Scenario 2:
A 10th grade social class at Fluria high school is currently working on a research report focusing on the theme of time, continuity, and change. Students are expected to use a number of resources, such as the library and Internet (many students are using the Internet). There is a class discussion about each of the reports the students have finished. One young girl is writing a paper about how easy human cloning is. When questioned by her teacher, she explained how she had found numerous websites that support this point.
Questions:
1. What is the problem the teacher is facing?
Students must be able to discern what the purpose of each website is. Is the information being posted objectively, or is the information being posted to try and persuade the reader to conform to its opinions? We, as educators, can teach students to easily check the legitimacy to their source by using a multi-search engine, such as profusion. Additionally, teachers can show students how the use of “users” or “~” in a URL indicates a personal homepage. Just like in books, a one-authored work is less likely to be accurate than that with many sources.
2. What responsibilities does the teacher have in this scenario?
Teachers must guide students in weighing the pros and cons of individual issues, rather than jumping on the bandwagon of someone else’s opinions. Teaching students to think critically about the topic will prevent students that enter the real world only as conformists. It is the age-old question of doing what you think is right, as opposed to doing what everyone else conforms to thinking is right. Think for yourself.
3. What strategies are available to help educate both the teachers and the students to be critical and responsible users of the Internet?
Students should have access to the laws that govern acceptable use of the internet. They should know the classroom’s AUP. They should be given sites that may guide them rather than be given free reign over the internet. They should be made aware of their responsibilities as a citizen, including those of a responsible user of the World Wide Web.