Textbooks, Wikipedia and Schooling

Think aloud from hrichards421

The ThinkAloud project was very eye-opening. It gave me some good resources to use when validating the reliability of a webpage. I bookmarked the pages, such as archive.org and easywhois.com, so that I could share these sites with my students when they are doing research. I feel like my ThinkAloud isn't very creative; however, it gets the point across. The website that I had originally found in researching about arming teachers with guns was a webpage that was geared to promote a "safe schools" business. This ThinkAloud helped me see that, when I probably would have accepted it as a reliable source of information.

It is important to provide students with information literacy skills in the digital age because things are not always what they appear. My article looked innocent in nature; however, when I looked into the background of the site and author, it revealed a commercial aspect to its information. It is important for students to be able to find the validity and reliability of a webpage/website. This project is a great learning experience for information literacy. Students would learn more about the reliability and validity of information through this project better than they would trying to learn information literacy skills through a textbook. This project gave me access to websites that helped prove or disprove the validity of websites, as well as see the history and background of the website. This delves deeper into using information literacy rather than reading a textbook and trying to research its validity or reliability of information. This is an authentic learning project that teaches information literacy skills instead of students just reading about how to gain information literacy skills.

1. How do you feel about using web-based resources instead of textbooks in school?

I believe that Web-based resources are just as reliable or valid as textbooks. With either resource, there can be flaws or errors. The only issue I foresee is the accessibility for web-based resources for students. Some students do not have access to the internet, except through school. However, if it is just using web-based materials like I do (grabbing lessons and projects online and turning them into paper-based activities for the students), then I agree that web-based resources is so much nicer to teach with than the traditional textbook.

2. What opportunities for the development of information literacy skills for students if they began to learn without textbooks?

There is so much information available on the Internet that students would have to learn information literacy skills in order to appropriately decipher and sift through all the information. Students have to be critical consumers of information in order to validate the reliability of the source. Students don’t do that with textbooks, but they would have to learn with web-based materials. They assume that what is in their textbooks are correct and factual. However, what they don’t know is that teachers often find at least one error in their textbooks that they use.

3. How do these articles change or support your stance on using Wikipedia as learning resources in the classroom? 

After reading the articles, it just emphasizes my opinion on using web-based resources instead of textbooks within the classroom. “Lessons become clearer when I link the topic to an issue that affects them personally” (Ruth, 2005). This is a lot easier to do with web-based materials. Teachers are freer to innovate and create relevant, real-world problems for their students. Within my own classroom, textbooks collect dust as I grab resources from the Internet to use with the class. The only thing that students use my textbooks for is when they need something to study right before an exam and want extra examples that they can’t get at home, because they don’t have Internet access.

Tamim Ansary proves my point when stating that “the possibilities are endless. And shouldn’t endless possibility be the point” (Ansary, 2004). Tamim was a school book editor for a number of years. The process she had to go through is exhausting work. Doing web-based resources, not only would be less work, but would also teach students how to be informational consumers. Web-based resources have a dual purpose in instruction that the traditional textbook could never reach. I’m not saying that we should “throw the baby out with the bath water”. Textbooks can still be a good source of information, but it doesn’t have to be the main avenue of learning.

4.   Find an image that relates to information literacy and schooling. Embed the image in your blog and provide proper attribution.

 

By Victoriacrews at en.wikibooks [CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

 

Ansary, T. (2004, November 10). A Textbook Example of What's Wrong with Education. Retrieved June 8, 2013, from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/muddle-machine

Ruth, G. (2005, February 8). No Books, No Problem: Teaching Without a Text. Retrieved June 8, 2013, from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/teaching-without-text

Week Three: Validating Websites

I found that the article I used on arming teachers and school staff was a commercial page for School Security consultants. This company is founded by Ken Trump, who is an official consultant on securing schools and communities. The article was biased in its opinion towards not letting school faculty be armed, because of his interests and potential work avenues. It didn't mention the pros to having staff armed, but repeatedly talked about the cons. There were no other resources mentioned to support these claims, other than Trump's own professional opinion. I looked at the archive for the website, from archive.org, and it originally was used to display the company and its services. The website is owned and operated by Ken Trump, according to easywhois.com. I really like the "easywhois" and the "archive.org". I also, looked at the external links and a blog appeared as the only external link. Media Matters is a non-profit organization that tries to disseminate factual and non-factual information from the media and disperse the truth to the public.

