Are your students quick to accept information they find online without critical review and validation? There are some wonderful websites you can integrate into lessons that teach students how to be critical information consumers. Here are some great examples:

• Learn about the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide (If you can't figure out what this is, email me and I'll give you a hint!)
• Consider investing in a revolutionary new biotechnology defense system
• Find fascinating facts about explorers
• Watch a video about the evolution of beauty
• Discover the technology behind Google's powerful search engine

As a teacher, you should also be aware of the spoof videos and misinformation found on popular websites such as YouTube and Unclycopedia (a spoof site of Wikipedia that lets anyone say anything, unfortunately often with rude language).

Be sure to visit CyberSMART's lesson plans on research and information fluency. These grade level lessons (grades K-12) provide ready-made worksheets and vetted websites to teach students how to use the internet efficiently, appropriately, and critically.

TMI? Improving Students' Research Practices
When your students need to locate information do they start with Google or Wikipedia? Do they have difficulty filtering through all the information on the Internet to find what is really valuable and credible? In this presentation, I define the information literacy skills and offer strategies to help students research more effectively. Move your students' research experience from TMI (too much information) to TRI (the right information). 

The resources from this session are available online.

If you can't see the presentation above, click this link to access it in a new window.