JOL>Collections>INQuiry based Learning>Using the Internet to Promote inquiry based Learning>Filter, distill and Cross-referencing

 

STEP 5: Filter, Distill and Cross-reference

KEY: Information evaluation is the most important skill not taught in schools today. The emerging environment of the Web, with participation by all through blog and wiki content, make these skills absolutely critical, absolutely essential.

 

This step addresses the evaluation of the Web resources that students have collected and then the extraction of the information required to answer the foundation questions.

Information evaluation is a critical process skill that students must learn. In our model of inquiry-based learning and the Internet, information quality is assessed in a three-part process:

Step 1: Students determine if the information at the Web site is related to their essential question and useful for answering their foundation questions. If their answer is yes, they continue to step 2. If not, they continue searching. This step addresses information applicability.

 

Step 2: Students then determine if the information at the Web site originates from a readily recognizable expert, organization, or qualified person or group. If yes, students use the Web site to answer foundation questions. If not, students return to searching. This step addresses information authority.
(It should be noted at this point that many information evaluation protocols available online require far too many steps for students to effectively evaluate content in a timely fashion. Our three-part evaluation process greatly reduces the time required to evaluate but guarantees an effective evaluation.)

Step 3: The final step in the information evaluation process requires students to cross-reference information between Web sites for each foundation question. The cross-referencing process ensures that information reliability is assessed. This step addresses information reliability.

In this process, and if students are working in cooperative teams, each student in the group is assigned one Web site found by searching and proceeding through Steps 1 and 2. At this point, each student has a different site but the same foundation questions. Using their assigned Web site, each student answers the foundation questions. As a result, students are then able to compare (or cross-reference) the answers to each foundation question from a variety of Web sites to validate the information.

If students are working individually, they must answer all foundation questions using their collection of sites and then compare them in the cross-referencing process.
At this point, students have answered their foundation questions and have factual information originating from authoritative sources that has been cross-referenced for reliability.

RESOURCES

STEP 1: Ask the Essential Question

STEP 2: Writing Foundation Questions

STEP 3: Developing a Search Strategy

STEP 4: Locating Information

STEP 5: Filter, Distill and Cross-Referencing

STEP 6: Evaluate the amount of information

STEP 7: Develop the answer to the Essential Question

STEP 8: Develop a product to represent the answer

 

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