"Crap" Detection

After reading this article I realized just how important it is to "triangulate" sources to determine the credibility of the information that I am consuming. I already knew that the web could provide good and bad information and that I needed to consider the sources of information carefully. While I did what I could to find out if the information I was reading was credible, I don't think that I ever thought about having multiple pieces of evidence. It is now at the forefront of my mind. I also was unaware that there are many tools available to help one distinguish between fact and "crap". As a teacher-learner conducting field studies and looking more than ever at the web for information to improve my practice, I need to be very careful to use credible sources. I want to learn but I want to learn reliable information rather than consuming the misinformation that might be out there. As an educator, I need to begin to incorporate this type of detection into my practice. I need to teach students how to determine the credibility of the information they are seeing online. Many of my students would just accept what they are reading as fact and would not consider the credibility of the source at all. It is an important skill students need to develop, as no doubt, they will be using the web more and more through out their school years. I think that "crap detection" skills empower students (people everywhere, really). It goes beyond determining if a source of information is credible for a report you are writing. These skills are important for the social, emotional and physical well being of people too as they engage in web based activities. Looking at information and people with whom we engage on the web, with a critical lens may help readers/viewers identify impostors, hoaxes and scams and avoid them.