Information+Literacy

toc Too many students are not sure how to from fiction on the Internet. The Internet can provide any version of the truth to support almost any belief. We can teach students how to read the “grammar” of the Internet and to apply strategies to validate information on a website. This popular session provides step-by-step teaching tips that help students and teachers think critically about Internet information and improve their online search strategies.
 * Teaching Zack to Think: Developing Critical Thinking Skills **

Read full article: []

Website Validation (REAL)
Evaluate websites with variations and extensions of skills you use to evaluate print materials.



> Use the **Link:**command (Yahoo, AltaVista, Google); http://www.backlinkwatch.comhttp://www.domaintools.com
 * ** R ead the URL:**
 * What is the base URL (domain and extension)?
 * Do you recognize the domain name?
 * What is the extension in the domain name?
 * What does this extension mean? Country Codes - http://goes.gsfc.nasa.gov/text/web_country_codes.html
 * What can you tell about the site by simply reading the domain name (without even visiting the site?)
 * Is the site sponsored/hosted by a trusted organization?
 * Is it a personal page?*
 * Is it published using a free web hosting service?* || ** E xamine the content:**
 * Does the site appear useful for your purpose?
 * Does the information appear accurate and complete?
 * How does it compare to other resources on the same topic?
 * Are sources cited? Can you verify key information?
 * What is the purpose of the site (inform, persuade, entertain?)
 * When was the site last updated?*
 * How has the site changed over time?Wayback Machine - http://www.archive.org
 * Are there ads on the page? Does that affect the credibility? ||
 * ** A sk about the author**
 * Who wrote the site? Do they provide credentials?
 * Look for "About" or Google the author/owner. What kind of results do you get?
 * Is there a way to contact the author?
 * Who owns the site? Check Easy Whois - http://www.easywhois.com/
 * Does the author seem knowledgeable? Is s/he an expert in the field? || ** L ook at the links:**
 * What does the page or site link to (credible/trusted sources)?
 * Do the domain names change?
 * What links to this site?
 * Why are they linked?
 * What do other sites say about the material/content on your site? ||
 * The implications/importance of these criteria will vary depending on the topic and purpose.


 * REAL Video Series** (Brian Mull, November Learning) - http://vimeo.com/8579858

Sites to Examine

 * Martin Luther King - A True Historical Examination - http://martinlutherking.org/
 * All About Explorers - http://www.allaboutexplorers.com
 * Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus - []
 * World Trade Organization - http://gatt.org/
 * RYT Medical Center - http://www.rythospital.com
 * McWhortle Enterprises - http://www.mcwhortle.com/index.htm
 * Dihydrogen Monoxide - http://www.dhmo.org/
 * Midwest Free Press - http://www.midwestfreepress.com/
 * Mechanical Marvels of the Nineteenth Century - http://www.bigredhair.com/robots/index.html
 * Dog Island Free Forever - http://www.thedogisland.com
 * California’s Velcro Crop Under Challenge - http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html

**ACTIVITY A** : In small groups, use the REAL steps to examine one (or more) of the above websites. **ACTIVITY B** : Conduct a basic search on a common student research topic. Use one or more of the REAL steps to compare the potential value of three sites to meet your information need.

Dig in to Google
>> (EXAMPLE **phrase** "to be or not to be" shakespeare) >> (EXAMPLE **boolean** hamster AND/OR gerbil "class pet" ) >> (EXAMPLE **site:** American Memory - [|http://memory.loc.gov]/ Harlem Renaissance) >> (EXAMPLE **filetype:** "very hungry caterpillar" filetype:pdf cut out -or- world OR country OR global energy consumption filetype:xls) >> (EXAMPLE **domain** ac.uk "revolutionary war" OR "war of american independence" site:ac.uk -french >> -or- "simple machines" inurl:k12 filetype:ppt -or- green energy site:sa) >> (EXAMPLE **define**harold Where in Chicago can I go see a Harold?) > (EXAMPLE **timeline**: oil spill, titanic; EXAMPLE **wonder wheel**Victorian England) > Search the full text of more than seven million books. (Part of standard search). > Use Google search technology to search the human-edited Open Directory. Why use Google Directory? > "Google Scholar helps you find relevant work across the world of scholarly research." About
 * Start with a Search Strategy (Think Like a Webpage)
 * Google Search Features - http://www.google.com/help/features.html | Cheat Sheet
 * Advanced Search (Think Like a Search Engine)
 * Narrow your Search: Phrase | Boolean (AND/OR/NOT) | Domain/Extension | Filetype | Date
 * Advanced Operator Cheat Sheet - http://www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html
 * U. S. Top-level Domains: .com, ,org, .net, .edu, .gov, .mil
 * URL Country Codes - http://goes.gsfc.nasa.gov/text/web_country_codes.html
 * SEARCH TIPS: Combine operators and keep refining to improve your results.
 * examples:
 * Site: (insert domain extensions, country code, etc. to refine/filter search; no space after site: _ )
 * //Site:sch.uk “American Revolution” = only sites of schools in UK with information on "american Revolution"//
 * Link: (insert url; no space after link: _, site: _ )
 * //Link:www.martinlutherking.org//
 * //Link:martinlutherkind.org site:edu link:www.stormfront.org//
 * //Link:martinlutherking.org = only sites linking to mlk.org site//
 * //Site:edu//= only educational sites
 * //Link:www.stormfront.org = only sites with links to stormfront//
 * //Site:gov “breast cancer”// = search only government sites with information on breast cancer
 * SEARCH TIP: Put your search terms in context. Include the "thing you are looking for" with your search terms, e.g. "lesson plan, " "timeline," "map," "tutorial" or "podcast."
 * Google Search Options Panel: News | Books | Videos | Related Searches | Timeline | *Wonderwheel //*currently unavailable//
 * Google Books - http://books.google.com
 * Google Directory - http://www.google.com/intl/en/dirhelp.html
 * Google Scholar - http://scholar.google.com
 * Reframing Google Search Options Joyce Valenza http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/29666
 * Search Lessons from Google for Educators - http://www.google.com/educators/p_websearch.html
 * LifeHacker - http://lifehacker.com/339474/top-10-obscure-google-search-tricks
 * Lock SafeSearch - http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?answer=144686
 * //Visual Resources for classroom//:Google Search Tips Posters - []
 * TED Talk: Eli Pariser - [|Beware of the Google Bubble]
 * Use the Reading levels option in the advanced search option in Google. This will help provide materials for students at different levels such as your ESL students.



