Finding+out

=**Finding out**=
 * Google searching **

= = = @Information Literacy = This series of tasks will link through to the 21cstudent wiki.

===**S** tudent task 1: How to search the Internet effectively?=== The first task is called 'All About Explorers'. When the students visit the site they will be researching explorers. Some of the pages have bogus information where students will soon realise that the information given cannot possibly be true. Teacher lesson plans are included on the site. I've also copied them to this page.

Lesson Plans
 * < **[|Just Because It's Out There Doesn't Mean It's Good] **
 * < **[|Just Because It's Out There Doesn't Mean It's Good] **

Students go on an Internet treasure hunt to find information about a famous world explorer. They compare information from two different sites to come to a conclusion about whether they can trust all Internet sources. ||
 * < **[|So How Do You Find the Good Stuff?] **

Students are taught about the difference between publishing a book and posting a web site, emphasizing the selectivity of the publishing process. The "1 - 2 - 3" approach to researching on the Internet is introduced. Students then get a chance to try out the first two steps. ||
 * < **[|Google, What?] **

In this lesson, search engines are introduced in more detail. Emphasis is placed on the fact that these are collections rather than selections and that there are no humans involved in the collection process. Students explore some search engines to see the differences in results. ||
 * < **[|Where Exactly Am I?] **

Students learn about how to decode a URL and that it is the address for locating a web page. They also learn how to begin evaluating a site based on the top level domain (e.g. .com, .org, or .edu), as well as a few other tricks for determining the quality of the site. ||
 * < **[|How Could They Be So Wrong?] **

Students research the correct facts and draft an email to the All About Explorers site webmaster to fix the mistakes they discovered in Lesson 1. ||


 * Searching for information effectively and knowing what makes a good website. **