This blog aims to assist teachers of Australian
Curriculum History (ACH) to scaffold the learning of students, through inquiry
and the Information Search Process (ISP). It provides the stages of the ISP as
a framework for developing inquiry learning and incorporating Web 2.0 tools,
around the Year 6 ACH key question:
Who were the people
that came to Australia? Why did they come?
Historical Knowledge and Understanding
Stories of groups of people who migrated to Australia
(including from ONE Asian country) and the reasons they migrated, such as World
War II and Australian migration programs since the war. (ACHHK115)
(ACARA, 2012)
This blog will help teachers to:
- Understand the stages of the Information Search Process
- Understand how the Australian Curriculum History can be addressed in the classroom using an inquiry process
- Consider how the ISP may be implemented using Web 2.0 tools
- Explore a range of Web 2.0 tools that can be used in the classroom
Many of the Web 2.0 tools are versatile and can be used at
multiple stages of the Information Search Process. In this blog we have tried
to give a number of tools for each stage. Teachers can use their professional
judgement on which tools would be best suited to their classroom environment
and students, and also which tools may be accessed at multiple stages. Situated
at the bottom of the blog is an interactive quiz based on the content of this
blog. Teachers may like to take this quiz as they view each stage of the ISP or
after reviewing the whole blog.
“Web
2.0 allows students and educators to create and interact both synchronously and
asynchronously, formally or informally, at school, at home, or on mobile
phones. Ideas and actions for a two-way exchange.” (O'Connell & Groom, 2010, p. 2)
Web 2.0 is the term given to describe a second generation of
the World Wide Web that is focused on the ability of people to collaborate and
share information online. It is a more
dynamic web that is more organized and is based on serving web applications to
users. It includes open communication
with an emphasis on web-based communities of users, and more open sharing of
information (Solomon & Schrum, 2009).
“Web
2.0 is very much a ‘doing’ technology.
It works most effectively when students are making, creating, building,
simulating of hypothesising – all desirable higher-order thinking activities.”
(O'Connell & Groom, 2010, p.
12)
Web 2.0 tools allow teachers and students to work from school, home or anywhere on the go. This technology is a mobile tool which can be accesed through computers and mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets. Teachers can post tasks, and students can access them anytime from anywhere in the world. Web 2.0 tools allow for the collaboration of ideas and actions, being accessable by multiple users at anyone time. They are an extension of a students' world in which they spend much time on social networking sites. Using Web 2.0 tools gives students a voice outside the classroom.
Blogs encourage writers and responders
to develop thinking, analytical, and communication skills. Blogs are usually short posts and are crafted
to communicate an idea clearly and concisely.
“…blogging
in its truest form
has a great deal of potential positive impact on students. They found that
blogs can
0
Promote critical and analytical thinking
0
Be a powerful promoter of creative,
intuitive, and associational thinking
0
Promote analogical thinking
0
Be a powerful medium for increasing
access and exposure to quality information
0
Combine the best of solitary reflection
and social interaction (Eide Neurolearning Blog, 2005)”
(Richardson, 2006, p. 20)
