The "treasure chest" of information called the Internet certainly is a valuable tool for everyone who uses it. It has revolutionized the dispersal of information, movement of people and goods, and communication. More people have more access to information than ever before but an important step that educators, students, and well...pretty much everybody must take is understanding how to search and use the information. While there is an unlimited amount of information on the Net, it may come as a shock that not all of the information is credible and up-to-date.
Many websites use information that either unconfirmed, out-of-date, or severely biased. Internet users, with the overwhelming amount of information, must be careful to use the most credible information they can find and know what to discard. I have seen articles and quotes that question if the Internet and technology are threats to democracy due to the large amount of inaccurate information that is available and accepted. As an educator I do my best to direct my students to information that is from a credible source but they also need to be able to evaluate for themselves. Teachers only have control over the information their students use in a very limited and controlled basis. One of my goals is to teach my students how to look critically at information and make informed decisions about what they see. In many ways their and our future depend on this.
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