Week 3

How do we shape our ability to critically evaluate the credibility of information available online?
- How do we represent ourselves online?

I think that in general I am a very trusting individual. When someone say something to me I typically believe them unless they have given me a reason in the past not to. Also, when I read a book I usually trust that the author has done their research or has accurately represented the information that they are presenting. However, I do know that my blind faith has changed. By this I mean that I now take everything I read with a grain of salt, a tiny wondering about if it is really true or not.

The internet has many credible sources of information. I do feel that the fact that the Internet is available to anyone who wants it and can afford has exponentially increased the amount of information that is not credible. I feel that the "blogosphere" has made many people feel that they too should include their opinion in the universe.

Along with this desire for millions to share their thoughts on the internet has come an age of unreliable, lightning fast rumors that spread like wildfire through the blogosphere. Allegations of terrorist attacks, dead celebrities, plagues, etc. are passed from person to person in minutes. Just the other day someone posted that Jayden Smith, Will Smiths son, was dead due to a snowboarding accident. Within the hour Will Smith posted that Jayden was fine on his facebook page. But it's crazy that one person can spread a rumor that is believed so fast that a superstar like Will Smith feels the need to clarify.

We now have to teach students how to find credible information in a sea of unknown facts and fictions that can be stressful to sift through. One that I always recommend to my friends and plan to teach my students is how to find credible sources and the triangulation of information. If 3 credible sources give the same information than it’s likely that that is true. This can be difficult to do with things like breaking news though. I often find myself jumping around from different news websites to determine what really happened in an event. I think that questioning and researching are the best ways to evaluate the credibility of online information.