I read it on the internet, it must be true...

After reading going through this weeks learning path, I began thinking about how ... I don't really want to use these words... but.. gullible.. naive.. students that are native to the technological age are.

I found this article that illustrates my point precisely. Students struggle to evaluate the credibility of information on the internet. They also can underestimate the power of the internet and how easily something can 'go viral' and reach every corner of the earth. Some teachers have even put photos of themselves on the internet asking people to share the picture as much as they can to demonstrate to students how the internet works.

Back to the gullible point. I remember one of my teachers in high-school showed us a story of another teacher who changed the information on Wikipedia to say that Jesus was born on the Gold Coast. And of course, the students believed the information written on the website.

So the question is... how do we guide students to be more critical of what they are 'consuming' on the internet?

Just as a side, I'm coming from this from a secondary perspective where students often reference the internet in their assessment and do a lot of research.

I remember last semester while I was on prac, my mentor actually had a set of questions that the students needed to answer regarding a web resource before they could include it in their assignment. I should have got a copy of it! Anyway.. I did some searching on the internet and found 2 websites that list characteristics that help to determine whether a resource has credible information or not.

This one 

and this one 

Some of the tips include looking at the URL of a source and checking whether it is from and organisation, the government or some other source. Students should also be checking whether the information has references in it as well, whether the author of the site has done research themselves. Is the Author listed? Are they an expert in the field? Is the information congruent with what has been learnt in class or what is described on other websites?

In reality, the naivety is no different to when people believed everything they read in the newspaper. Now the newspaper is on the internet and any old soul can publish it, and any old soul can read it.