Truth on the Internet

Who is it that teaches the students/children that all that is published on the Internet is not necessarily the truth? I remember earlier this year talking to my PGCE students at Leicester University about light (in a science context) and showing them the 'Dark Suckers' site as an example while explaining that there are much more sinister things to find.

Teachers all over the world are faced with getting this through to students/children and attempting to make them be discerning readers of the content they find. Today I find on the Kent Teachers Blog a really well developed teaching tool that could assist.

The web site is called All About Explorers.

It looks, at first, to be fairly well put together and seems to be the ideal site to find out about Explorers. However, on closer inspection, pupils will hopefully spot that all of the Explorer biographies on the site are in fact fictional. While some of the facts are true or based on truth, many inaccuracies, lies, and even downright absurdity are mixed in indiscriminately.

The website contains lesson plans for the teachers

"The Indians were excited by the newcomers and their gadgets. They especially enjoyed using their cell phones and desktop computers. " Christopher Columbus