Relevance rankings and site descriptions are two tools offered by most search engines to help users sift through resources. It is important to begin discussing these strategies with students at any age. One powerful way of teaching students is to provide examples of what an opinion consists of, versus a reasoned argument or fact. You can find Web site examples of each and show students that not everything on the Internet is factual. It is critical that students do not equate a textbook with the Internet.
Many students believe that if they read it in a book or see it on the Internet, it has to be true.
We explain to our students that any one of us sitting in the room could start our own Web site with false or inaccurate information and have others come and read what we wrote. Therefore, it is crucial that students eye all information with a healthy cynicism until they continue to research and find supporting information. Students should learn to always look for information about the author or sponsoring organization as one way of establishing authority and authenticity. Students may wish to print out specific pages and use graphic organizers or outlines to organize the mass of information. We also have students make a folder for themselves on the computer's hard drive or a floppy disk, where they can save information and copies of specific Web pages.