SM+Technology+Lesson+Plan

**Unit Plan Technology Lesson**

 * Web Searching and Evaluating Websites**


 * Level:** High School Spanish, any level, grades 9-12


 * Description:** Teaching students how to properly search the internet using a search engine and search operators. Also, teaching about how to evaluate a website’s usefulness and validity.


 * Rationale:** This lesson plan is intended for any high school grade, because all students need to know how to search and evaluate websites. This is necessary information not only for the research project in this unit, but also for general computer skills that will be needed later in life. Students would be interested in learning this type of information because it applies across subject areas.


 * Objective:** After participating in this lesson, students will be able to properly use internet search engines to quickly find useful, relevant, and valid websites. We will know if they’ve achieved this goal because the students will be required to turn in a list of their sources at the end of the project, and the teacher will be able to evaluate whether the students chose relevant websites.

__Basic Operations and Concepts__ 6. Understand that access to online learning increases educational and workplace opportunities __Social, Ethical, and Human Issues__ 4. Discuss the possible consequences and costs of unethical uses of information and computer technology 9. Create appropriate citations for resources when presenting research findings 10. Adhere to district acceptable use policy as well as state and federal laws __Technology Productivity Tools__ 4. Apply advanced software features such as an application’s built-in thesaurus, templates, and styles to improve the appearance of word processing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations __Technology Research Tools__ 1. Compare, evaluate, and select appropriate internet search engines to locate information 2. Formulate and use evaluation criteria (authority, accuracy, relevancy, timeliness) for information located on the internet to present research findings 3. Determine if online sources are authoritative, valid, reliable, relevant, and comprehensive 5. Evaluate resources for stereotyping, prejudice, and misrepresentation
 * Michigan** **Educational Technology Standards (Grades 9-12):**

1. A computer for each student 2. Internet connection 3. Web browser
 * Materials:**


 * Procedure:**
 * 1) Get students seated at a computer. (2 minutes)
 * 2) Have students open and skim the following pages, one at a time: (6 minutes)
 * 3) http://www.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=searchguides.html&ctx=basics&hl=en
 * 4) http://www.psychcrawler.com/plweb/info/docs/operat.html
 * 5) http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2155981
 * 6) Explain that there are basic operators that can be used in web searches, but different search engines sometimes use them differently. The best way to find out what to use is to go to the help page for the specific search engine. They will list search operators for that particular search engine. (4 minutes)
 * 7) Explain that search operators can help students in any search, but they should use them to help find resources for their project. (2 minutes)
 * 8) Have students open and skim the following pages, one at a time: (8 minutes)
 * 9) http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webcrit.html
 * 10) http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm
 * 11) http://library.lakeforest.edu/help/evalweb.html
 * 12) http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
 * 13) Explain the basic criteria for evaluating a website. Show the following examples, and have students discuss whether each is good or bad. (10 minutes)
 * 14) http://www.historychannel.com/ellisisland/index2.html
 * 15) http://www.aiisf.org/
 * 16) http://www.msu.edu/course/mc/112/1920s/Immigration/Jamiespage.html
 * 17) http://immigration.about.com/
 * 18) For the remainder of the hour, allow students to work with their project partners to begin their research on the artist they chose. (approximately 28 minutes)