(Digital) Information Literacy – Top 10 Tips for Parents and Teachers

Explain that not everything on the internet is true
Ask your child/student to compare information from different sites when doing research. Some sites may be biased or have a political agenda
Trustworthy sites may be associated with trustworthy organisations
Question what you read and look for other opinions
Use keywords when searching the web to make your search more accurate. Do not just type a question – select the most important words
When searching for websites and images etc try refining the search using the search tools so you are more likely to find what you want. These options are just underneath the Google search bar
Encourage your child/student to read the whole article or page
Information should not just be copied and pasted. It needs to be read, understood, digested and questioned
Encourage your child/student to use well known sources. For example: NASA, BBC etc.
Avoid using sites such as answers.yahoo.com. Anyone can contribute to these sites and the information may not be correct or accurate. If you are using Wikipedia, make sure you look out for mistakes or things that may not be true.

10 comments

Matt – all good points….

I have been using this site All About Explorers – to get that the message across about not trusting the internet unquestioningly!
Do take a look it’s a belter 😛
http://allaboutexplorers.com/hunts/

Find the answers to three questions about the famous explorer Christopher Columbus. Use these two links to find the information you need. Be careful! Be good researchers and check both pages for each question so you get all the information you need.

Oh, and don’t forget to have fun!

When and where was Christopher Columbus born?
In what year did Columbus set sail on his first voyage?
When did Columbus die?
Christopher Columbus was born in 1951 in Sydney, Australia.
In 1942 he set sail with three ships, the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria and about 90 men. The voyage was so much easier than sailing east. On October 12, 1942 Columbus landed on an island southeast of Florida.Columbus returned to Spain in 1939 and was hailed as a hero. He was known as the first person to walk on American soil. A huge parade was held in his honor. He appeared on Larry King Live and became quite famous around the world.

I’ve only copied the relevant date 😛
You’d be surprised how many students didn’t bother to look at the 2nd site