Age
by Jenn Fristick, IDT 7064, Summer 2011

2. Previous Perceptions
My previous perceptions of literacies for the Information Age
were fairly limited in scope. Until fairly recently, I tended to be
somewhat resistant to technology. It was not that I didn’t
access technology or incorporate it into my teaching as a
planning tool, but it pretty much ended with that. I never
thought much about information literacy or media literacy, nor
am I even sure I had heard the terms. I think I assumed that
most students and adults could “figure it out” when accessing
information via the Internet or any form of media. While I do not
think this was the correct point of view, I more or less thought
that by using common sense, students would be able to
differentiate between reality and falsehoods, or extreme
exaggeration, presented by the media and on the Internet.
When I taught previously, I ran a very structured, traditional,
ninth-grade English classroom. The media and Internet usage
in my classes was limited to watching a few films throughout the
year to accompany literature being covered in the curriculum
and allowing online research in the library for student papers. I
used the Internet to research for my own purposes and for
assistance in lesson planning, but that was the extent of it.

3. Current Perceptions
In January, eleven years after obtaining my BA, I returned to school
as a graduate student. I could not believe how much things had
changed. I was completely baffled by eCourseware, online classes,
dropboxes, etc. I am, however, amazed at how quickly I have
learned to use many of the technological tools available to us via the
Internet. Both this course and an online writing course I took in the
spring have opened my eyes to so many possibilities for
incorporating technology into the classroom. I get excited when I
think of ways to resurrect old lessons I taught in a new, improved
version, utilizing the Internet and creating a more relevant, engaging
experience for my students. I am realizing more and more that the
best way to engage and motivate students to want to learn is to gear
their educational experience toward what is relevant to them, and in
this Information Age, the media, the Internet, and other technologies
surround us. Being literate in these mediums is critical for me to be
a successful educator and is necessary for students to become
successful in school, in the workplace, and as productive,
contributing citizens in society.
I would like to continue broadening my horizons in relation to
information literacy and become a more capable user of the
available technologies and tools that exist so that I can be a better
teacher for my students. When I return to the classroom, I will have
been out of the schools for six years. In that time, technology, the
Internet, and the tools available for our use have advanced so
much, and to think I could walk into a classroom and keep students
engaged without modifying my teaching methods simply does not
make sense. I want my students to be interested in the content I
teach; I want to make learning relevant to their lives; I want to help
equip them to be information and media literate. On the flip side, I
know that there will continue to be much that my students will be
able to teach me, and I am excited about the growth we all can
experience together.

4. Lesson Idea #1
Grade level: 9th Grade English
Content area: Literature, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch
Albom; conducting Internet research effectively
Student product: Student will research ALS and collect
information, presenting it using an online graphic organizer.
Brief overview of the lesson: Students will will research ALS
(Lou Gerhig’s disease) online, working in pairs or groups of
three. They will collect information, including sources and links
to those sources, using an online graphic organizer. Students
will post links to their work on a Wiki, which I will have already
set up for class use. As a class, we will review everyone’s
research, looking not only at the information collected, but also
at the sources utilized. We will review the sources and examine
validity and accuracy of the information gathered. We will
discuss how to best utilize search engines, how to sort through
the mass of information available, and how to determine what
sources offer reliable information. Not only will this activity help
prepare the students to read the book and understand the
disease that affected Morrie Schwartz, but it will also function as
a lesson in conducting effective online research.

5. Lesson Idea #2
Grade level: 9th Grade English
Content area: Literature, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch
Albom; themes (meaning of life, living and dying)
Student product: Student will create a short film for YouTube
or TeacherTube.
Brief overview of the lesson: Prior to reading Tuesdays with
Morrie, the class will watch Ted Koppel's 2005 interview of
Morrie Schwartz at http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/
interview-tuesdays-morrie-part-9084429. Students will write
brief (1 page typed, double-spaced) papers discussing what
they expect from the book based on watching the interview.
Each of the fourteen chapters in the book discuss a theme or
idea, such as regrets, family, death and dying. After we have
read and discussed the book, we will watch the Ted Koppel
interview again. Students will reflect upon their expectation
papers, the videos, the book, and class discussions. Students
will then chose a chapter/theme that resonates with them and
write reflection papers (1-2 pages, double-spaced). They will
then partner with classmates to create a video summarizing
their reflections and post it to YouTube or TeacherTube. They
can present the information however they see fit. A few options
would be a straightforward presentation, an interview, or a
narrated set of slides or artwork. All videos will be presented to
the class, and the videos and accompanying written reflections
will be published on the class Wiki.

6. Lesson Idea #3
Grade level: 9th Grade English
Content area: Literature, Greek mythology; allusions in
literature; conducting Internet research, creating digital posters
Student product: Student will create a digital poster using
Glogster.
Brief overview of the lesson: Students will select a Greek
god or goddess that we have read about and/or discussed in
class. I will introduce the concept of allusions in literature, and
we will discuss some examples in class. Students will then
conduct online research to find allusions to Greek mythology.
The allusions can be from any source, as long as it is found
online. Possibilities are advertisements, company names,
current or recent literature, online newspapers or magazines, to
name just a few. Once students have collected a minimum of
three appropriate allusions, they will create a digital poster
using Glogster. The posters should include the name of the
god/goddess, characteristics about him/her, and the allusions
along with narrations of why the allusions are appropriate.
Students may use logos (as many advertising allusions will be
found in logos), but all allusions should include references to
the Internet source.

7. References:
ABC News (Producer). (1995, March 17). Interview: Tuesdays with Morrie,
Part I [Video webcast] [Television series episode]. In Nightline. Retrieved
from http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/interview-tuesdays-morrie-
part-9084429
Albom, M. (1997). Tuesdays with Morrie: an old man, a young man, and
lifeʼs greatest lessons. New York: Doubleday.