Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum - Notes from John Finch

Yesterday, our ICT class was privileged to have John Finch visit and talk to us about, "Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum." This document can be found on this Manitoba Education Government Website. The website provides us with a great definition of Literacy with ICT:

"Literacy with Information and Communication Technology (LwICT)
means thinking critically and creatively, about information and about communication, as citizens of the global community, using ICT responsibly and ethically."

John Finch expanded upon the ideas presented in the above definition to give our class a better understanding. He talked about the Inquiry process, and how well it works with LwICT.  The first part of the LwICT continuum is called, "Plan and Question." John talked about the importance of helping students develop thin questions into thick questions through the inquiry process. The second part of the LwICT continuum is called, "Gather and Make Sense." John told us that when gathering and making sense, kids often suffer from information overload. He told us that kids need to think about the information they find through 3 different lenses:

                1. Validity- Who wrote this? Why did they write it?

                2. Reliability- Is this a consensus? Who agrees?

                3. Currency- How recent is the information?

To develop critical thinkers, kids must actively consider those 3 lenses and think critically about everything they read and see. Not only is it important for students to think critically, but it is also important for students to think creatively. The ability for students to create and publish is contained in the devices that nearly every student holds in their hands, providing plenty of opportunity for them to use their imaginations. So why not let them? Often teachers worry that students will become off task when using their devices. However, if students are fully engaged in the inquiry process, we need not worry. 

It is important for teachers to allow their students to communicate and share beyond the four walls of the classroom. Allowing and providing students with a platform to do this greatly affects student motivation and the quality of their work. When kids are writing for an audience, they feed off of feedback. John likened this to Facebook, saying that no one would post anything on Facebook if it weren't for the feedback that they received. People are motivated to share when there is an audience. By allowing students to share their work online, teachers are providing their students with greater opportunities to receive descriptive feedback from multiple people. This will help to inform students of what they do well and what they can  improve upon. The final stages of LwICT are: Produce to show understanding, communicate and reflect. Like the inquiry process,the LwICT Continuum is cyclical. It continues and is not always in the right order. Students may jump back and forth between different stages. To quote John, "We want students to ask better and deeper questions. We want to move kids through the continuum so we can assess what stage of the inquiry process kids are at."

I am excited to have learned more about LwICT. It provides a great framework for teaching instruction and assessment. I look forward to referring to this document throughout my teaching career. Thanks John! ~T