_____________________________________________________________________________

What I found:

·         Domain Name: www.schoolsecurity.org

·         Extension: any organization

·         Not a personal page

·         Directory path: trends

·         Website is provided by and directed by 25-year career school security expert, Ken Trump

o    School Safety Consults’ Website

·         Easywhois.com

o    Domain Name:SCHOOLSECURITY.ORG
Created On:21-Mar-1998 05:00:00 UTC
Last Updated On:27-Sep-2009 16:28:10 UTC
Expiration Date:20-Mar-2019 05:00:00 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Melbourne IT, Ltd (R52-LROR)
Status:OK
Registrant : email: kentrump@aol.com
Admin ID:10687461628470
Admin Name:Kenneth Trump

·         Archive.org

o    November 11, 1998 (first look of website)

§  Discusses the professional services for safe schools and communities that Ken Trump and his associates can do for the reader.

§  List other professional resources and headline news about safe schools.

·         External links:

o    Linked to other pages on schoolsecurity.org

o    Linked to ken’s blog and twitter

·         Purpose of Links:

o    Promotion of offered services

·         Link command in Google:

o    http://mediamatters.org/print/blog/2012/12/20/conservative-media-take-up-call-to-arm-teachers/191932

§  This is a blog post from solange uwimana on December 20, 2012

§  Media for America claims it is a non-profit organization that monitors, analyzes, and corrects conservative misinformation in the U.S. media

·         Currency:

o    Last updated on April 21, 2013 (my birthday)

o    Expiration date: March 20, 2019

o    The page is not dated

·         Point of View/Biases

o    Against arming teachers

o    Biased because he offers services for schools and communities to make them safer

o    I believe it is a commercial piece

o    It is one-sided on the controversy of arming teachers

·         Accuracy and Reliability

o    There is no other sources listed or cited, except for quotes from Ken Trump

o    No outside links are created inside the article

·         About Intellectual Property/Copyright

o    http://www.schoolsecurity.org/disclaimers.html

o    "National School Safety and Security Services" ® and the service mark of a schoolhouse within a shield ® are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All rights reserved.

·         Author

o    Ken Trump

o    Provides e-mail, phone number, and location for author

o    Provides credentials and education of Ken Trump as well as interviews with various media outlets, print and otherwise.

Week Two: Wikipedia Analysis (Step Seven)

Step Seven:

How do think Wikipedia could be integrated into classroom activities?

 

I think Wikipedia could be used in the classroom to teach students how to be critical consumers of information, as well as contributors with their findings. Wikipedia gives them a global market of consumers and collaborators to work with as they develop research and explore validity to their findings.

 

What do you think about using Wikipedia as a source of information instead of textbooks?

           

I think Wikipedia could be a great source of information instead of textbooks; however, I still don’t believe that it can be citable information unless validity is proven, which is would case-by-case. I think that students would have to use the Web Evaluation Checklist to prove that the context is accurate. Wikipedia can be used to find citable resources, as well.

 

Has your opinion changed? How? Why?

            My opinion has changed since doing this assignment; I no longer believe that Wikipedia is a useless resource. However, I’m still not convinced that it could be used as a citable one. It is very well organized and structured and opens up a forum for communities to come and collaborate on information presented to the public. Before this project, I never thought about using Wikipedia as a way to integrate technology and motivate students to learn by sharing their contributions with world-wide peers.

Week Two: Wikipedia Analysis (Step Six)

Step Six:

NewsAndEventsGuy (talk) and Enescot (talk) are heavily involved in editing the Wikipedia article on Global Warming. Click on their names to see their profiles. Then read their pages again.

How does this information make you feel about the credibility and validity of information on Wikipedia? Justify your stance using concrete examples.

 

I feel that after reading NewsAndEventsGuy’s page, I think he is very knowledgeable and tries to follow the rules and guidelines of Wikipedia and copyright policies. For example, in the section drought image NewsAndEventsGuy gets told that an image he used was not a public domain photo. He fixed the problem from what I can see and from the remaining conversation. Also, in terms of his knowledge. He is quick to come up with facts that back his edits.

