Technology

Recently, I had a fruitful discussion with several colleagues about the technology and its use in the classroom. One of the questions that popped up was the selection of online resources. What are some strategies or resources to assist online users in critically assessing the credibility of a resource? With the abundance of information online, how can we determine which one is true?

As educators, we seem to have an underlying responsibility to guide and deliver knowledge as accurate as possible. At the very least, we should be able to strive towards that direction. In the past, I was not specifically taught as to how to assess information, the reason being the internet was barely starting up in the 1990s. Then in 2000s, it was a common household commodity, or so it seems. We were not directed instructed as to how to reference either. "Just follow the guidelines" or so forth. I think education is still catching up to the technological advancement.

To conclude:

• Evaluating (online) resources must be taught
• methods to reference must be taught

An Online Resource for critically assessing information is from Benedictine University "Evaluating Sources".

Benedictine University’s website provides a very descriptive explanation as to how the CRAAP Test can be applied. It consists of a video, PowerPoint slides, evaluation sheet, and checklist which you can apply to the classroom. For Everyday Adult ESL classes, this may be an overload of information; however, this can serve as a reminder for teachers to select appropriate and accurate information to support students’ learning.

The website has a list of questions that can be used when evaluating resources. Here is a PDF handout that can be used in class.

Reference

Kurpiel, S. (2019). Evaluating Sources: The CRAAP Test. Retrieved from https://researchguides.ben.edu/source-evaluation

[Western University]. (2012, January 13). Evaluating Sources [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyMT08mD7Ds