Education Week - May 22, 2013 - Special Report - S12

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EDUCATION WEEK: DIGITAL CURRICULA > www.edweek.org/go/elearning-report3
JANUARY 12, 20112011
JANUARY 12,
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S12 | EDUCATION WEEK: DIGITAL CURRICULA > www.edweek.org/go/digital-report | MAY 22, 2013

Student
E-Research
Teaching Students
The Skills to Be
Savvy Researchers

HOW EDUCATORS ARE TAKING THEIR STUDENTS
TO A MORE RIGOROUS AND SOPHISTICATED
IMPROVING WEB RESEARCH TACTICS IS A PRIORITY
APPROACH TO ONLINE RESEARCH
By Leslie Harris O’Hanlon

By Line Here

ara Shaw, an elementary school teacher in
he U.S. Department of Education’s $650 million experiAvon, Mass., realized she needed to teach
ment to ﬁndonline research skills several years ago
and scale up innovative education ideas was
a mixed success: For the ﬁrst time, money was projects
when her students kept turning in awarded
to programs that showedmisinformation. The flawed
riddled with evidence of past success, but
those rigorous standards also produced from websites thefull of
material often came a list of winners stuthe “usual suspects,” a new report ﬁnds. the information as
dents used. They took
The U.S. Department of Education’s was just someone’s perfact, when it often $650 million experiment
to ﬁnd and scale up innovative education ideas was a mixed sucsonal opinion.
cess: For the ﬁrst time, money was awardedskills is even more
Ms. Shaw thinks teaching online research to programs that
showed evidence of past success, but ago. More than ever, inforcritical than it was just a few years those rigorous standards
also mation is literally at the fingertips the “usual suspects,” a new
produced a list of winners full of of students through smartreport ﬁnds.tablet computers, and other digital devices.
phones,
The “They will go onlast month by Bellwether and that isPartreport released Google and type a word, Education the
ners, a Washington research skills,” hammered away at a crucial
extent of their consulting ﬁrm, said Ms. Shaw, who taught
question: Was for 10 years administration’s special education at
5th grade the Obama and now teaches Investing in Innovation Ralph D. successful in ﬁnding truly innovativeso much more
program Butler Elementary School. “There is ideas that will
to doing research
improve education? on the Internet.”
She is one of many teachers and found breakthrough inno“Is it immediately obvious that they librarians who are explicitly teaching online research skills, such as how to evaluate a
vation? No, but that wasn’t necessarily their purpose,” said Kim
website’s credibility, how to of precise keywords, is how to
Smith, a chief executive ofﬁceruse Bellwether, whichandworking
withbetter mine search Rockefeller Foundation on research about
support from the engines and databases.
In November 2012, the Pew Research Center’s with dozens
innovation. The report is the culmination of interviews Internet &
American Life Project released a study that review of public
of applicants, winners, and philanthropists, plus asurveyed 2,067
Advanced Placement and National Writing Project teachers.
documents about the program.
It found that while most teachers agreed that the Internet
“I think the department accomplished some really important
provides a wealth of information a students, they also
things,” Ms. Smith said. “It motivated to lot of action in the ﬁeld.

“

said students often don’t have the digital-literacy skills to
[The department] information. Forty-seven percent of the
wade through that is really juicing up the innovation ecosystem.”
As the Aug. 2 application “strongly agree” and another
teachers surveyed said theydeadline passed for a second, smaller
round of Investing in Innovation, or grants, the report acknowl44 percent said they “somewhat believe” that courses and
edges focusing on ways, literacy should itself was innovative,
contentthat in manydigital the competitionbe incorporated
especially for curriculum.
into the school a federal agency that is more accustomed to handing out grants via formula than through competition.
Last Searching
Smart year, nearly 1,700 applicants vied for $650 million in prize
money, which was funded by the 2009 American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, thesavvy online researchers starts with
Teaching students to be economic-stimulus package passed by
Congress. Forty-nine words. That is chosen, with grader
knowing how to use key winners were something 6th awards split
into three tiers ranging from nearly
Katie Lacey has worked hard to master. $5 million to $50 million.
The biggest awards went to Katie, a studentwith the strongest
“You need precise words,” said the proposals at Albuquerresearch base.
que Academy, a private school for grades 6-12 in New Mexico.
“If Thelooking up the John F. Kennedy assassination, Iexperiment
I’m U.S. Department of Education’s $650 million have
to ﬁnd and scale up I type in just Kennedy assassination, I
to use those words. If innovative education ideas was a mixed success: For the ﬁrst time, money was awarded to programs that
could get information on Robert Kennedy.”
Another important past success, but those rigorous standards
showed evidence ofskill to teach students is how to predict
the results they a list of winners full of the “usual suspects,” a new
also produced expect to see when they type in search terms,
said Tasha Bergson-Michelson, a librarian who works for the
report ﬁnds.
Google Searchreleased last monththe technology company’s PartThe report Education team at by Bellwether Education
headquarters in Mountain View, rm, hammered away at a crucial
ners, a Washington consulting ﬁCalif. Doing that can help
them knowWas the Obama administration’s Investing in Innovaquestion: when they may need to change their terms, she
said. program successful in ﬁnding truly innovative ideas that will
tion
In addition, Ms. Bergson-Michelson advises students to skim
improve education?
searchit immediately obvious that up, especially unfamiliar inno“Is results for words that pop they found breakthrough
PAGE S15 >
vation? No, but that wasn’t necessarily their purpose,” said Kim

Q & A: RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE
Q&A
Kristen Purcell from
Secrets to
the Pew Internet
improving Life
& American
Project talks about
students online
e-research skills
researching

habits

The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, in collaboration
What does this study say about
students’ research skills?
with the College Board and the National Writing Project, surveyed 2,067
he U.S. Department of EducaBellwether Education Partners, a WashThey have different research tools at their
middle and high school Advanced Placement and National Writing Project
tion’s $650 million experiment to
ington consulting ﬁrm, hammered away
disposal, and these tools are shaping their
teachers in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to glean
ﬁnd and scale up innovative eduat a crucial question: Was the Obama
approach to doing research in unique
their perceptions of how the Internet is affecting students’ research skills.
cation ideas was a mixed success: administration’s Investing in Innovation
ways. On the whole, teachers are divided
The teachers gave a mixed verdict. Kristen Purcell, a co-author of the report
For the ﬁrst time, of research at the Pewto program successful discussed the inno- the question of whether today’s stumoney was awarded Internet Project, recently in ﬁnding truly
on
and the director
programs that showedinterview with Leslie Harris O’Hanlon, a freelance writer
vative ideas that will improve education?
dents are fundamentally different from
findings in an email evidence of past
success, but those rigorous standards
“Is it immediately obvious that they previous generations.
for Education Week.
also produced a list of winners full of the
found breakthrough innovation? No, but
“usual suspects,” a new report ﬁnds.
that wasn’t necessarily their purpose,”
The report released last month by
said Kim Smith, a chief executive ofﬁcer

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Education Week - May 22, 2013 - Special Report

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