Textbooks, Wikipedia and Schooling

1. How do you feel about using web-based resources instead of textbooks in school? I use web-based resources everyday in my class to teach according to the state business curriculum. I spend a great amount of time to prepare the lessons using online resources to create an engaging learning experience. I provide real-world examples and build on the student's prior knowledge of the topic to make it relevant. Lessons become clearer when the topic is connected to an issue that affects them personally. I implement projects that promote students engagement with real world business and technology to support our future leaders and provide them with the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century. I feel that using web-based resources instead of textbooks to teach these skills creates a more well rounded and resourceful lesson.   
2. What opportunities for the development of information literacy skills for students if they began to learn without textbooks?  Web-based material can provide experiences to facilitate information literacy skills by creating opportunities for students to construct knowledge that better enable them in problem solving and text meaning. Utilizing the unlimited amount of information available through the Internet can teach students how to evaluate information and determine what to believe as true or fraudulent. Information literacy skills is critical for students to understand their individual expression as media consumers and producers and become community involved in this emerging digital culture. Young people can develop the cultural competencies and social skills to participate in collaboration and networking.
3. How do these articles change or support your stance on using Wikipedia as learning resources in the classroom? Reading these articles supported my stance that students can utilize Wikipedia to gain insights of the collaborative creation process and strengthen their ability to evaluate sources. Student can not only consume information from Wikipedia, but help to create it. It can also be used to teach our students strategies for evaluating the validity of entries, considering the accuracy and potential bias of information sources, therefore gaining informational literacy skills. 
4. Find an image that relates to information literacy and schooling.Embed the image in your blog and provide proper attribution.

Bunch Library pbworks.com
 Information Literacy Across Curriculum

Resources:

Picture attribution: Bunch Library, Information Literacy Acroos Curriculum. Retrieved from http://bunchlibrary.pbworks.com/w/page/6284026/Information%20Literacy%20Across%20the%20Curriculum

Ansary, Tamim (November 2004). A Textbook Example of What’s Wrong With Education. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/muddle-machine

Ruth, Geoff (February 2005). No Books, No Problem: Teaching Without a Text. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/teaching-without-text