Searching+&+Validating

= = =**Welcome**=


 * Teaching Zack to Think: Developing Critical Thinking Skills **

Too many students are not sure how to separate fact from fiction on the Internet. The Internet can provide any version of the truth to support almost any belief. We can teach students how to read the “grammar” of the Internet and to apply strategies to validate information on a website. This popular session provides step-by-step teaching tips that help students and teachers think critically about Internet information and improve their online search strategies.

Search ====Activity - Basic Google Search vs. Advanced Search Groups assigned to research topics using basic search and then advanced search. 100 tips==== ====Effective Search Practices ==== -Ozone depletion in Australia from a government website (Not sure, try this.) -A presentation file that is related to your subject matter and from universities in the U.S. (Not sure, try this.) -A black and white image that's labeled for reuse to download on to your computer. (Not sure, go here.)
 * Develop a search plan.
 * Teach students to use advanced search techniques. Try Wonderwheel Related Search
 * Teach students to use more advanced and more specialized search engines. (Give Ask.com,Answers.com, Noodletools and Boolify IvyJoy a try.)
 * //Activity//: Use advanced search techniques to find the following:

See also www.morguefile.com for creative commons images. Thanks from Leigh Ann Jones. Find another class doing the same novel study from another country, get your kids to see what that class is doing, engage with that class in a debate. e.g. Wuthering heights Conduct a search site:sch.uk "Wuthering Heights" or site:ac.za "Wuthering Heights" to Compare the impact of Wuthering Heights in different cultures.

====Validating Resources - Get REAL: 4 Steps to Validating Information====
 * R = Read the URL (e.g. The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus: [])
 * E = Examine the Content
 * A = Ask about the Author and Owner (e.g. look up **martinlutherking.org** on www.easywhois.com)
 * L = Look at the Links
 * //Activity//: Use the REAL Steps to validate these websites.

Website Validation (REAL)
> Wayback Machine - [|http://archive.com] > Use the **Link:** command (Yahoo, AltaVista, Google);[|http://www.backlinkwatch.com] ||
 * [[image:ascdtx2010:get_real.png height="62" align="center" caption="get_real.png"]] ||
 * get_real.png ||
 * **Read the URL:**
 * What is the base URL (domain and extension)?
 * Country Codes -[|http://goes.gsfc.nasa.gov]
 * Is the site sponsored/hosted by a trusted organization?
 * Is it a personal page?*
 * Is it published using a free web hosting service?* || **Examine the content:**
 * Does the site appear useful for your purpose?
 * Does the information appear accurate and complete?
 * How does it compare to other resources on the same topic?
 * Are sources cited? Can you verify key information?
 * What is the purpose of the site (inform, persuade, entertain?)
 * When was the site last updated?*
 * How has the site changed over time?
 * Are there ads on the page? Does that affect the credibility? ||
 * **Ask about the author**
 * Who wrote the site? Do they provide credentials?
 * Look for "About." Google the author/owner.
 * Is there a way to contact the author?
 * Who owns the site? Easy Whois -[] || **Look at the links:**
 * What does the page or site link to (credible/trusted sources)?
 * What links to this site?
 * The implications/importance of these criteria will vary depending on the topic and purpose.

REAL Video Series (Brian Mull) - []

Sites to Examine

 * Martin Luther King - A True Historical Examination - []
 * All About Explorers - [|http://www.allaboutexplorers.com]
 * Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus - []
 * World Trade Organization - []
 * RYT Medical Center - [|http://www.rythospital.com]
 * McWhortle Enterprises - []
 * Snopes.com - []
 * the Onion - [] (Not for kids!)
 * Search Engine - [|http://www.wolframalpha.com]

Dig in to Google
>> (EXAMPLE **site:** American Memory - [|http://memory.loc.gov] / Harlem Renaissance) >> (EXAMPLE **phrase** "to be or not to be" shakespeare >> (EXAMPLE **filetype:** "very hungry caterpillar" filetype:pdf cut out) >> (EXAMPLE **boolean** hamster AND/OR gerbil "class pet") >> (EXAMPLE domain .gov .uk. >> (EXAMPLE stemming >> (EXAMPLE related terms > Use Google search technology to search the human-edited Open Directory
 * Google Search Features - [] ; Basics Help | Advanced Help
 * Advanced Search
 * Narrow your Search: Phrase | Boolean (AND/OR/NOT) | Domain/Extension | Filetype | Date
 * Advanced Operator Cheat Sheet - []
 * U. S. Top-level Domains: .com, ,org, .net, .edu, .gov, .mil)
 * URL Country Codes - [|http://goes.gsfc.nasa.gov]
 * ACTIVITY: Do a search for your favorite (or curricular) topic and see how far you can improve the results using the techniques above.
 * SEARCH TIP: Include the "thing you are looking for" with your search terms, e.g. "lesson plan, " "timeline" or "podcast."
 * Google Search Options Panel: News | Books | Videos | Related Searches | Timeline | Wonderwheel
 * Reframing Google Search Options Joyce Valenza []
 * Directory - []
 * Directory - []

Search Smarter

 * Tools for Search wiki (Joyce Valenza) - http://toolsforsearch.wikispaces.com/ (MUST SEE resource!)
 * Boolify - []
 * Delicious - [|http://delicious.com] - Search users' public bookmarks to find resources on any topic.
 * Twitter as a Real-time search Tool - []
 * CommonCraft: Web Search Strategies //in Plain English// - []
 * How to Choose a Search Tool - []
 * Select the Best Search Tool -[]
 * Search Lessons from Google for Educators - []
 * LifeHacker - []

What About Wikipedia?

 * Wikipedia Classroom Uses
 * Starting point to: gain background knowledge, build search terms, locate resources / cited materials.
 * Building Legacy (Wikipedia School Projects) - []
 * Simple English Wikipedia - []
 * Edutopia article - []
 * Why does it rate so high in Google searches?
 * PageRank - inbound links (other sites link to it; it links to itself), quality of search terms, clicks (users go there)
 * How reliable is it?
 * The value of the [Talk] page.
 * Crowdsourced info / Many eyes monitoring (RSS feeds)
 * Wikiality - []
 * Seigenthaler Incident - []

===Web Literacy & Critical Thinking Resources=== 1. Read the URL; What the page links to (outgoing links)
 * NL Information Literacy Resources - []
 * Internet Detective - [] (this is good for HS and adults)
 * Web Evaluation for Inquiry Projects (David Jakes) - []
 * FactcheckED.org: Credibility Challenge - []
 * Crap Detection 101 (Howard Rheingold) - []
 * Critical Thinking: What is it anyway - []
 * eMints Evaluating & Using Internet Resources -[]

2. Examining page content, Ads on the page

3. Author (search name on Google) http://easywhois.com Wayback Machine at [|http://archive.com]

3. Links In (link: command; it's better to use Yahoo than Google for this [|https://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com] )

Credibility Challenge - [] Rheingold Crap Detection 101 - [] Critical Thinking: What is it anyway -[] []


 * Real or Hoax? **

Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus - [] Museum of Hoaxes - [] [] Internet Detective - [] (this is good for HS and adults) My strategy for teaching Web Evaluation []

Why does it rate so high in Google searches? - TrustRank - Links (internal and external) - PageRank (click rates)
 * Wikipedia **

How reliable is it? The value of the [Talk] page. Crowdsourced info President Barack Obama has said that “we import more oil today than ever before” – but do we? How can you find out? http://factchecked.org/ check Wikipedia lesson - Stephen Colber t; "good enough"

=Advanced Searching= ====Activity - Basic Google Search vs. Advanced Search Groups assigned to research topics using basic search and then advanced search. 100 tips==== ====Effective Search Practices ==== -Ozone depletion in Australia from a government website (Not sure, try this.) -A presentation file that is related to your subject matter and from universities in the U.S. (Not sure, try this.) -A black and white image that's labeled for reuse to download on to your computer. (Not sure, go here.)
 * Develop a search plan.
 * Teach students to use advanced search techniques. Try WonderwheelRelated Search
 * Teach students to use more advanced and more specialized search engines. (Give Ask.com,Answers.com, Noodletools and BoolifyIvyJoy a try.)
 * //Activity//: Use advanced search techniques to find the following:

See also www.morguefile.com for creative commons images. Thanks from Leigh Ann Jones. Find another class doing the same novel study from another country, get your kids to see what that class is doing, engage with that class in a debate. e.g. Wuthering heights Conduct a search site:sch.uk "Wuthering Heights" or site:ac.za "Wuthering Heights" to Compare the impact of Wuthering Heights in different cultures.

====Validating Resources - Get REAL: 4 Steps to Validating Information====
 * R = Read the URL (e.g. The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus:[])
 * E = Examine the Content
 * A = Ask about the Author and Owner (e.g. look up **martinlutherking.org**on www.easywhois.com)
 * L = Look at the Links
 * //Activity//: Use the REAL Steps to validate these websites.

November Learning - Information Literacy Resources

====**__Tips:__** Get around blocked sites**. If you are having problems getting around a blocked site, just type “cache:website address” with website address being the address of the blocked site to use Google’s cached copy to get where you are going.**==== ====- * is the "wild card". For example, if you are using advanced search and you want to search k12 schools across the US, use k12.*.us in the //Search within a site or domain:// field. ====