Digital Tools for Inquiry-Based Learning
Hello!
If you are looking for digital tools to engage your learners in inquiry, you have come to the right place! Integrating technology into the classroom can be intimidating but with the help of this resource and in collaboration with your Teacher-Librarian, you and your students will be set for success. This post is meant to be a practical resource for teachers from Kindergarten to Grade 7 in which I will introduce 3 engaging, easily accessible digital tools; however, I must first explain why digital literacy and inquiry are critical in the education of the 21st century learner.
Curriculum Connections
If we consider the Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies (ADST) section of the Redesigned BC Curriculum, it is made evident that our learners from Kindergarten to Grade 12 are challenged to investigate their own passions through inquiry, think flexibly about information in an ever-changing world and create with personal intent through multimodality. It is with a constructivist perspective (Weisgrau, 2015) that we must approach ADST within the SLLC. The BC Ministry of Education (n.d.) has outlined the following goals for ADST:
The BC Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies curriculum contributes to students’ development as educated citizens through the achievement of the following goals. Students are expected to:
- acquire practical skills and knowledge that they can use to bring their ideas from conception to fruition
- develop a sense of efficacy and personal agency about their ability to participate as inventors, innovators, and agents of change to address practical challenges in a rapidly changing world
- explore how the values and beliefs of cultures, including local First Peoples cultures, affect the development of products, services, and processes
- understand the environmental implications of the products and services they are designing and applying
- investigate and actively explore a variety of areas, including aspects of Business Education, Home Economics and Culinary Arts, Information and Communications Technology, and Technology Education, and new and emerging fields, in order to develop practical hands-on skills and make informed decisions about pursuing specialized interests for personal enjoyment or careers
- develop a lifelong interest in designing, creating, making, and evaluating products, services, and processes, and contributing through informed citizenship, volunteer work, and career opportunities, to finding and addressing practical challenges.
Why Teach Digital Literacy?
The BC Ministry of Education's (2016) Digital Literacy Framework defines digital literacy as, "the interest, attitude and ability of individuals to use digital technology and communication tools appropriately to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, and create and communicate with others" (p.1).
Digital literacy and technology integration are requirements for 21st century education. Students' ability to think critically, creatively, and collaboratively, will determine their success in the digital age (Richardson, 2012). Through inquiry-based learning we can support our students in building these competencies. Luckily, technology and inquiry-based learning are very much interconnected.
The National Council of Teachers of English (NTCE) has created a document outlining their definition of 21st century literacies. Due to the fact that technology has increased our levels of communication, information gathering, and content construction, the NTCE (2013) stipulates that in order to be considered literate, 21st century global citizens must be able to:
- Develop proficiency and fluency with the tools of technology
- Build intentional cross-cultural connections and relationships with others so to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought;
- Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes;
- Manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information;
- Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts;
- Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments.
Through digital literacy education will be better able to meet the diverse needs of our 21st century learners. While Prensky (2001) has labeled our learners as "Digital Natives" due to their proficiency with technology, as educators we have the responsibility to guide our students throughout their technological endeavours.
Why Inquiry-Based Learning?
The Canadian Library Association (2014) provides the following definition of inquiry:
An approach to learning whereby students find and use a variety of sources of information and ideas to increase their understanding of a problem, topic, or issue. It requires more of them than simply answering questions or getting a right answer. It espouses investigation, exploration, search, quest, research, pursuit, and study. Inquiry does not stand alone; it engages interests, and challenges students to connect to their world with the curriculum. Although it is often thought of as an individual pursuit, it is enhanced by involvement with a community of learners, each learning from the other in social interaction.
(p. 26)
The traditional school system values repetition, regurgitation, and teaching through transmission. However, the modern learner is now expected to think in a divergent manner. To assist students in thinking outside of the box, the TL and classroom teacher can use books, resources, and technology to inspire inquiry. I am trained in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) which focuses on inquiry-based learning to create global citizens. In IB programming, teachers set out “provocations” to inspire learners and to spark curiousity–a practice that I believe should be incorporated in all educational settings.
It is with this lens that we must reconsider the purpose of the School Library Learning Commons (SLLC) and education in general. "As adults, if we recognize that curiosity and play are leading to tinkering, repurposing, trial and error, or serious experimentation, then we make it known to both individuals and groups that this [behaviour] is not only acceptable but welcome" (Loertscher, 2014, para 9). With the use of technology, we can connect with people all around the world. It is important for teachers to help students navigate these online connections early to ensure safe practices but also to highlight the benefits of global sharing and collaboration. Students can learn from being exposed to opinions and norms that may differ from their own or what they are used to. Teachers can help facilitate these learning experiences through group work with intentionally diverse group members, critical thinking tasks such as STEM activities, practicing giving and applying constructive criticism, and online sharing of information. Much of the emphasis on inquiry and student-centred learning in British Columbia assists children in developing the skills that will enable them to achieve the outlined 21st century literacies. For instance, the Redesigned BC Curriculum outlines global concepts within the Social Studies Big Ideas, appearing for the first time in Grade 2: 1) Local actions have global consequences, and global actions have local consequences and 2) Individuals have rights and responsibilities as global citizens (BC Ministry of Education, n.d.). Of course, this is just one example of how global citizenship is woven into the curriculum. The goal of education is no longer to produce workers in a factory line, we must now provide our children with the tools to think critically, creatively, and collaboratively.
