"Beware the man of one book." - St. Thomas Aquinas

Dear Colleagues:

Via the Internet and decently fast connectivity, information from far and wide appears on our screens. For example I loaded key words for common Middle School topics into my favorite search engine (http://www.google.com/) and was directed to the following web sites:

Elizabeth E. Kirk, Electronic & Distance Education Librarian at the Eisenhower Library of Johns Hopkins University, states the case clearly ....

"Because so much information is available, and because that information can appear to be fairly "anonymous", it is necessary to develop skills to evaluate what you find. When you use a research or academic library, the books, journals and other resources have already been evaluated by scholars, publishers and librarians. Every resource you find has been evaluated in one way or another before you ever see it. When you are using the World Wide Web, none of this applies. There are no filters. Because anyone can write a Web page, documents of the widest range of quality, written by authors of the widest range of authority, are available on an "even playing field". Excellent resources reside along side the most dubious. The Internet epitomizes the concept of Caveat lector: Let the reader beware."

Determining a reference's reliability is an essential life skill. This applies beyond academic considerations. Children are a major target of advertising which makes a healthy amount of skepticism a necessity.

The links below contain pointers to criteria for evaluating information resources, particularly those on the Internet. It is intended for educators who are selecting sites to include in an information resource guide, or informing students as to the qualities they should use in evaluating Internet information.

Summertime is Approaching -

Start Packing Use these sites to plan a well deserved vacation but don't overlook their academic potential. All sites below contain quality content for Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Communication Arts, and Art. The multicultural possibilities are enormous.