Enescot seems like an enthusiast rather than an expert. In the section titled “citation procedure”, he wasn’t as on top of things as NewsAndEventsGuy. He lacked in his initiative to fix problems, especially in editing citation errors. He posted links with his comments on other Wikipedia pages, which did not work or sent the user to a different place than listed.

Due to these recent findings, I feel that Wikipedia has a good group of experts that peer-review everything that is written on its pages. Enescot was told about the mistakes he had made, as well as NewsAndEventsGuy. This makes me feel more secure in the credibility and validity of information on Wikipedia.

Week Two: Wikipedia Analysis (Step Five)

Step Five:

Below the FAQ section read the section titled Section on natural systems. This is where Wikipedia editors discuss edits and concerns about accuracy and neutrality with articles in Wikipedia.

What did you learn about issues related to global warming?

 

Global warming has effected temperature changes across the globe. For example, glaciers have been melting, which has caused the sea level to rise. It has affected the precipitation of snow in the arctic as well as rain in the tropics. Due to these changes, there is expected frequency and severity of extreme weather occurrences, such as heat waves.

 

How does reading this section influence you perception of Wikipedia as a resource for learning in school? Justify your stance using concrete examples.

 

            This section makes me feel more secure about using Wikipedia as a resource in school. However, students will have to do a lot of follow-up research to prove that the claims in the article is current and accurate. I still don’t believe it should be a citable resource. However, I definitely believe it is a good educational tool.

Week Two: Wikipedia Analysis (Step Four)

Step Four:

Scroll down to the frequently asked questions section. Choose one of the questions and read the answer. Verify the answer using another online source. Link me to the source and conduct a Website Evaluation of the online source.

 Question and Answer:

Q2: How can you say there's a consensus when someone has compiled a long list of "skeptical" scientists?

A2: Over the years, a number of lists of so-called "skeptical scientists" have been produced. Notable among these are the Oregon Petition (circa 1999-2001, and re-circulated in 2007) and James Inhofe's list (originally released in 2007, re-released in 2008 with additional names added). These petitions have proven to be riddled with flaws^[2] To wit:

• Many of the people listed aren't really scientists. For example, the definition of a "scientist" used in the Oregon Petition includes anyone who has a bachelor's degree – or anyone who claims to have a bachelor's degree, since there's no independent verification. Using this definition, approximately 25% of the US population is qualified to sign.
• Some of the people listed aren't even people. Included on these lists are hoaxes ("Dr. Geri Halliwell") and companies.
• Of those who have a scientific background most work in fields unrelated to climate, such as the chemistry of coal ashes^[3] or the interactions between quarks and gluons.

·  Those who are scientists are listed arbitrarily, and includes people who say they aren't skeptical of global warming. The Inhofe list was compiled by Inhofe staffer Marc Morano with no effort to contact the people listed. One of those on the list, George Waldenberger, even informed Inhofe's staff that he is not skeptical of the consensus on global warming. His request to have his name removed from the list was ignored.^[4] Similarly, Steve Rayner of Oxford University has asked for his name to be removed and calls his inclusion "quite outrageous".^[5] The Heartland Institute has stated that scientists who have told the Institute that it misrepresented their views on global warming "have no right – legally or ethically – to demand that their names be removed" from the Institute's list.

Supporting Resource: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2010/01/11/205326/science-lindzen-debunked-again-positive-negative-feedbacks-clouds-tropics/

Was the answer in Wikipedia accurate? Yes. A lot of titled skeptics’ information and articles have been debunked by other researchers.

How does this influence your perception of Wikipedia as a resource for learning in school? It has my vote. I think that this is a very good resource to use (with own student research on the validity of its contents) for students. I still don’t think it should be a citable resource; however, it is a good learning tool and resource.

 

Website Evaluation Checklist:

Name of page: Climate Progress

Address/URL: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2010/01/11/205326/science-lindzen-debunked-again-positive-negative-feedbacks-clouds-tropics/

Date Accessed: May 31, 2013

How did you find the page? 

     Google Search

DOMAIN

 

What is the domain of the page?

            .org

 

Do you feel that the domain type helps add to or lessen the page’s credibility?

