“With the Internet, you are opening the library of the world”  (Jonathan Paul Roden, “Computers Go Back to School,” P C Computing.)  With this in mind, teachers are also librarians.  One of our ever more important responsibilities is to insure that our students become able to critically evaluate the great diversity of information.  A plethora of discoveries transpired in the preparation of this essay.
    A most impressive idea is Harris’ acronyms for web evaluation.  He mentioned two; CARS (credibility, accuracy, reasonableness, and evaluate), and CAFÉ (challenge, adapt, file, and evaluate), (Harris, Evaluating Internet Research Sources).  This, in conjunction with the ideas and information from my classmates, provides a treasure trove of considerations.  Kathy Shrock’s surveys are exemplary; Jennifer Haberkom’s simplified Web Page Evaluation is a substantial guide for young web users; and Tamara Barcalow’s information on site links is an excellent standard. Marty Sierra’s example of her high school’s critical evaluation of the web shows how far high school students have evolved.
     Software for school-safe Internet searches and checks are essential.  The assistance provided to the educator is almost incalculable, but we must continue our vigilance for misinformation.
    Young students are capable of identifying fantasy and nonfiction accurately in the media.  “Fact and opinion” is taught at the beginning level in third grade.  This instills that one must look for clues as to whether information is true.  Here is a beginning for their critical evaluation of the information available on the Web.
    Students learn to ask about credentials and become aware that there is false information everywhere.  My inter-city elementary students are just beginning the reading process.  They are mastering the written word and in turn, change this symbolism into meaning.
    On the Internet at the lower elementary level, most of the information will be “guided” for them.  Sites are bookmarked, or already on screen for them to click on and answer a question in a Web Quest format.  They are trusting of the teacher to provide truthful information.  One must realize that, at the early elementary level, students are not capable of sophisticated reasoning skills.  They are just beginning the process of reasoning.  Therefore, it is unreasonable (no pun intended) to expect them to evaluate material on the Web for accuracy in detail.  It is imperative that the teacher evaluates the accuracy of source material for the student’s research.
     All educators must be aware of the amount of misinformation on the Web.  The teacher must prepare for their own particular needs regardless of the students’s level of education.  The evaluation of the Web will be important for all students.  I am sure this will be checked by educational state standards in the future.  :)  Not only should we be critical of the accuracy of information on the web, but in all of the supportive material that we use.  Therefore, I am considering a new credo.  “Not everything I teach may be absolutely accurate, but I will never intentionally lie to my students.”