A lesson plan that teaches students about the problems with Internet research.

A few weeks ago I had my seventh grade students write letters to our state senators to urge their continued support of the Alabama Virtual Library. This invaluable research tool had been chipped away due to budget cuts.

In class after class students asked, "Why do I need the Virtual Library? I just use the Internet." One student commented, "I only use Google." Now, I was an early adopter of Google as my primary search engine. So, I am familiar with its strengths and weaknesses. I explained about the need for reliable resources with verifiable information. I was met with incredulous looks.

Each year I spend time discussing the good and bad sites on the Web. I decided that this year I needed more. I searched and added to my list of hoax websites. Then I found it! The perfect lesson plan!

WYSIWYG is a lesson plan hosted on the Saskatchewan School District site. It is part of the Information/Communication Technology Integration Modules.

WYSIWYG stands for: What You See Is What You Get. Developed for 6-9th grades, this lesson plan aides students in realizing that they cannot always trust a web site. Students will also learn how they can tell if a web site is reliable.

The lesson features an excellent site about Jacopo di Poggibonsi. The Poggibonsi site was developed by "seven students at the University of Michigan." It's purpose is to teach the importance of web reliability.

An outstanding lesson plan, featuring one of the best web sites ever created for teaching research skills. Bravo!

For more information on how the Internet is effecting education and research skills read Education Lite.