**ACTIVITY** : Do a search for a topic of interest (possibly curriculum-related). Start by Thinking Like a Webpage, and see how far you can refine and improve the results using the Google Advanced Search techniques above (Think Like a Search Engine).

Search Smarter

 * Use Diigo to Crowdsource Resources - []
 * Use Twitter as a Real-time Search Tool - http://search.twitter.com/
 * Use YouTube to Learn Most Anything - http://youtube.com
 * Tools for Search wiki (Joyce Valenza) - http://toolsforsearch.wikispaces.com/ (MUST SEE resource!)
 * Boolify - http://www.boolify.org/index.php
 * CommonCraft: Web Search Strategies //in Plain English//- http://commoncraft.com/search
 * How to Choose a Search Tool - http://www.internettutorials.net/choose.asp
 * Select the Best Search Tool - http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html
 * NoodleQuest: Define Your Search Needs - http://www.noodletools.com/noodlequest/
 * Sometimes you need to Go Beyond Google. (and try searching a specialized database).
 * Wolfram Alpha - http://www.wolframalpha.com/ (access to the world's facts & data; calculates answers across a range of topics)
 * Bing - http://www.bing.com (a search engine that finds and organizes the answers you need so you can make faster, more informed decisions)

- Use Twitter Search to locate three resources about about a current news topic - Teach yourself something of personal interest or curricular relevance in YouTube - Locate 5-10 quality resources on a topic of interest by searching [|Diigo]
 * ACTIVITY:** "Social Searching:" Try one of more of the following:

What About Wikipedia?
>> Students can edit articles for Simple English Wikipedia.
 * Wikipedia Classroom Uses
 * Wikipedia is a **gateway site**- students can use it as a starting point to: gain background knowledge, build search terms, locate resources / cited materials.
 * Building Legacy (Wikipedia School Projects) - http://vimeo.com/9828745
 * Simple English Wikipedia - http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Schools
 * Edutopia article - http://www.edutopia.org/using-wikipedia-classroom
 * Why does it rate so high in Google searches?
 * PageRank - inbound links (other sites link to it; it links to itself), quality of search terms, clicks (users go there)
 * How reliable is it?
 * The value of the [Talk] page/Discussion Tab.
 * Crowdsourced info / Many eyes monitoring (RSS feeds)
 * Wikiality - http://factchecked.org/2007/lesson-plans/wikiality/
 * Seigenthaler Incident - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_biography_controversy

**ACTIVITY** : Check out a topic of professional or personal interest in [|Wikipedia]. Does the content seem valid, complete, well-written? Visit the **Discussion tab** to see if there has been any conversation or controversy about the article. Also look at the History tab and explore a few of the revisions.

Web Literacy & Critical Thinking Resources

 * NL Information Literacy Resources - []
 * Internet Detective - [](this is good for HS and adults)
 * Web Evaluation for Inquiry Projects (David Jakes) - []
 * FactcheckED.org: Credibility Challenge - http://factchecked.org/2007/lesson-plans/the-credibility-challenge/
 * Crap Detection 101 (Howard Rheingold) - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/rheingold/detail?blogid=108&entry_id=42805
 * Critical Thinking: What is it anyway - http://stayoutofschool.com/2010/06/critical-thinking-what-is-it-anyway/
 * eMints Evaluating & Using Internet Resources - http://www.emints.org/xmodres/links/evaluatinginformation.shtml
 * Information Treasure Hunt - student activity