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1010thth Grade U.S. History Grade U.S. History

Thanks to the internetThanks to the internet

We have access to more information than ever before in human human history.history.

Back in the day…Futurists Alvin Toffler and his wife Heidi co-authored the earth-shattering, futurist classic Future Shock back in 1970.... the Tofflers described in their book a mass disorientation caused by technological innovations coming faster than most people can grasp.

Copyright 2004 by Donald Clark.

According to the Tofflers, who co-authored these and other books, the “information revolution” will affect every aspect of society.

Their premise: The shift from industrial age to information age constitutes nothing short of a revolution, and will not be without dramatic upheaval.

But the end result would be

an information and technology culture dependent wholly on the creativity of the individual mind.

Computers can be a great way to transform the teaching and learning process.

As we know,

They make research easier and broader in scope than if all we could use were printed materials.

But that’s a

MIXED BLESSING!

Some information is good, but other stuff leaves a lot to be desired.

SO WHAT’S A DILIGENT STUDENT TO DO? (You ask)

1.Look at the source, and check its domain tag, to gauge its reliability:

.org

.net

.com

.gov

.edu

.al.us (or any other state abbreviation)(etc.)

3 Things(teacher, continued)

2. For history, your best bets are .edu, .gov, or a state like .al.us—OR the Alabama Virtual Library!

(You still have an AVL card, don’t you?)

NARROW DOWN YOUR SEARCH!

3 Things(Last one! Hooray!)

3. Compare the data from one source to the next. Look for agreement between different sources.

Remember the compare/contrast tricks you learned in English? USE ‘EM!

And you thought we were finished…

GOTCHA!!!

FAQs

(frequently asked questions)

How do I know this is good info?How do I make my project good enough for an A?

Check your sources. Be as thorough as possible.DON’T USE WIKIPEDIA AS A SOURCE!

How do I know this is good info?Why do I get 15 billion possibilities on any given search? Google and Yahoo are popularity contests: the sites they return are ordered by the number of hits the site gets; try a more focused search engine, like Altavista.

Also, if a site is a “sponsored link,” its rank is bought & paid for! Google & Yahoo make money that way!

Things to keep in mind…Information is not the same as knowledge.

Just because data are available doesn’t make them

meaningful.

Things to keep in mind…Information is not necessarily reliable, accurate or valid.

The internet is like a great big wall covered in graffiti. Anyone who wants to post anything

can do so;

check your sources.

Things to keep in mind…• Existence of information does not guarantee communication.

It can actually lead to miscommunication!

So be aware of how you present it.

Things to keep in mind…Context matters. Don’t rip things

out of context and expect them to work.“A text without a context is a pretext!”

--Rev. John P. Sartelle, Sr.

That’s why we study history: to give big ideas a

context!!!

Things to keep in mind…• Know your audience.• Evaluate the information you find.

• Become aware of some of the cultural, economic and political implications of the information revolution.

For example: Read this quote carefully.

“Although we have, through the years, made significant progress towards understanding the viewpoint of Efimovich's followers, we still recognize the holes in the intricate web Efimovich wove. Ours is the truth, the truth of the world's flatness, and ours is also the burden of proof. We are the minority, the followers of lies being the majority, and we gladly accept our burden, if in the end that acceptance means ridding the world of the foul half-truths spread by Grigori Efimovich and his brood of vipers.”

http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djublonskopf/Flatearthsociety.htm

What on earth???The passage you just read comes from an organization with a website. Here’s part of their mission statement:

“For over five hundred years humanity has believed the ‘round Earth’ teachings of Efimovich and his followers. But all hope is not lost. For through all that time, a small but diligent band of individuals have preserved the knowledge of our planet's true shape.”

What on earth???The organization is called the Flat Earth Society. They assert that Christopher Columbus’ real name was Grigori Efimovich, and his discovery was a hoax. They also have a disclaimer at the bottom of their home page:

http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djublonskopf/Flatearthsociety.htm

The Flat Earth Society is not in any way responsible for the failure of the French to repel the Germans at the Maginot Line during WWII. Nor is the Flat Earth Society responsible for the recent yeti sightings outside the Vatican, or for the unfortunate enslavement of the Nabisco Inc. factory employees by a rogue hamster insurrectionist group….

© 1998 Flat Earth Society Inc. All rights reserved.

Are you laughing yet?

It’s pure satire!!!

The point?

Evaluate what you read.

Check the source for reliability and bias.

One more item to keep in mind…

Respect other people’s efforts.

You would want credit if you had made a major discovery of some kind. Return the favor.

CITE YOUR SOURCES.

It’s the LAW!

Plagiarism Police

YOUR TURN…

Questions? Comments?

You may be the only one BRAVE enough to ask what everyone

wants to know!

Works CitedBilotti-Aliaga, M. (2001). Information is not knowledge: the information

revolution. International Statistical Institute, 53. Available: http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~iase/publications/4/919.pdf Retrieved 4/6/2008.

Clark, D. (2004). Photograph of Alvin Toffler. Available: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/history_knowledge/toffler.html

Flat Earth Society. (1998). Mission statement. Available: http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djublonskopf/Flatearthsociety.htm Retrieved 4/10/2008.

Roos, D. (2002). Alvin Toffler and the Information Revolution. G4TV.com TechTV Vault. Available: http://www.g4tv.com/techtvvault/features/31107/ Alvin_Toffler_and_the_Information_Revolution.html?article_key=31107

Tancock, S.M. (2002, April). Reading, writing, and technology: A healthy mix in the social studies curriculum. Reading Online, 5(8). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=tancock/index.html Retrieved 4/6/2008.