In Illuminating Texts, Jim Burke devotes each chapter to reading prevalent forms of text. In the chapter, "Reading The Internet" he discusses types of texts on the Internet, types of websites and questions to ask. He also gives a examples and makes classroom connection.
Types of texts* on the Internet
- blogs*
- social networks*
- chat rooms
- listservs
- multiple user domains (online communities)
- newsgroups
- threaded discussion groups
- World Wide Web
*I added blogs and social networks because the book was published in 2001 and does not include these types of texts in the list.
- Commercial (.com or .net)
- Educational (.edu )
- Institutional (.org )
- News/media (.com )
- Personal (.com )
Purposes of websites:
- To educate
- To entertain
- To inform
- To persuade
- To sell
- To share
- To support
It is important for students to understand the types of websites and to know the purposes of websites. It is also important to show students how different types and purposes can be combined in one site to create a powerful means of communicating. It is important for students to fully understand the meaning of a site. Burke writes that websites are “the most common online text and the one where students are mostly likely to encounter information of dubious credibility.” He spends time discussing how to help students discern credibility and read these sites.
A 1997 study by Morkes and Nielsen concludes that the following features help readers most:
- Highlighted keywords (hypertext links served as on form of highlighting; typeface variations and color are others)
- Meaningful subheadings (not “clever” ones)
- Bulleted lists
- One idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph)
- The inverted pyramid style (i.e., starting with the conclusion)
- Half the word count (or less) of conventional writing.
Just some questions to ask when evaluating a website:
- What information do I seek?
- What type of information do I need most?
- What will I use this information for?
- What are the terms (key words and phrases) I should use to conduct a successful search?
- What are my criteria for selecting documents to read or information to use?
Questions readers can ask to infer the quality and validity of the information on a website. Some sites may be well written but the information presented may be untrustworthy. The intelligent reader must look beyond surface details and consider factors covering several topics.
SOURCES
- Where does the author get the evidence to support his claims?
- What other sources –experts, publications, institutions—does the author cite?
- Does the author represent himself as an individual? Or does her represent a larger institution?
- Who is responsible for the content of the site?
- Is the source of all information clearly identified and properly cited?
TIMLINESS
- When was this written?
- Is this information consistent with our current understanding in this field?
- When was this site last updated?
AUTHORITY
- On what basis is this person or organization qualified to inform people about this subject?
- Is this the author’s field of expertise?
- How current is the author’s knowledge of this subject?
- Does the author or institution clearly establish or provide links to its credentials, affiliations and sponsors?
- What awards, if any, has this site won, and are these awarding agencies credible?
- Does this person or institution have a reputation for thorough, accurate, objective work?
AUDIENCE
- Does the author clearly identify his intended audience?
- Do the advertisements, if the site as any, provide further insight to the equality of the content and its intended audience?
- Does the site suggest any bias in favor of its audience’s perspective?
- What do the website’s link tell you about its audience?
- Does the site offer an “About Us” section or an introduction that describes the site’s purpose and intended audience.
QUALITY CONTROL
- Are articles published by respected, peer-reviewed journals, newspapers, or reputable magazines prior to or in addition to being published on this site?
- Is the information within the site consistent in terms of point of view, tone and content?
- If the site offers a biased perspective on a subject does it provide and opposing view or opportunity for readers to respond with other perspectives?
- Are all the site’s links internal or do some connect you to outside sources that lend credence to the site’s content?
- Is information offered as fact or opinion? Is this clearly stated to the reader?
- Are authors of all content clearly identified? Are any of the articles anonymously written?
I teach Humanities and creative writing and I always have to give a mini lesson on research and the web. If not, students will just Google and take the first website that they find as Gospel. It is good that you broke down the different types of sites.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this!! It really has helped me to understand more about how I want to teach and how I can use the internet to help my students. I always have wanted to set up an internet site for my students so that they can edit and add things to it and that it will keep them interested. You gave me so many ideas about how to engage them on a website (even if that wasn't your intention) :)
ReplyDeleteI have never thought to ask my students to think about the purpose of a website or text that they find on the internet. I constantly ask them when we are working with books or other resources. Thank you for reminiding me to do this!
ReplyDeleteThis is SO useful! I don't know if my students have ever received that kind of instruction. It would really make a difference in their web usage. My 4th graders used to get excited over a random pop-up on a website that would say something like, "You've just won a brand-new laptop!" and they thought it was for real, instead of an ad. I don't know if Internet website knowledge is in the standards now (I've been out of the classroom for 3 years), but it should be. I think all teachers should have this training.
ReplyDeleteI am reading the same book! I think that Burke has given great examples of how to teach students to read the Internet. I teach second grade and I think that there are many things that I can use from this book to start teaching my students how to read the Internet.
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled to learn that we're reading this together! I cannot wait to check out your thoughts and insights. It's always wonderful to have another perspective. Thanks, Amanda!
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