Wednesday, May 13, 2009
520 wk 1
This course has started off pretty well. I missed most of the first class because I was attending an awards dinner with my students. I did catch the end and was able to get a pretty good picture of the assignments for this week. The focus on evaluating internet resources is a great activity. Using the forms provided in the wiki and creating my own really allowed me some time to think about how I evaluate web information. These tools will be very useful when assigning course work that students can use the internet as a resource. Many people may not be aware when they are doing internet research that some sites have a bias or an agenda that skews the information they provide. These types of influences can prevent students from doing effective internet research. It is the same as when we used books and magazines as our only sources. If I was writing a paper on gun control, the NRA would definitely have something to say, and their information may be valid, but you can bet that it will have a pro-gun slant. Being able to determine the validity of the source is important no matter what type of media you are using.
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Determining the validity of a source IS so important to our students these days. I was just having a conversation in anatomy class about what veal is and where it comes from (how its raised) and we did some surfing for additional info. The first site that popped up had horrible photos and descriptions of the awful conditions - my students were outraged and vowed never to eat meat again as all cattle farmers were evil. And then (teachable moment) I found the source of the site - PETA... we continued searching and found other sites with a very different slant. Just another example of needing to teach our students to take a second look and investigate farther.
ReplyDeleteThe real question is how do students recognize bias when their experience and knowledge is pretty localized. I am challenged to find a form that will help students with that bias; or, at least a resource that will help them hone in on them. This assignment really helped me realize how important my role in the classroom is as far as helping students filter through this information.
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