Research as Authentic Inquiry

When we get information from others, we consider factors like likability and attractiveness, which affect our decisions about the credibility of people, information, and ideas.

What a true statement! I agree 100% with this. These are also factors that most take into consideration when acquiring a friendship or relationship. Therefore, I would also venture to say that when one takes on a friendship or relationship with a individual it therefore makes them more likely to believe for certain the information and ideas that they dispute to one another is fact.

"With user-created encyclopedias, university-sponsored websites, bloggers, news aggregators, and other new forms of content online, there's easy access to a wide range of information, assertions, gossip, rumors, and opinions."

True, which is why I firmly believe that deconstruction is a necessary technique that needs to be integrated into the classroom. Students not only need deconstruction skills, but research skills as well. Students need to know how to determine factual information from fraudulent and bias information. It is a 21^st century skill that is crucial in today’s technological advances.

"People trust the sources that match our existing opinions and we distrust information that challenges our beliefs."

Thus, another reason to back up the previous quote I selected, and yet another reason why students need to be taught the necessary research and decomposition skills. One should not be so pompous as to only read the articles that agree with their thoughts and opinions, but rather be educated enough to research both sides and access the factual information, rather they agree or disagree.

Meme Thoughts ..

I think that Memes are and would be a great integration into the classroom, especially with the intent of teaching decomposition and media literacy skills. Memes can allow students to create media, which therefore, in creating they must first understand. Secondly, they can track them which gives them access to peer feedback and deconstruction from a different viewpoint. The subtext of a meme can change through the eyes of it’s viewer. Memes have a lot to offer the 21^st century teacher, student, and classroom.