Critical+Thinking

__Critical Thinking on the Web __ = What do our students today need? = >
 * Elementary/Middle
 * Middle/Secondary
 * 1) Literacy **as we know it** is not enough. There is a new grammar and a new literacy that students must understand and develop so they foster in today's society.
 * 2) Students need to have access to learning on their terms; this is how they learn best today.
 * 3) We should be putting more responsibility and ownership on our students.
 * 4) Students need opportunities to do **real work** with **real purpose** for **real people**.

= Fact or Fiction =

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 * http://www.thedogisland.com
 * @http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
 * @http://www.bigredhair.com/robots/index.html
 * @http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html
 * http://www.golfcross.com
 * @http://martinlutherking.org/

= = = Finding Information =

Typical web-based information gathering:
 * Get on Google
 * Type in a word or two
 * Scan the first page or two of results
 * Find what's needed or try again

The problems with this method Write a paper on the octopus Why was the Berlin Wall built?
 * The best results aren't always at the top - Search Engine Design
 * Poorly stated assignments - Need for rubrics!
 * No search strategy or little knowledge of techniques
 * Might not be using the **best tool** for the job

Other tools available:
 * AltaVista
 * Answers.com
 * Ask.com
 * NoodleTools
 * NoodleQuest
 * Boolify
 * Creative Commons

When these problems are addressed, research can become more focused and productive.

__** Google's not a BAD choice. But, how should it be used? **__

Researching Octopus vs Something particular about the Statue of Liberty

Google's Advanced Search
 * Country Codes
 * Root Zone Database
 * Must teach about using Boolean operators
 * Note: site:k12.*.us


 * Let's look at some other particular searches. **

Find census data from the US for 2000

Find information about Haiku coming from Japan in English

Narrow a search about Mars to k12 resources written by NASA

Cancer research from universities in New Zealand

Information on sea turtles from K12 schools in the U.S.

= Validating Information =

The R.E.A.L Strategy
__ R = Read the URL __


 * Domain name and extensions; Directory of pages?
 * Punctuation of the web? Is it a personal page?
 * @http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~abutz/di/intro.html
 * @http://web.archive.org/web/20041012180151/pubweb.northwestern.edu/~abutz/di/intro.html

__ E = Examine the content __ [|The Wayback: Machine] Tree Octopus

__ A = Ask about the author and owner __ easyWhois

__ L = Look at the links __ > __ Utilizing the REAL strategy: __
 * Who does the site link OUT to?
 * What do other sites say about the information on the site?
 * What is the purpose of the link?
 * Who is linked to the web site?
 * Use the "link:" command to examine the external links from any site
 * Dihydrogen Monoxide
 * Gleanwhois

__Primary sources:__ When you have two conflicting sources; go to the primary source! THAT is your third source. Ear Mouse Primary Source

=Other tools=

Do we really need to teach them how to do APA and MLA formatting?
 * Citing references - NoodleTools and EasyBib (works with Google Apps for Educator accounts)
 * Bookmarking and sharing - Diigo and Delicious
 * Note taking - Evernote, Google Docs, TypeWith.me

=Be aware of Filter Bubbles=

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=*Remember*= NO ONE who ever bought a drill wanted a drill; they wanted a hole!
 * Show students VARIOUS resources and teach them WHEN to use WHICH ones.
 * Use the same terminology throughout classrooms (Authoritative websites, primary resources, Operators: Site:, Filetype:)
 * Common Core standards are all about weaving these life long skills into the curriculum
 * Kids are NOT Digital Natives, they just aren't scared and they are used to getting information immediately; they need work ethic.
 * YouTube is a place they go to learn the "how-to" for things; but they rarely use it to look up information for school. Why?
 * Practice, practice, practice until it becomes habit! Daily Media Literacy Question of the day from CNN


 * Resources and ideas borrowed from a bunch of folks, including, but not limited to: Brian Mull, Shannon McClintock Miller, Jim Wenzloff, and Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano.