How to Teach My Kids to Do Research on the Computer
The Internet is a valuable tool from which extensive information can be acquired. However, it does have its limitations. Anyone can post anything on the Internet, so it is important to teach your child how to be critical of the information that she finds while searching the Internet. When your child is ready to search the Internet, take some time and educate her about proper Internet searching rules and procedures to ensure that her time on the computer is safe and productive.
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Instructions
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Discuss Internet safety. Before you allow your child to do anything on the Internet, you need to discuss Internet safety. While your goal is for your child to use the Internet to learn, she may have different plans. Make sure that you warn your child not to give out any personal information on the Internet. Also, tell her to contact an adult any time she is unsure about something she encounters on the Internet. When she is using the Internet, make sure that you are keeping tabs on her Internet activity. Check in frequently and, after she is finished with her computer time, check the browser history so that you know what sites your child visited.
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Work together. Sit down with your child and begin the research. Determining the reliability of Internet sites can be quite difficult, so in the early stages children will need some guidance. Show your child how to use a search engine and how to extract key words or phrases from the topic. For example, if she is trying to answer the question "How did the Civil War help African Americans?", she would want to search terms like Civil War and African Americans. Children commonly just type the question into the search engine. This practice often fails to produce quality results. Once she has properly searched, pull up one of the sites and inspect it with your child to determine the quality of the site.
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Consider the authorship. Help your child search for the author of the website from which she is trying to obtain information. If the author is given, consider the author's credentials. Is he an authority on the subject? What qualifies him to report on the topic? Make sure that the author of the site is someone who is reliable and has some background in the subject on which he is reporting.
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Determine the purpose. Ask your child why she thinks the person or group behind the website set the site up. Make sure that the site was set up to provide information, not to sell a product or promote an agenda. Information from sites that are aimed at selling is not reliable and should not be used.
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Explore objectivity. Discuss the concept of bias with your child. Consider whether the source would have a reason to want you to believe a certain viewpoint. For example, the website for the Republican party would likely not be the best place to seek information about the effectiveness of policies instituted by the Democratic party. Explain to your child that biased websites may stretch or spin the truth and therefore should be avoided when seeking objective information.
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Judge the accuracy. Consider the information presented on the site and decide whether or not it makes sense. If the site professes that the world is flat or that alien abductions occur daily, you should seek another source. Remind your child to exercise common sense and seek sites that appear reputable.
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Question reliability and credibility. Help your child locate the individual or organization that sponsors the site. If the site is a .gov or .edu site, it is much more reliable because it is backed by the government or a recognized institute of education. Instruct your child to consider if the organization sponsoring the site would be a reliable authority on the topic.
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Take into account the currency. Locate the date of last update for the web page. If the site has not been updated in the last year, it is likely not a strong source. The date of update is particularly important when seeking information about technological advancements or contemporary issues. Outdated websites may have information that was true at the time, but has likely changed, making the information invalid in the present.
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Make a final judgment. Ask your child what she thinks of the site after considering all of the factors explored. Is the site good or bad? Help her make an educated decision to ensure that information obtained from the Internet is reliable, dependable, and worthy of being referenced.
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