Be aware that what you see or read is not always true.
- Anybody can post pretty much anything on the web or on Social Media!
- Always keep the CRAAP test in mind: Currency, Relevence, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose!
- Double check the information in more than one place, use your common sense and find out what the experts say.
- Try a myth-busting website like SNOPES if you think something might be an urban myth.
Try new ways of finding information:
- New Search Engines - such as Sweetsearch or Google Scholar. (And Stumbleupon is a web discovery engine that uses members' recommendations.)
- Social Media - Twitter, Facebook etc.
- Broadcast Media sites - radio, TV
Try online newspapers and professional JOURNAL articles:
- Databases from paid sources - EbscoHost, Consumer Health Complete. Journals, news, eBooks etc.
- Database of free journals from DOAJ - in many different languages, different perspectives. Free journals.
- Current issues of newspapers: Canadian Newspapers Digital Editions
When using Social Media to find ideas:
- locate someone who is a subject expert (who has credentials and a good reputation you can check).
- Follow them for a while and consider their ideas.
- follow links & "mine" the sources to get what you need.
- Check for hashtags related to your interest. (#newlearningtechnologies, for example).
- try phrases like "breaking news in science"
- ask for suggestions from people (incl. teachers) you trust. For example: 'Science is awesome' is a Facebook page that has find some interesting articles on all sorts of subjects. Check out some of its sister pages too!