Reading the articles for this assignment helped me to realize the importance of really checking out the information obtained from the Internet. Hope N. Tillman's article stressed that "we need to use the same critical evaluative skills in looking for information on the Internet that we do in a book, a paper index..." I had never really thought about this before; reading through the many examples sited helped me to become more aware of how little time can be spent really checking out this information. There is so much out there and a lot of it on the surface looks so good!
During this past year, my sons (6th grade and 8th grade) have used the Internet for quite a few reports. They have been using District 186 computers and because of the Acceptable Use Policy that the district has, their computer work has been for the most part teacher-guided or bookmarked sources. Since we now have a computer in our home, and they will be using it to look up the information on their own, I think that I will try this checklist approach for validating the web-based information they use. I also think that this might be a useful tool for teachers to use.
Lesson plan activities could stem from this checklists. Using a Web-site as an example the teacher could go step by step through the checklist with the students. Together they could fill out the checklist - going over each part as they do this. After the students are familiar with the checklist, they could then use it with a new site.
Research Topic:________________________________________Website:http://www._____________________________________
Purpose of Site:________________________________________
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GIVEN |
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Please list any given information on the lines below. |
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Creator / Author: *URL .edu / .gov / .com / .net / .org / |
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Information about Creator / Author: credentials: |
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Others who contributed to this site: |
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Facts: |
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Opinions: |
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Links to other sites: |
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Publisher / Web Supporter or Host: |
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Date last updated: |
- 1._______________________________________________________
- 2._______________________________________________________
- 3._______________________________________________________
- *URL: edu-educational (anything from serious research to students' work), .gov-governmental (usually dependable), .com-commercial (may be selling a product), .net-network (may provide services to commercial or individual customers), .org-organization (non-profit institutions; these may be biased)
Ernest Ackermann & Karen Hartman
- Checklist created by: Janeen McCarthy
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