| Young Adult Literature and Multimedia—Resources |
Without the internet, I have no idea where I would be as a teacher today. The internet has been as much of an educational resource as the textbooks that rest on my students¹ desks. I am not the only one who has realized the importance of the internet and the significance it has in the education and literacy of our young adults. Teachers around the world are embracing the notion that we have to use the internet to our benefit rather than deny its major role in the lives, and education, of our students.
Pew Internet (www.pewinternet.org) states in a published report, ³The number of teenagers using the internet has grown 24% in the past four years and 87% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 are online.² (Hitlin, Lenhart, & Madden, 2005). The growth of the internet use among teens continues to rise. Websites such as Myspace, Facebook, and Youtube are commonly used internet community sites, yet teens also have access to many other parts on the internet geared more to their academic and literacy well-being
The growing number of teens using the internet makes it easier for teachers to incorporate its use within their classrooms. One such tool, that I have found to be of profound use, is the webquest. In Tom March¹s article, regarding the significance of webquests, he introduces Bernie Dodge, creator of the term webquest, and how he realized the internet is a tool for information gathering and new way to subject students to new ideas, data, and information (March, 2003). Teachers are able to do their own searching of the internet and gather information that they would like for their students to learn. Depending on the knowledge of internet use among their students, teachers can use webquests as differentiated way of teaching their students. There are many ways to set up a webquest, but it is important to remember that it needs to be ³Ša scaffolded learning structure that links to essential resources on the World Wide WebŠthat transforms newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding² (March, 2003). If a teacher follows these guidelines, they will be engaging students in a brand new world filled with information that they will enjoy collecting.
Within the lines of webquests, visuals also play an important role in teens¹ literacy and learning. The internet is a perfect way to grasp this and use it. Sites like United Streaming (www.unitedstreaming.com), History (www.history.com), and Google video (www.video.google.com) are excellent tools that teachers can use to enhance the learning of students by the use of streaming videos. These video sites are valuable tools for teachers because they excite students and get them interested in the topic studied. By introducing this tool, students who are online at home are also able to visit and go beyond what happens in the classroom.
Blogging is also a very new and innovative tool for teachers and students who use the internet. I personally use a blog to update parents on classroom news and some of my thoughts in regards to education and my classrooms. This has played an important role within my classroom because parents, who use the internet, can easily go to the site anytime they wish. Students also use blogs as a means to voice their own opinions about anything from school to books that they are have read.
Being internet savvy is only helping teens¹ learning and literacy. If the internet is being used by nearly 90% of students (Hitlin & et.al, 2005), then it should be very clear to teachers that it must be a tool used in the efforts of expanding the minds of young adult learners within the classroom and
_________________________
References
Harlan, M., Loertscher, D., &
McElmeel, S. (2006). Young adult literature and
multimedia:
a quick guide. Hi Willow Research and Publishing
Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Hitlin, P., (2005). Teens and
Technology: Youth are Leading
the Transition
to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation.
Retrieved January 31, 2007.
http://www.pewinternet.org/report_display.asp?r=162
March, Tom. (2003). The Learning Power of WebQuests. Educational Leadership, Vol.
61 Issue 4, p42-47.