Engaging All Students in Internet Research and Inquiry

Abstract

Almost 43 % of the world's population is online. Research suggests that the prowess attributed to young people as a tech-savvy homogeneous population is misguided. Many of our students are laboring to utilize the Internet and other digital technologies as tools for literacy and learning. Furthermore, many teachers are struggling to create the instructional contexts necessary to integrate technology into the curriculum in meaningful ways or to develop the skills, strategies, dispositions and social practices that students need to experience success in a complex online environment. The article opens by considering the online reader as an Assembler, Fixer, Builder, and Responder. The key principles and instructional contexts necessary to scaffold online reading comprehension, Internet research, and inquiry skills in the areas of creating authentic inquiry-based learning units; digging deeper with questioning skills; assessing online skills; scaffolding key stages within the Internet inquiry cycle; and encouraging peer-to-peer collaboration are considered.