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Evaluating Digital Resources. Contemporary Information Literacy. Front Page New York Times 25 April 2006. Apology New York Times 21 May 2006.
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Evaluating Digital Resources Contemporary Information Literacy
Apology New York Times 21 May 2006 • “Despite an immediate public denial by Airbus, the stand-up seat idea stood uncorrected for a week. And so, as often happens with nearly unbelievable stories, this one took on a life of its own. The concept grabbed headlines in scores of publications around the world and was even incorporated into illustrations on the cover of The New Yorker and on The Times's Op-Ed page.”
Apology New York Times 21 May 2006 • "And the suggestion that an Airbus A380 with stand-up seats "could conceivably fit in 853 passengers" should have also raised questions. Just four weeks earlier, an [article in The New York Times] edited by Ms. Messinger had made clear that an A380 filled with regular coach seats was capable of carrying 853 passengers."
The change in cognitive authority Author Credentials Publisher Authority Library or School Distribution
The change in cognitive authority Group Recom-mendations Previous Experience w/ Source Perceived Authority Author Reputation Author And Site Associations Findability
Or is it really a change? • The New York Times and the RMS Titanic • CBS News and the London Blitz • Television News and the Kennedy Assassination • Reuters and the Lincoln Assassination • Penny Newspapers and the Mexican War
Radio had already built some trust as news source CBS + London CBS employed some print journalists Group Recom-mendations Previous Experience w/ Source Neighbors and Coworkers discussed broadcasts Perceived Authority Author Reputation Murrow builds his rep broadcast by broadcast Author And Site Associations + Steadily, his “facts” were proved “true” Findability Easy Availability of radios
What’s this mean? • How do your students “know” something is true? • Is it the same way you “know”? • Is it the same way your Board of Ed “knows”?
What’s this mean? • How do I train “information intelligence”? • Isn’t my filter important? • What do I do at what age?
What not to do… • http://www.allaboutexplorers.com/teachers
Are all books good sources? • Are all newspapers good sources?
Critical • Can you find this fact in other places? • Are other things this source says believable? • Are there citations and connections? • To where? • What is the agenda of this author/publisher? • What do people I trust think?
Source Discovery • Hoover Institute • Brookings Institution • Center for American Progress • Manhattan Institute • The Guardian • Wall Street Journal
Ideas • Truth is always complicated • In a dispute, are there agreed on facts? • If not, is there a “neutral point of view”? • We are responsible for understanding the stories we hear.
Start Points • Trials • Difference between witnesses and hearsay • Differences between witnesses • Are police always believable? • What makes us trust one story more than another?
Start Points • Impossibles? • McDonald’s v. Burger King v. Wendy’s (v. Subway?) • Mets v. Yankees • Canadians v. Maple Leafs • Mustang v. Camaro • Favorite TV Shows
Training Doubters • Current technology allows us to challenge ideas in real time, to look things up, to compare answers. • Use of these technologies in your classroom will train critical thinking in ways otherwise close to impossible.
Resources • The Essential Skill of Crap Detecting • Teaching about Controversial Issues • Elementary School – The Morningside Center • Middle School – The Morningside Center • High School – The Morningside Center
irasocol@gmail.com http://speedchange.blogspot.com Evaluating Digital Resources Contemporary Information Literacy