Teaching information discrimination
Profiles in Success: Our Lady Queen of Peace Primary School
One of the primary objectives at Our Lady Queen of Peace is teaching students the basics of information discrimination. Giving them the skills to understand that in the modern digital world, where they are literally bombarded with information, there are ulterior motives behind much of what they see and read. In using tools, such as iLife’s iMovie, GarageBand and iWeb, students create and publish their own information, simultaneously gaining a valuable insight into the fact that anyone can deliver ‘information to the world’. The real challenge is determining its worth.
Mrs Morgan comments: “By drawing on their own experiences in creating digital content, the students can more easily appreciate the fact that there are often hidden messages. What we’re now seeing is that our Year 3 & 6 students are thinking more analytically and critically about the information with which they’re being confronted on a daily basis.
“I recently sat with a group of students and browsed a Web site devoted to grain,” Mrs Morgan continues. “When we looked further we saw that the site was actually developed by a breakfast cereal company. The students were able to recognise almost immediately that even though the site was undoubtedly an informative one, it had a hidden agenda. That’s precisely the sort of thinking we are seeking to foster and encourage.”
The parents respond
Having been a teacher for more than 20 years, Mrs Morgan is an absolute realist – understanding fully that virtually any change in the school environment can take time to develop its learning potential. With the introduction of the Apple-based activities, though, the only response from parents has been total support and enthusiasm.
Parents love being able to visit the school’s Web site and see for themselves precisely what their children are achieving in the classroom. For parents of children with special learning needs, they are seeing their children’s level of confidence grow and, as a result, marked improvements in learning.
— Margaret Morgan, Principal