Web Search Methods

Any writing I have done in the last several years did not make good use of all that the internet has to offer because I didn't know how to make full use of web features to help me find information. I am really just learning about web features like bloglines, delicious, etc. I use databases quite a bit when I am collecting information. I also encourage my students to make use of databases. For me, the U of M provides me access to excellent databases. For my students, our high school provides subscriptions to many databases that prove helpful in their collection of information. In terms of credibility, I try to stick to scholarly writing which has been peer-evaluated. I am also able to determine the validity of a basic website pretty easily. Whether it is a .org or .com site, there is usually somewhere to access information about the creator of the site. By going to one or two other sites about the creator, it is usually pretty evident whether the creator is credible or not. I have never really used any online sites for help with categorizing or organizing the information that I have. This summer I had my first experience with bloglines. My students are just now setting up their blogs and once they feel comfortable with them, I want to introduce them to bloglines. The web is so full of information that I think it can be intimidating. Also, as mentioned in the course text, students often stop researching too early, or get too much information. Subscribing to sites and blogs on bloglines will help students bring the information to them so they can spend more time making decisions about validity and usefulness. If I can get them to the point where they can tag their sites and collaborate with each other in that process, then I think they will be able to make better use of the information that comes to them. I am starting early this year with my sophomores talking about credible sources. I'm hoping that by the time we get to writing the major research paper of the year, that my students have a good understanding of the need to validate information so they will make use of internet resources.