Research and Information Skills

"When I teach evaluating websites, I usually have students select one of five pre-selected websites and fill out a worksheet to determine if the website is valid. The worksheet really just helps students identify certain things about the website and then they give their opinion. It is fairly basic and there is a definite right or wrong answer. However, I would like to do something more challenging as a culminating exercise for this lesson. The website on GolfCross has been suggested to use in evaluating websites but there is conflicting information as to whether this is a bogus site or valid. One site rates this as one of the top bogus sites, , and a travel site on Mt. Cook New Zealand, lists it as an activity to enjoy along with 5 other golf courses. My research question, therefore, is to evaluate the website GolfCross to determine if this is a real site and real sport or a spoof. The Bloom’s taxonomy level would be analysis. Victoria suggested using Intel’s Showing Evidence. The Showing Evidence Tool helps students learn how to construct well-reasoned arguments and prove their case with credible evidence. The tool provides a visual framework to make claims, identify evidence, evaluate the quality of that evidence, explain how the evidence supports or weakens claims, and reach conclusions based on the evidence. This thinking tool supports activities where students debate differences, make and defend decisions, and analyze conflicting information . I would divide the class into groups. Each group would create their own researched evidence and come to their own conclusion. The groups would then compare their conclusions." S. Krueger, student PODetc Introduction to Instructional Technology.

In a recent PODetc course, a student posted this description of her lesson plan for research. What struck me about it was the clear application of analysis, evaluation, and discrimination in filtering information. This is a critical skill we need to foster in our students as we have access to exponentially more information every day!!! The ISTE NETS Students #3 is specific to "Research and Information Fluency" - with the goal that "Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information."

There are a number of tools on the Internet that can help you, including the Intel thinking tools mentioned above. Whatever tools or strategies you provide, it is important to remember that our students who are born to a world that is flush with information on any topic imaginable are not necessarily good at discriminating validity. It is our role as educators to teach students to use their critical thinking skills to filter this onslaught of information and to focus their research on specifics applicable to a specific question.

How do you develop those skills in your students - comment and let us know!