Validity and reliability of information on the Internet A curriculum for critical thinking and web research Skill level: Advanced School level: Middle school (11–13 years old) High school (14–18 years old) Prerequisite skills needed This plan is part of a critical thinking and web research curriculum developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and Microsoft. www.microsoft.com/ education/criticalthinking Students need to have basic computer use skills, such as the ability to launch Internet Explorer®, type into search boxes, and navigate the Internet. In addition, students need the skills necessary to conduct effective Internet searches. (For ideas and information, see the “Mechanics of effective searching” lesson plans). Students should be able to determine the accuracy of content on Internet sites. Description of plan Teachers develop a project within their content area aligned to their state/district standards that requires students to conduct research using the Bing™ search engine. Students develop the skills to effectively and efficiently search Internet sites using Bing, in addition to the skills necessary to determine the validity and reliability of the information they locate. Websites must be free of bias and should contain reliable or verifiable information. Rationale for lesson Anyone can publish information to the web. Because of this, students need to develop the skills necessary to determine the validity and reliability of the information located there. These skills can help them decide which resources to use for academic research and projects. To be validated, a site must be free of bias and should come from accurate sources. Essential concepts / questions Essential questions for teachers: How can I ensure that my students are able to determine the validity and reliability of information found on the Internet? How can I ensure that my students are able to determine whether the information on Internet sites is biased? How can I ensure that my students are able to identify the reliability of resources used by the author of Internet sites? Essential questions for students: How can I determine whether information located on the Internet is biased? How can I determine the reliability of resources used by Internet site authors? National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) NETS-T 4A: Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources. NETS-S 3B: Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. Teacher preparation Teachers should familiarize themselves with the Bing (http://www.bing.com) search engine. Teachers should work with the lab coordinator or media specialist to determine lab logistics, level of access per student, and seating arrangements. Teachers need to develop clear criteria for the project, including guiding questions to be addressed by students’ research, and a project scoring rubric, including criteria for use of technology (for example, the number of resources and images required, or how to cite sources). See the “Citing web sources” lesson plans for ideas. If students are working in cooperative groups, teachers should develop specific roles and responsibilities that provide for individual and group accountability. Teachers should have experience applying the questions in “Validity - Student handout 1: Questions to identify validity and reliability of Internet sites” to their own Internet searches. Management issues Teachers must consider student arrangement in labs; if students are to locate media files, where those files will be stored; and how much time will be allotted. Teachers should determine where students will store their work (possibilities include folders on the school server or on Windows Live™ SkyDrive™). To reduce off-task behavior, teachers should develop criteria to guide students’ searches. Instruction Teachers should demonstrate how to determine the validity and reliability of Internet sites. Do this by using the bias and resource questions in “Validity - Student handout 1: Questions to identify validity and reliability of Internet sites” as a guide. Teachers should demonstrate for students how to complete “Validity – Student worksheet 3: Bias and sources.” Student activities / guidance Students conduct searches based on the assigned topic or guiding questions. As they locate sites related to their topic, they refer to the bias and resource questions in “Validity Student handout 1: Questions to identify validity and reliability of Internet sites.” As guided practice, students record sites used and they log information concerning the bias of Internet sites and reliability of resources, as discussed in “Validity – Student worksheet 3: Bias and sources.” Assessment Completed worksheet: “Validity – Student worksheet 3: Bias and sources.” Students reflect on their own searches and answer the essential questions: How can I determine if information located on the Internet is biased? How can I determine the reliability of resources used by Internet site authors? Related resources and tutorials Bing User Guide: How to use Bing http://www.nirmaltv.com/2009/06/01/bing-detailed-user-guide Information about the Bing search engine http://help.live.com/help.aspx?project=wl_searchv1&market=enUS&querytype=keyword&query=egapemoh&domain=www.bing.com:80 Windows Live SkyDrive http://skydrive.live.com/ “Validity – Student worksheet 4: Wikipedia student worksheet” and “Validity – Teacher demo – Wikipedia: Wikipedia overview” See the “Mechanics of effective searching” lesson plans for ideas and guidelines. See the “Citing web sources” lesson plans for ideas and guidelines. Closure and reflection Questions for closure and student reflection when reviewing student activity and learning: How can you determine the reliability of sources used by authors of Internet sites? What are some questions you can ask yourself to determine if information located on the Internet is biased? Why is it important to identify the reliability of sources used by the author of an Internet site? Why is it important to determine if information on an Internet site is biased? Teacher reflection questions Were there any unforeseen management issues? Which elements of the lesson were effective? Which elements of the lesson should be adjusted for next time? Will students be able to complete this type of lesson more independently next time? What obstacles did students encounter in answering the questions related to bias and resources used by Internet sites? Supplementary materials “Validity - Student handout 1: Questions to identify validity and reliability of Internet sites” “Validity – Student worksheet 3: Bias and sources” Visit us on the web at www.microsoft.com/education/criticalthinking. Microsoft, Bing, Internet Explorer, SkyDrive, and Windows Live are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. © 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.