Digital Tools to Support Inquiry
The BC Ministry of Education's (2016) Digital Literacy Framework outlines six competencies for the 21st century learner: i) Research and Information Literacy; ii) Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making; iii) Creativity and Innovation; iv) Digital Citizenship, v) Communication and Collaboration; and vi) Technology Operations and Concepts. For the purpose of this resource, I will be focusing on one of these competencies per digital learning tool.
1) Padlet
(Source: https://youtu.be/4F60kOS5HYw)
Padlet is an online tool that encourages collaboration through the creation of a digital bulletin. Students have the opportunity to work in pairs, small groups, or as a whole class to share information and co-construct knowledge.
To promote research and information literacy, for intermediate students, the TL and classroom teacher may assign an inquiry project in which students are expected to gather information using resources from the library (e.g. books, magazines, encyclopedias, the internet), share the acquired using Padlet, and construct upon each other's ideas. The size of groupings may depend on students' individual interests.
For primary students, practicing the research process and information literacy may be led as a whole class inquiry during which the students and teachers work together to gather, interpret, synthesize, and represent information using Padlet. The TL and classroom teacher may choose to split the class in two groups based on interest. Or, they may work together as a team, one teacher supporting the retrieval of information, while the other supports with the representation of learning.
During the research process, the TL and classroom teacher can work together to model and support students in effectively searching for information. "The ultimate goal of the library learning commons is improved student achievement through the refining of instruction for essential literacy, research and inquiry and communication skills" (CLA, 2014, p.13). Together, the TL, classroom teacher, and students can achieve this goal.
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| (Source: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy-framework.pdf) |
2) Powtoon
Powtoon is an easy-to-use, animation program that enables the use to create engaging videos. There is opportunity for creativity, innovation, and open communication when using the digital tool.
In the intermediate context, students may use Powtoon to present their learning and convey their ideas to their peers, the school, and perhaps even the global learning community. The templates and animations offer exciting ways for intermediates to create content.
(Source: https://youtu.be/VE6nN3aVc70)
From a primary perspective, TLs and classroom teacher may choose to collaborate and create content themselves to engage their young learners in inquiry topics, they may decide to take groups to create videos with the students, or they may create videos to address and extend their students' inquiries. Powtoon affords the opportunity to express learning multi-modally while also enabling students to practice their digital literacies.
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| (Source: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy-framework.pdf) |
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(Source: https://web.seesaw.me/?wvideo=r9j1hrzl65)
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Students, parents, and teachers alike will benefit from using Seesaw in the 21st century classroom. This app makes learning visible and enables students to take control of their own learning stories. Seesaw offers parents a snapshot into their child's school days and provides flexibility for teachers to offer hands-on learning, knowing that there is a way to document students' work.
Seesaw is appropriate for all learners from Kindergarten to Grade 7. Once the teacher has created an online class and attached their students, all the children need to do is either scan a QR code or enter a password to access their accounts. Parents can access their child's account from home via email. Seesaw can be used collaboratively between students whether it be the actual creation of content, commenting on and liking each other's work, or sharing information. The app provides opportunities to draw, type, take pictures, videos, voice-recordings, and complete online activities.
In the intermediate context, students will be able to actively engage in online lesson provocations as created by the TL or classroom teacher. Students will be able to create originate content and share it with their families, peers, and teachers. However, in the primary context, students will most likely use Seesaw to simply document their learning and store it all in one place.
"Inquiry, project/problem-based learning experiences are designed as catalysts for intellectual engagement with information, ideas, thinking, and dialogue... The learning commons promotes personalization, inquiry, and the integration of technology through the implementation of innovative curricular design and assessment" (CLA, 2014, p.5). Most notable for educators are the assessment opportunities provided by Seesaw. Students may engage in self-reflection and self-assessment while teachers and TLs can easily keep track of student progress. If the TL and classroom teacher both have access to students' accounts, they will be able to best support students in their learning based on what they last documented in their inquiry processes.
