My presentation today is based on the validation strategy offered by Alan November, who is a senior partner of November Learning. November Learning is dedicated towards supporting and challenging teachers and students to expand the boundaries of learning. This strategy uses the acronym REAL! We will cover this strategy shortly.
Today’s students live in a high tech environment and it is important that we teachers TEACH them practical & usable methods as they “surf” the Internet. Students need to be taught the “How to’s” of evaluating a site on the Internet. They should ask themselves these questions: Does this site make sense? Is this site written in simple and clear language? Is the tone of the site calm and logical Is the site perhaps manipulating me in regards to its message?
HS/MS student—researching the Holocaust—http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~abutz/di/intro.html Came upon an interesting site written by Professor Arthur Butz of Northwestern University His website suggests that concentration camps were an attempt by German gov’t to help Jews fight typhus carried by lice Death camps were really medical clinics Doesn’t deny shaving and showers, canisters of Zyklon gas, the crematoria and death. Explains these as necessary actions for the eradication of lice. Web page was simple/clear/written in calm, logical tone From students perspective, page was intended for experts in field/professor from a premiere university. Therefore, must be ok. Student was untrained to think critically about Web information. So what should teachers do? Try the REAL Strategy!
Your ability to master this four step strategy is critical for the future success of your students. These tools and techniques should be passed along to your students if we are to have successful graduates of Amherst Central Schools.
Step 1 READ!!! Start with the URL. How many of you know what URL means? Universal Resource Locator. YOUR GOAL: To make judgments about web site information based on what the URL will tell you.
Domain names have to be paid for and registered. Network Solutions is the original domain name registrar and the leading provider of Internet services including: Web hosting, Web site design, online marketing, e-mail and more. Amherst is registered through School World in Rochester, NY. They also host our website.
We cannot say that these sites with these extensions can never by trusted, but it is good to know whether you are on a commercial or special interest-type site if you are trying to access academic-type information.
This site describes the Holocaust as an historic myth is no longer available at the original address. It is no longer available at the original address but it is available if you know how to research the history of a website.
Unlike print material, it is sometimes difficult to know if you are reading fiction, non-fiction, editorials or advertisements on the Internet. Therefore, you should teach your student to ask questions and think critically about the information on the computer screen
At first glance www.martinlutherking.org looks like it might be a good site for students to find information about him. The URL contains his name. Do a Google search on Martin Luther King and this site appears in the top five or six results, claiming it to be a “valuable resource for students and teachers.” However, read the material on the site and you will quickly find very negative and misleading information about Dr. King. It is published by a White Pride organization called Stormfront. In fact, it is a hate site and probably be blocked by many schools’ Internet filters. Ours are open today so we can research. Follow link!
If you study the site using the Wayback Machine, it is interesting to note that this site has become geared more and more toward students.
What types of sites the forward links are taking the student to. Are they academic, commercial or personal pages? READ THE EXTENSIONS!
Many credible authors will offer links to sites dealing with the same topic. Try for balance! If forward links lead to questionable information, you probably are reading biased info.
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