Evaluation Internet Resources

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Evaluation Internet Resources
A Presentation to the Connecticut Board of
Education
of
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Presented by the following Library Media
Specialists

• Sally Scott
• Susan Lauricella
• Rebecca Starr
• Kerri Kearney

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What is the role of the library media specialist?
Key Questions
How do we teach students to evaluate websites?
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The Web as an Information Resource

• A major source of information
• Information source students use most frequently
• Offers the opportunity to find information and
  data from all over the world
• Easy to use finding information and publishing
  electronically

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The Web as an Information Resource

• Information is both visually entertaining and
  informative
• Virtual Louvre
• Access to constant breaking news
• CNN
• Access to a thousand perspectives
• American Memory Collection-Library of Congress

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CHALLENGES for Students Using Online Resources

• Students are flooded with information
• Anyone can publish anything on the internet
• Internet has no filter or standards for
  quality, reliability, taste
• Many sites are not verified by editors and/or
  fact checkers
• Inappropriate sites abound (sex, language)
• Often difficult to determine authorship
• The web is constantly changing!

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The Role of the Library Media Specialist

• is to ensure that students are responsible
  users of information who properly cite all
  sources.
• Information Literacy

Standard 1. The student who is information
literate accesses information efficiently and
effectively.
Standard 2. The student who is information
literate evaluates information critically and
competently.
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The Library Media Specialist Will

• Offer students guidance and practice in the
  thoughtful evaluation of sources
• Help students understand that the quality of
  information varies greatly
• Maintain high expectations of students
• research and information products
• Teach literacy skills for lifelong use
• Train teachers as instructional partners

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How do we teach middle school students to
evaluate web sites?

• TRADITIONAL CRITERIA
• Accuracy
• Authority
• Objectivity
• Currency
• Coverage
• Organization

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Additional Criteria for Internet Sources

• Navigation and usability
• Hypertext links
• Frames
• Search engines
• Purpose
• Instability of web pages
• Home page

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Evaluation Tools

• Middle School Level Web Site Evaluation Form
  (Kathy Schrock) http//school.discovery.com/
  schrockguide/evalmidd.html
• The QUality Information ChecKlist (QUICK)
  http//www.quick.org.uk/

There are 9.4 million American kids currently
onlineNearly one third of all wired Americans
accessed adult content in Mayand if pornography,
pedophiles and pitchmen aren't bad enough, says
MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle, there's another
threat to kids misinformation The Net is
packed with lies, inaccuracies and hoaxes."
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WebQuests
A WebQuest as defined, by Bernie Dodge at San
Diego State University, is an inquiry-oriented
activity in which some or all of the information
that learners interact with comes from resources
on the Internet.
WebQuest Fact or Fiction? Truth, Opinion and the
Web
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Directories

• Internet Public Library
• http//www.ipl.org
• Biography.com
• http//www.biography.com/
• The Librarians Guide to Cyberspace for Parents
  and kids
• http//www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/
• Blue Webn
• http//www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn

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Conclusion

• The U.N.s Human Development Report revealed
  that 88 of the worlds internet users are in
  wealthy, developed nations62 of U. S. children
  in the 8-15 year old age group are now going
  online.
• .

The Internet is playing a big role in our
childrens lives. As a result, Students must
critically and effectively analyze web sites and
the Library Media Specialist must supply students
with the tools