To make this even more complicated we have been bombarded with “fake” news. Free web-sites are available to anyone with a device and an internet connection. For every legitimate site on the web, there are 20 more with false, misleading, or incomplete information. Some are done intentionally to get page views and some are done for political and/or personal reasons. This is a problem in education because as Maloy (2016) said "for many online searchers, research means using Google, consulting Wikipedia, or viewing YouTube and then reporting what they find as factual information," (Digital Literacy in an Information Age section, para. 2).
How does a teacher reliably sort through all of this material to determine what would make a reliable online text? Having a formal professional looking page like the source page for the video above does not prove anything. It can lead to a complex and almost impossible scenario. Even “scholarly” journals are not immune. According to an article in the Washington Post “A “peer review and citation ring” was apparently rigging the review process to get articles published,” (Barbash 2014). Teachers should encourage their students to check other sources and to research sources and citations before choosing web-texts as facts.
Hicks (2013) stated in that “we need to invite them to think clearly about both content and form,” (p. 33). Appropriate web text should be more than a Word document with a URL, but less than a glitzed up fan page with hundreds of links, pictures and videos. Hicks (2013) described these as “digitally convenient or digitally enhanced,” (p. 34).
Finding appropriate web based text is only part of the battle; we must also model and teach how to create a good web text. There are numerous sites and videos out there ready to help you create a dazzling site that pops and stands out from the crowd.
We must remember that we do not want our web text to put the reader to sleep or to give them a seizure. Just because we have five hundred links and thousands of photos and gifs on our topic of choice, we do not have to put them all on our site. We must model and instruct the best practices and not rely strictly on a keyword search on our favorite search engine.
Barbash, F. (2014, July 10). Scholarly journal retracts 60 articles, smashes ‘peer review ring’. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/10/scholarly-journal-retracts-60-articles-smashes-peer-review-ring/?utm_term=.b2c7342e17f1
Hicks, T., (2013). Crafting Digital Writing: Composing Texts Across Media and Genres. T. Antao (Ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Maloy, R. (2016). Commentary: Building web research strategies for teachers and students. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 16 (2). Retrieved from http://www.citejournal.org/volume-16/issue-2-16/social-studies/commentary-building-web-research-strategies-for-teachers-and-students
NewMediaRanch (2015, January 10). How to Write Good Copy For The Web [Video file]. Retreived from https://youtu.be/X83Co6GidBY.
Video courtesy of www.theonion.com. Retrieved from http://www.theonion.com/video/how-us-schools-can-improve-math-education-54594
Wes,
ReplyDeleteAs an educator, it is extremely hard to make sure students are using accurate web resources when developing assignments. With the influx of "fake news," as of late, that task has become even more difficult. Teachers who have students research topics online, must "teach young people to be critical of everything they read and take the time to cross-check what they find" (Hertz, 2016, para. 4). Take a look at the link in the reference below. The article has several valuable resources and techniques for determining bias, opinions, or fake information. I believe the ideas in that article are helpful for teaching digital citizenship.
Hertz, M. (December 21, 2016). Battling fake news in the classroom. Edutopia.
Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/battling-fake-news-classroom-mary-beth-hertz
Hey, Wes! Your blog looks so professional. I love it. I also like the point you make about fake news on the internet. This is becoming more and more of a problem. While we must teach our students to be good digital citizens, we must also make them aware that anyone can put anything on the internet, true or not. We must help them see the importance of only publishing good, true work. Hicks tells us that "we must find good examples of digital writing" (2013, p. 7). We then should provide these good examples to our students.
ReplyDeleteWesley, I love the color scheme of the site. Its hard for me to read the text over the picture. That just means I need to pay attention very closely for what the text says. I appreciate how you to the make up of digital writing. Talk about correct and reliable sources and the teachers responsibility to mirror such behavior. I always live by the motto, if I wont do it then I will never make you do it in my room. We must be role models to our students, especially in the realm of technology. Plus it is good practice. “teachers who are more technically proficient, use technology for professional productivity" (Hicks 2013).
ReplyDeleteHicks, T. (2013) Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.