Question:
Both as part of a required professional development plan and to improve my library
program, I am designing lessons to teach my high school students how to search more
effectively and how to evaluate sites, including Wikipedia. I am also going to
include a teacher education component.
I will need lessons that can be taught briefly and/or on the fly. My teachers
won't give me much class time to teach the kids. (They are all crazed about State
tests.) My students don't know much about information literacy, despite their
thinking they are computer expersts. I will be
working with the AASL standards.All suggestions for lesson ideas etc for kids and
teachers welcome.
Responses:
In preparing a similar lesson for one of my teachers' classes, I Googled "website
evaluation" and found several excellent sites at different levels (from jr hi to
university.) Some have interactive components. There are quite a few that are about
evaluating a website concerning structure and usability, and some that want to sell
the service of evaluating your website. (In itself a lesson on how Googling it may
not be quite the easy way to do it!) Anyway, I found enough to do the trick
for me.
Not sure website evaluation is something that can be taught on the fly. It
requires some in depth explanation and student practice. Perhaps instead you can
design a website for the teachers that explains website evaluation, with
worksheets to download, or design some sort of online tutorial that teachers (or
students) can access at any point when it is needed?
This site was presented in a Library Youth Services course I'm taking. The creator
gave us permission to spread the word and share the resources. Hope it helps you.
http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/library/computerlit/index.html
While evaluating different search engines today, my freshman students chose their
own search term to help them determine the effectiveness of different search
engines. I like to have them use searches such as "blue suede shoes", "ruby
slippers", "deer mouse" and the like to learn
to narrow their searches and also to see how different search engines handle the
request. One group today used "Air Force One" which of course is a plane, but is
also a) a Nike shoe style and b) a song. Very creative on the kids' part! We also
used "sacred land", a topic the freshmen are researching, which can refer to
Native American sites but also is the title of a computer game. It's nice to have
some new (and relevant to the students) topics to search. I love this stuff!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Joanne Shawhan
Library Media Specialist
Cobleskill-Richmondville High School
1353 State Route 7--PO Box 490
Richmondville NY 12149
(518)234-3565 x1151, 1152
(518) 234-9006 (fax)
jshawhan@nycap.rr.com
shawhanj@crcs.k12.ny.us
http://www.crcs.k12.ny.us/lib/hs/index.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings
by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
* LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
* LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
* EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/sub/
* LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LM_NET
Mailing List Home