How do we educate our students about the validity of the information that is on the web?

As an English teacher, I recommend doing research to prove validity.  The internet is a 
                                    wealth of information.  However, every grape on the vine is not sweet.
                                    
                                    I have done research essays using only the web for sources.  Students were able to 
                                    discern the validity of sites through trial and error with me, or trust their own judgement 
                                    on whether or not the biographical information on Mark Twain was accurate on the site 
                                    they were taking notes from. 
                                    

We must inform our students that not all the information they find on the web is 
                                    accurate.  They need to make sure they compare the information they find with another 
                                    trusted source, especially when using the information in a report.  Students must know 
                                    that they can't trust everything they see on the web.  Teachers can give students 
                                    examples of trustworthy websites as well as telling them what they should stay away 
                                    from. 
                                    

I tell my students that the sources have to have a copy right, name of the 
                                    author/organization and the year that was written. 
                                    

Alejandro, that is keeping it simple. I like it.
                                    

That is a very good tip...If they cannot write a bibliography containing this information, 
                                    then the site might be questionable.
                                    -Monica Cachu
                                    

We must make sure that our students know that not everything they read on the internet 
                                    is valid.  We should also provide them with the proper tools to evaluate each internet 
                                    source if we expect them to do this when writing papers or doing any kind of school 
                                    work.  I remember in high school the instructors telling us to look for the author of the 
                                    page, and any sponsored links because you want to make sure the information is 
                                    unbiased.
                                    

There are several ways to teach students to make sure of the validity of
                                    the information on the web. One way is to have them check for the
                                    author, and his creditablity. In other words make sure the information
                                    was not done by another student. Look for Phd. or "head of research ".
                                    An average students can post their research papers on the web and they
                                    sound authentic and may be accurate in most cases but they are not
                                    qualified as an authority for research.  Teachers can teach students to
                                    check the date of the information. Statistics change yearly in many
                                    cases and some information is not valid after five to ten years, like
                                    population size, or prices depending on the type of research is being
                                    done. You would not want to glean information about Lousiana's
                                    population using last years census report. It would also be wise to make
                                    sure the provider of the information qualifies to comment on that
                                    particular topic. For example, Joe X, reseach specialist for Kibbles and
                                    Bits, may not be a reliable source for information on the rising cost of
                                    dog food. He may have ulterior motives. Neither should he be quoted on
                                    his findings on, 'The causes for high school drop out among minorities'.
                                    Students should be made aware to make sure the author or source is
                                    qualified, matches the topic, and the date is within a reasonable time
                                    frame. 
                                    Sheila
                                    

As I was researching this topic, I was able to find many sites pertaining to the reliability and validity of information on the Internet. One site, http://www.nwlg.org/pages/ict/ict10_history.htm  provided various lessons that may aid students with determining what is valid and not valid information. Another site, http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/8133ch01.pdf offered in depth information and guidelines in order to test the validity of information. This site contains a book in pdf format.  The books chapters really focus on teaching students to become critical thinkers and gives them ways of identifying valid information.  One key point that I will share with my students is that they should view many different sites in order to check for consistencies.  We need to remind our students that just because they see the information on the screen, it doesn't mean it is true.  Espically if something pop's up and says "You just won a free         trip!"

-Monica Cachu

Alejandro, thank you for the tip! I never really thought about copyrights, authors, 
                                    organization , and year that was written. I will keep that in mind from now on. 
                                    
                                    Also, I remember a teacher of mine said once that web sites that end up in (edu, org and 
                                    gov) were well trusted web sites. The only one that cannot be fully trusted are the web 
                                    sites ending in ( com ) since anyone can make up a web page and post any type of work 
                                    or research. 
                                    

***********************************************************************************