PRE-PUBLICA TION EDITION - Nelson Education

4.B.2. Evaluating Internet ResourcesAnyone can post information on the Internetwithout verifying its accuracy. Therefore, you mustlearn to evaluate the information that you findon the Internet as coming from dependable andlegitimate sources.Use the following questions to help determine thequality of an Internet source. The greater the numberof questions answered “yes,” the more likely it is thatthe source is of high quality.• Is it clear who is sponsoring the page? Doesthe site seem to be permanent or sponsoredby a reputable organization?• Is there information about the sponsoringorganization? For example, is a telephonenumber or address given to contact for moreinformation?• Is it clear who developed and wrote theinformation? Are the author’s qualificationsprovided?• Are the sources for factual information givenso that they can be checked?• Are there dates to indicate when the page waswritten, placed online, or last revised?• Is the page presented as a public service? Doesit present balanced points of view?4.B.3. Using School Library ResourcesMany schools and school boards have access toonline encyclopedias with science sections in them.Find out if your school or board has a website whereyou can access these resources. You may need apassword.4.B.4. Using the Nelson WebsiteWhen you see the Nelson Science icon in yourtextbook, you can go to the Nelson website and findlinks to useful sources of information.go to nelson science4.C. Exploring an IssueCriticallyAn issue is a situation in which several points of viewneed to be considered in order to make a decision. Itis often difficult to come to a decision that everyoneagrees with. When a decision affects many people orthe environment, it is important to explore the issuecritically. Think about all the possible solutions andtry to understand all the different perspectives—notjust your own point of view. Consider the risks andbenefits of each possible solution. Put yourself inthe place of several of the stakeholders, to try tounderstand their positions.Exploring an issue critically also means researchingand investigating your ideas and communicating withothers. Figure 3 shows all the steps in the process.Explore an IssueDefining the IssueResearchingIdentifying AlternativesAnalyzing the IssueDefending a DecisionCommunicatingEvaluatingFigure 3 You may perform some or all of these steps as you explorean issue critically.CSH-F20-SHOS10SB.aiNot sure if this is the correct arrow style for flow charts.620 Skills Handbook NEL