Technology
This is the place to post ideas about teaching technology skills, including web site evaluation, online searching skills, using online databases, etc.
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Court case web evaluation
Grades: 5-8
I combined resources from lessons printed in two library magazines to create a 3-session unit on web evaluation for fifth graders. For session one, we studied the anatomy of a URL and domains and discussed how we could use domain information to help us determine potential bias and credibility of a site. I used a student reproducible called “Understanding the URL Address” from the December 2005 issue of Library Sparks, page 20 (from the article “How to Analyze Online Sources” by Karen Larsen, pages 17-23). For session two, we did a great role play activity from “Who’s the Judge? Evaluating Internet Sites” by Barbara Antis from the May 2006 issue of School Library Media Activity Monthly, pages 11-14. This lesson teaches kids the importance of determining credibility and bias of a web site. After the role playing exercise, we moved on to evaluating an actual web site. I used the Website Evaluation Guide from the same May 2006 issue of SLMAM, page 13, and demonstrated how to evaluate a website based on the guide. We went through the entire process together using the guide and by putting a website up on the projector so everyone could see it. We looked at the bogus site “Ban DHMO: Dihydrogen Monoxide!" http://descy.50megs.com/descy/webcred/webcred/dhmo.html. Many of the students were stunned when they found out it was a bogus site. We talked about how anyone can put information on the web and how important it is for us to evaluate information instead of blindly believing it, how the web is different than a book that goes through an editing process, etc. For session three of this lesson, I partnered kids up and assigned them each a website to evaluation using the guide from SLMAM. This three-session unit was effective for my fifth graders in teaching the importance of evaluating credibility and other assets of a website.
web sites for eval - bogus.rtf
web sites for eval - bogus.pdf
submitted by: Amy Brownlee, K-12 LMS
Sterling USD #376
As I mentioned during your session at conference, one of my favorite hoax sites to use with elementary students in grades 4-6 is the Buydehydratedwater site. It is so believeable to students when they see the home page because most of them don't take the time to think about what "dehydrated water" could possibly mean. I take the students through the first page of the web site and then give them time to look at the rest of the site and then we usually have a very lively discussion about the site. Check it out. buydehydratedwater.com
Submitted by: Lou Brewer, K-6 LMS
lbrewer@usd309ks.org
Nickerson USD309
Kan-Ed Education Desktop Orientation
Grades: 3-8
To introduce the features of Kan-Ed Education Desktop, I presented orientation lessons to grades 3-8. For younger students, I introduced the concept of a periodical database like Kids Search and introduced World Book Online. I also walked them through NetTrekker. For older students, I taught them to use the Backpack feature, which many of them use to move files between school and home. Below is the handout I gave the elementary students in rtf (feel free to customize it for your school if you’d like). Of course students can now access the databases without passwords through IP recognition at http://skyways.lib.ks.us/kansas/KSL/ and there’s a great list of all the databases with descriptions at http://www2.kumc.edu/SLK/resource.asp?myses=4731748&cuid=ksuc&cusrvr=muses with a great section at the top left labeled “Best for Kids.”
submitted by: Amy Brownlee, K-12 LMS
Sterling USD #376
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