This course introduces teachers to the concept of information literacy, the skill of being able to examine and appraise sources of information--now mostly found online. Participants will learn how to find quality material on the web, identify some of the risks involved with open sources of information like the Internet, and learn how to evaluate a web site for authenticity.
One of the most crucial skills we can teach students today is information literacy. You may have heard about media literacy; information literacy is similar in that it provides an understanding of information sources and how to use critical thinking skills to determine if a source of information is of value. In today’s library, many, if not most, of our information sources can be found online.
When you open the world to your classroom via the Internet, you do run some risks. With the vast amount of excellent information found online comes plenty of questionable information. The Internet is democratic, and that means it is comprised of bad and good sources of information. Even the best filters and firewalls cannot take the place of some basic skills and know-how that we can learn and pass along to our students.
This course will introduce teachers to the risks present online, how to combat them, skills for analyzing information sources, and a resource list of valid educational sources of information on the Internet.
Objectives
Participants in this course will be able to
Recognize what information literacy is, and why it is an essential tool for today’s students.
Analyze and explicate information sources found online.
Locate high-quality online materials for the classroom.
Overview You need to find a resource for a research project, so you go to Google and type in a keyword or two. You get a list of results and you pick the best from the list. You have what you need, right?
Unfortunately, probably not. Too many students (as well as adults) blindly trust the information they find online. Often we are quick to accept information that may or may not fit our needs, and may or may not be accurate or factual. That Internet search may provide answers, or it may present information that is inaccurate or even misleading. With the Internet being a growing and even prevalent source of research information, it’s crucial to learn about information literacy and pass that knowledge along to our students.
This session discusses information literacy and why this is such a pressing issue in the classroom today.
Readings
In the How to Use the Internet in Your Classroom book, please read Chapter 3, “How to Teach the Art & Science of Conducting Research Online.”
On the companion How to Use the Internet in the Classroom CD-ROM, please read Kathy Schrock’s article on evaluating web resources. On our web site, please read the following article, “Teaching Online Research” (http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/howto/incorptech/research.htm).
Reflection Why are information literacy skills important for students to learn? What are some of the risks involved with searching for material on the Internet? Describe one strategy you have to combat these risks.
Overview
If a web site you found was misleading, you would be able to realize it, wouldn’t you? Again, the answer is maybe. With the sophisticated tools available on the home market, those with ulterior motives can easily design a site that would fool the most seasoned among us.
In this session, you will see some sites that will raise your awareness of this issue, including some of the aforementioned misleading sites, commonly called bogus web sites. There are many reasons that bogus web sites are created. Sometimes it’s to fool people into reading (and perhaps believing) misinformation. Other times humor is the motive. Many web sites are used as marketing tools to present a limited point-of-view. On a positive note, sometimes bogus web sites are created to teach people about information literacy and create awareness of this issue.
You will also learn some key critical thinking criteria that you can pass along to your students, which will help them evaluate any web site on the Internet.
Reflection
What web sites managed to fool you and why do you think they did? What details and features of these sites looked realistic? What details or clues helped you recognize a bogus web site? In what ways can you help students learn to recognize bogus web sites?
Overview You may feel discouraged after viewing the misleading sites on the Internet, and may be leaning toward forbidding your students from doing any online research whatsoever, but fear not.
There are many ways to combat this problem; prohibiting Internet use is one of them, but it’s not one I’d recommend. Teaching students how to effectively use the Internet is a real-world skill that will serve them well as they progress throughout their schooling, and beyond. Students are going to go online, and helping them develop skills to navigate the Internet for valuable information will be the best intervention we as teachers can make.
Showing students how to do some Internet investigations is one strategy. Providing pre-selected web sites is another strategy, and teaching students how to search smarter for web resources is yet another. You will find that providing your students with a host of strategies will help them evaluate and process the vast amounts of information they encounter online each day.
Readings
Review Sandy Scragg’s Evaluating Web Resources Workshop (http://projecttep.org/nyscate/sandy/index.htm). Be sure to check the educational portals link for direct access to free, high-quality materials on the web.
Teaching students how to perform a more specific web search will help them find more valid results. Please read, “Four Tips for Better Internet Searching” (http://webquest.sdsu.edu/searching/fournets.htm).
Reflection In what ways do you plan to address the issue of web safety and legitimacy in the classroom? How can we help our students become more savvy users of the web? Create a handout of five tips for students on information literacy.
Visit five web sites from the list below and evaluate them according to the criteria and tips presented in this course. For each, explain why you think the web site was created. Explain under what circumstances you might use any of these sites in the classroom.