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| (Source: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy-framework.pdf) |
Practical Application
To demonstrate the applications of each digital tool in context, I have created examples around the Zones of Regulation using each platform. In the technological age I think it is increasingly important that our students have a strong social-emotional background; therefore, while I advocate for digital learning tools in the classroom, I also work diligently to foster a culture of self-regulation. The CLA (2014) suggests that educators support their learner's Core Competencies (Communication, Thinking, Personal & Social) through:
Foster[ing] a collaborative school culture of inquiry and participatory learning in both physical and virtual environments. Establish[ing] excellent instructional designs that engage learners in developing 21st century skills and literacies and knowledge building through utilization of exemplary technologies and resources. Build[ing] learning environments that support and nurture inquiry, experimentation, innovation, creativity and playing to learn.
p. 23
1) Padlet
I created this KWL chart using Padlet within the context of the Zones of Regulation and with the primary classroom in mind. The intention would be for the teacher to facilitate a class discussion about what they know and what they would like to know about any given topic. The teacher could share the Padlet with the TL so that the TL had insight into what the students are learning about and their inquiries regarding the selected topic. From there, the TL could pull books and other resources in the SLLC for students to explore. Once, the class research is complete, the students could either report back to their classroom teacher who would facilitate another discussion, filling in the "what we learned" section of the KWL or the TL could take on that responsibility within the SLLC.
This learning engagement could also be applied within an intermediate context; however, students would be accessing the Padlet themselves instead of having the teachers facilitate. Again, the TL could provide resources for the students to explore individually, in pairs, or in small groups. Once complete, students may share their Padlet creation with the rest of the class. This activity would reinforce students' information literacy and digital literacy.
To view the gifs in motion, click on the following link: https://padlet.com/puliceashley/6twnhf7pp72e
2) Powtoon
I created a Powtoon to demonstrate how teachers might share information with their students in engaging, meaningful ways. For primary students, the teachers would most likely use Powtoon as a complementary teaching tool. However, they may choose to create a video alongside their students to showcase learning at the end of a unit. Collaboration between the teacher and TL may look like the teacher providing opportunities for children to brainstorm, draw, and/or write what they have learned about a topic in class, and then the TL synthesizing this information with students to create a Powtoon together in the SLLC.
Again, this activity could be translated to the intermediate grades with the adaptation that students would be creating their own Powtoon videos. These videos may be used as a means to convey learning, a way to persuade an audience, or an opportunity to connect with the wider, digital learning community.
The example I have created illustrates an activity for students to respond to and share with their peers, teachers, and families. The students are instructed to watch the provided video via the link and then draw, make a video, or take a voice recording to demonstrate what they learned in the video. Of course, this could be applied across many contexts and the activities may differ in difficulty depending on the expertise of the learners. Teachers and TLs could collaborate by the teacher setting out the learning engagement and the TL using their knowledge of the SLLC resources and technology to support students in completing the activity. There are many pre-made activities within the Seesaw database but I prefer to create learning engagements that follow the interests and inquiries of my students. The "activities" function is just one example of the apps capabilities but students across Kindergarten to Grade 7 can use Seesaw to document their learning, create content, and self-assess.
To access the learning activity, click the following linking, click "LLED 4", and sign up via email. https://app.seesaw.me/s/454-412-60
Closing Thoughts
From a primary teacher’s perspective, communication, creative thinking, critical thinking, social-emotional skills and relationship building should take precedent in the classroom. Children need to be able to effectively communicate with their peers, resolve conflict, and share in meaningful ways. In the 21st century, the need for these skills goes beyond the four walls of the classroom. Technological devices, the internet, and the media (social or otherwise) allow us to be more connected with each other than any other time throughout history. This connectivity could be tremendously helpful or severely hindering. To achieve the former, we must learn to work with others, not in spite of our differences but in recognition that there is strength and value in varying perspectives. Again from a primary teacher’s perspective, the uniqueness of our students within the inclusive setting of public education in British Columbia creates opportunities for divergent, creative, critical, and innovative thinking.
Learning in the 21st century should be student-centred, play-based, experiential, and socially constructed. What better way to practice these pedagogies than through inquiry? Long are the days of the silent classrooms and libraries. Instead, students and staff are empowered to play, explore, and learn together. The digital tools selected for this resource are not only intended to promote digital and information literacy, but also to allow for shared inquiry between home, the classroom, and the SLLC. By bridging the gap between learning environments (both physical and virtual), integrating technology in education, fostering divergent thinking, and encouraging multi-modality we can support students in becoming successful, global citizens of the digital age.
References
BC Ministry of Education. (n.d.). BC’s New Curriculum. Retrieved from, https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies/2
BC Ministry of Education. (2016). Digital Literacy Framework. Retrieved from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/dig_lit_standards.htm
Canadian Library Association. (2014) Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada. Ottawa: ON
Loertscher, D. V. (2014). Makers, self-directed learners, and the library learning commons. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 35-35,38,71. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/1548229909
NTCE. (2013). The NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies. Retrieved from http://www2.ncte.org/statement/21stcentdefinition/
Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. MCB University, Vol. 9 No. 5, pp. 1-6
http://www2.ncte.org/statement/21stcentdefinition/
Richardson, W. (2012). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere [Kindle Single]. TED Conferences.
Weisgrau, J. (2015). School libraries and makerspaces: can they coexist? Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/school-libraries-makerspaces-coexist-josh-weisgrau
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