 

                I believe that if the domain type is a .org, .edu, or .gov it helps add to the page’s credibility. This is because those are educational/informational websites. However, there is no such thing as an error free website. At least, that’s what I’m finding out through this module. My domain type that is listed above does not make me feel secure in the accuracy of its information; however, the website is a list of published books, so therefore I believe that my book is accurate in its claims.

 

AUTHOR/AUTHORITY

Is the author of the page identified?

Yes.

 

      Is the author of the page an individual?

Joe Romm is author of a blog on this website.

  

If the author is an individual:

      Is the author clearly affiliated with a corporation, institution, organization or group?

           

            No, except for the website that he blogged on, which is Climate Progress on thinkprogress.org.

 

      If so, does this affiliation lend credibility to the author?

           

            I think it lends some credibility, because not everyone can post on this website. However, this still leaves room for assessing the credibility of the information presented.

 

      Are the author’s educational, occupational or other credentials identified?

           

            Yes. He is a published author of a book: Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga.

 

      Is the author a professional in the field or a layperson interested in the subject?

 

            He is a professional in the field and works for thinkprogress.org as an editor.

 

      Does the author present any other evidence that supports his/her ability to accurately present the information that he/she is presenting?

 

            Columnist Tom Friedman calls us "the indispensable blog" and Time magazine named us one of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010."

 

      Does the author display any obvious bias (religious, political, commercial or other)?

 

            No

 

      Is the author the original creator of the information presented?

 

            Yes

 

      If not, does the author acknowledge the sources of the information he/she is presenting?

 

                                Yes

 

AUTHOR/AUTHORITY, cont.

 

      Does the author provide his/her contact information (usually an e-mail address)?

 

            No, but people can comment on the blog and send in tips on the latest news.

 

      In conclusion, do you feel that the author is qualified to present the information found on his/her web page?

                  I feel that he is very knowledgeable in the area of climate and global warming; however, I’m not sure I would label him as an expert in the field. This article was written to disprove the claims of a “skeptical scientist” against global warming. He listed many resources and related links in his article.

 

INTENT

 

Is the purpose of the page clearly stated?

Yes

 

What is or appears to be the purpose of the page?

           

Inform readers of the current issues and the disproven and error-ridden claims of an MIT scientist.

 

Does the page contain advertisements? 

          Yes

 

Do the ads distract from the page’s content, affect the page’s reliability, or appear to be the main focus of the page? 

          No

Might they be necessary to support the organization responsible for the page?

                 Yes, but some of the advertisements are related links on the Web, which is helpful when researching the topic.

 

INTENDED AUDIENCE

 

Who appears to be the intended audience for this information/page?

            Researchers and enthusiasts

 

Does the level or complexity of information provided, the vocabulary used, and the overall tone of the information/page match your needs?

 

                Overall, it does; however, there are some word choices that seem less than scholarly, such as “crap”.

 

CURRENTNESS

 When was the information on the page created or last updated?

             January 11, 2010

 

Are the dates of articles, news stories, newsletters, reports and other publications given?

           On some of the cited material; however, for the majority of the article dates are not given.

 

Is the page properly maintained or does it have broken links, outdated events calendars or other signs of neglect?

           It is properly maintained.

 

RELIABILITY

 

Is the content peer-reviewed, authenticated by experts, or subject to some sort of editorial scrutiny?

           There are several people who have commented on the article, and some gave links to support their comments.

 

Does the page display any awards given by reliable sources, or link to favorable site reviews by reliable sources?

           Yes. http://thinkprogress.org/introduction-to-climate-progress-and-its-top-posts/ They have this link for newcomers to the site.

 

Considering your answers to the previous questions, other observations you’ve made, and your overall sense of the page, how reliable does this source seem?

 

            This source seems reliable in its intent to share that some of the skeptical scientists who don’t believe global warming is increased by humans have proven errors in their research and thinking. I would say that this text would be a good resource to prove that everything needs to be checked for validity; however, I don’t believe this source is a good resource for supporting evidence of how global warming is effected by humans.

 

CONCLUSIONS

Do you feel that this source is appropriate for your current assignment or information need?

     

          Yes

 Would you recommend this source to a friend doing similar research?

            Yes

What reservations, if any, do you have about the source?

                 This page proves that some scientists are not reliable in their information, even published authors; however, I have reservations using this in support of the concept of man-made global warming conditions.