Level: Grades 7 to 12
Overview
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In this two-day unit, students learn strategies for using the Internet effectively to research global development issues. Students discover how to determine the truth and accuracy of online information and learn effective ways to obtain balanced sources of information. Students learn to ask, and search for answers to, the questions: Who is presenting this information and why?
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate the ability to:
- find various sources of online information and determine which is most appropriate for use for a variety of purposes
- apply different search skills to researching a global development topic
- evaluate online information on a global development topic
- find multiple sources of information on a global development topic and determine which is most appropriate for a variety of purposes
Unit Timeline
Day One: Effective Searching
Activities:
- Class discussion and definitions of “developing nation” and “global development” (optional, 20 minutes)
- Class discussion: what is “good” online (20 minutes)
- Effective search techniques (35 minutes)
Day Two: Purposes and Uses of Online Information
Activities:
- Review of Evaluating Online Information handout (20 minutes)
- Class discussion: why things are online (25 minutes)
- Evaluating an example of persuasive information (30 minutes)
Preparation and Materials
Prior to beginning this unit, review the following backgrounders:
See also the following Web sites and Web pages:
- Have lined paper on hand
- Arrange for access to computers or a computer lab with Internet connections
- Photocopy the following handouts:
Procedure
Day One: Effective Searching
On Day One, students will learn how to judge online information and how to search the Internet effectively, using the following:
- Boolean search terms
- the Triangle Method
- a broad variety of search tools
Definitions of “developing nation” and “global development”
Note: This activity may be omitted if you have completed Unit One, Beyond Media Messages: Media Portrayal of Global Development.
Provide students with the following definition of a “developing nation”:
A country with a low standard of living, generally indicated by severe poverty, low income and education levels, high birth rate, and poorly developed social, economic, and technological infrastructure.
-PBS
To make the concept more concrete to students, explain that many people in developing nations lack many of the basic amenities we take for granted, such as plumbing, clean drinking water, education, health care, and reliable electricity or public sanitation. Stress that we use the term “developing nation,” and give some examples of nations that have advanced significantly in providing these amenities in different ways (South Korea in economic terms, India in terms of democracy, Bhutan in terms of transition to modernity, etc.). Also touch on the differences between the terms “developing nation” and the older term “third world”: what negative stereotypes are associated with the older term?
Discuss with the class what might be meant by the term “global development.” What might be various aspects of global development? (For example food aid, disaster relief, promoting women’s rights, building infrastructure and ensuring access to clean water.) How can countries like Canada be involved in helping less developed nations become more developed? What types of people or organizations, other than governments, may be involved in global development? (For example: individuals, non-governmental organizations, the United Nations and celebrities drawing attention to a cause.)
What is “good” online?
Ask students to define makes online information “good”. They should first do this in groups of four and then as a class. In each group of four, students should be designated to fill each of the following roles:
- Timekeeper – times each speaker according to whatever time the teacher or class decides, thereby ensuring that no one person monopolizes the discussion
- Recorder – records major points, as in minutes, raised in the discussion
- Traffic director – keeps track of who speaks after whom to ensure that every student has the opportunity to speak
- Reader – reads the minutes of the group’s discussion to the class
Answers should be categorized and grouped so that the final list of criteria is a summation and collation of what the individual group members contributed.
Make sure that you cover the following questions during the class discussion:
- How can you determine “good information” when you are unfamiliar with the subject matter?
- Is the information on the site current?
- Does the site provide a full understanding of the topic?
- Can the information on the site be used for different purposes?
Effective search techniques
Distribute and review the handout Tips for Effective Online Searching. Tell students they will be researching a global development topic using the search techniques covered in the handout. A suggested topic is “terminator seeds” (seeds that are sold to farmers and that produce only one year’s crop), but you may use another global development topic, such as:
- safe drinking water in the developing world
- child labour in India
- deforestation in Haiti or Africa
- the AIDS epidemic in Africa
- women’s rights in Afghanistan
Distribute the Online Search Worksheet handout. Direct students to find three different sources on their topic, and to report on each source using the handout. (You may choose to make the “Challenge” section optional, for bonus points, or omit it altogether.)
Day Two: Purposes and Uses of Online Information
Working as a class, students will learn to assess the purposes and possible uses of online information through considering one specific example.
Evaluating information
Distribute two copies of the Evaluating Online Information handout to each student and review it with the class. How closely does it match the outcome of their discussion on “good” online information from Day One?
Why things are online
Discuss the different purposes people can have for putting information online, including to inform, to entertain, to persuade and to sell a product. How might these different purposes affect how information is presented? (For instance, a source meant to persuade might be more likely to present only one side of the information; a site meant to entertain might leave out important information that is deemed “uninteresting.”)
Evaluating an example of persuasive information
If you have not already done so, briefly introduce the subject of terminator seeds (seeds sold to farmers that only produce one year’s crop.) Show the class (or distribute as a handout) the Web page "Say No to Terminator Seeds". Evaluate it as a class, using the criteria found in the Evaluating Online Information handout.
If that site is unavailable, you may use a similar site such as:
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Transnational_corps/TerminSeeds_
Monsanto2.html
http://www.oikoumene.org/po/news/news-management/a/sp/browse/
2/article/1722/take-action-to-stop-termi.html
The handout addresses the following five points:
- What is the Web site’s purpose? How do you know? This Web site is clearly intended to persuade, since it openly pushes a particular point of view and attacks the opposing view.
- Who is behind the screen? An organization called “Progressio,” but no further information or names of individuals are given; an AltaVista link search showed that most of the links to the site were from private pages or blogs.
- Is the information biased in any way? The organization is closely tied to the site’s viewpoint. It uses emotional language and images, and no opposing viewpoints are provided or linked to.
- Is the information up to date? It was last updated in October 2007.
Discuss with the class the different reasons we might have for gathering information: for a research report, news article, persuasive essay, creative piece, etc. How does knowing our purpose help us decide what we need from a source of information? How do we know whether a particular source is good for each purpose?
Return to the Evaluating Online Information handout and ask students to apply this final question to the “Say No to Terminator Seeds” Web page:
- What purpose would we use this information for, and why? What strategies would we use if we were to draw on this information? It is most valuable for a persuasive essay; verify all facts through the Triangle Method, and research alternative or opposing points of view.
