This was interesting to read, but didn't provide me with any special insights. It certainly doesn't give me much more that I could use for helping students make sense out of the Web.
I have come up with five main points for students to focus their attention when unsure about a particular website:
1) What or who is the source?
2) What is the content?
3) What is the purpose of the information?
4) What is the currency of the information?
5) Is this information that is actually useful for my information need?
The first three points are probably of equal importance and work together as a unit. The currency is usually not that difficult to determine. Once you have a good grip on the first four, then criteria #5 determines whether you swing the information bat or not.
Ed Nizalowski
4 comments:
I like your list of criteria for students (of all ages) to use when evaluating a blog. I have some skepticism about legitimate spaces online. Now that you've established those questions, how do you expcet to gude students toward their answers?
I think that it is important to understand that sources on the Internet serve several purposes as do other media sources that we encounter on a daily basis. Media literacy is about understanding these differences and evaluating and interacting with all types of media in a proficient and efficient manner. It is understood that blogs can be created by anyone and therefore the information that is being processed needs to be categorized and scrutinized in such a manner. It is no different than evaluating television and movie media. This type of information, although interesting and helpful has its own place within our literate world.
I want to respond to Bonnie's question, but my brain doesn't function on all cylinders this time of the day. The Stephen Downe's site was about Web information in general, not just blogs. I take students through a formal website evaluation exercise in 9th grade and something similar is done in 6th grade. This gives them very specific questions to answer to determine the validity and usefulness of a particular website.
But this isn't coming out of the blue. As soon as they do any kind of research, something that starts in the Middle grades, the source/content/purpose of an information come into question. I emphasize that evaluating something in print is not that much different than evaluating electronic or Web information.
I was doing the same type of exercise with Seniors, but I realized this year that these students don't really need to do this as such. I did put together a website evaluation exercise, but it listed a number of "brain-teaser" websites
I want to respond to Bonnie's question, but my brain doesn't function on all cylinders this time of the day. The Stephen Downe's site was about Web information in general, not just blogs. I take students through a formal website evaluation exercise in 9th grade and something similar is done in 6th grade. This gives them very specific questions to answer to determine the validity and usefulness of a particular website.
But this isn't coming out of the blue. As soon as they do any kind of research, something that starts in the Middle grades, the source/content/purpose of an information come into question. I emphasize that evaluating something in print is not that much different than evaluating electronic or Web information.
I was doing the same type of exercise with Seniors, but I realized this year that these students don't really need to do this as such. I did put together a website evaluation exercise, but it listed a number of "brain-teaser" websites
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