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One of the highlights of going to ISTE12 was attending Alan November's sessions. I went to two of his sessions and throughout his talks he stressed the need for students to become better researchers, especially when it comes to the Internet.
Alan November at ISTE12 (this guy is telling him he loves him!)
Alan stated that the second day in every classroom we should "teach the kids how to become awesome researchers and how to pull apart the Internet layer by layer." He then went on to share lots of ideas and examples (many Google search tips I didn't know!).
So I've decided to take his advice. In addition to the usual Internet safety activities in which my class participates (we are a 1:1 netbook classroom and the kids take their computers home each night, so this is especially important), I'm going to integrate more researching/analyzing website skills this year during our first week. I've decided to start with the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. If you haven't see this site, it's hysterical. However, sadly, so are many sites our kids use as authentic research sources. I found this wonderful unit plan on ReadWriteThink.org with some great lessons that incorporate this hoax site. I think the activities will be a fun way to introduce my kids to effective Internet research. All About Explorers is another wonderful site designed to teach kids these skills.
In addition here is my page of Internet Safety sites, many of which I use in activities during the first week of school. I would love to hear what kinds of Internet safety and research skill activities you introduce to your kids at the beginning of school. Please share!
