Innovations in Learning 2008Brandon Hall Conference

Assessing the Credibility of Web Sources

The eLearning 2.0 Survival Guide

Kristina Schneider, M.A. Educational TechnologyKristina Schneider, M.A. Educational TechnologyDirector of Blended Learning Strategies, Documedia Inc.

Assess a Web SourceAssess a Web Source

Find an online source that you go to regularly and assess that source according to regularly and assess that source according to the following criteria:

1. Identify whether or not you find it to be a credible source and why/why not

2. Identify whether or not the author writes with authorityy

Write down the name of the source on a piece of paper to be collectedpiece of paper to be collected.

How Do You Assess Content Sources?How Do You Assess Content Sources?

Your trusted ?

Your criteria for ?sources?

Common craft

new sources?S diblCommon craft

Wikipedia

Seems credible

Referenced by people who New York Times

MSN.com

you trust

Tested theories presented by it

Google

Caesar Milan

site

Content appearing in other sourcesCaesar Milan sources

What is Credibility?What is Credibility?

• Can be verified by an objective ( i h k )What is credibility? source (without a stake)What is credibility?

• Pragmatism as a sign, both sides of the coin

How can you tell if a source is the coincredible?

• By referencing, especially outside network

• Citing other sources corroboration

How does one gain credibility? • Citing other sources, corroborationy

What is Authority?What is Authority?

• Vested in stakeholders, might come from position as opposed to

How does authority differ from position as opposed to

credibility from reputationauthority differ from credibility?

• Clarity, confidence and differentiate from arrogance, fact-based

How can you tell if a source is written from arrogance, fact based

with authority?

• Deep knowledge of a topic, recognition by others, new insights, connect the dots between sources

How does one gain authority? connect the dots between sourcesy

Integrating Web 2 0 Tools to LearningIntegrating Web 2.0 Tools to Learning

Democratizes Can foster Democratizes information analytical and

critical thinkingcritical thinking

Aligned with Enables constructivist

principlesmultiple

perspectives principles perspectives

Transition of the Way of ThinkingTransition of the Way of Thinking

spoon-fed spoon-fed model of education

a self-discovery d lf di t d education and self-directed

model

i h fi i h h l iwithout reconfiguring the approach to learning

Kristina Schneider M A Ed TechKristina Schneider M.A Ed Tech

M.A. Thesis

10 years d i &

M.A. Thesis on the authority &

dibilit

Ed i l

designer & consultant in blended

credibility of bloggers & their

Educational Technologist learning blogs

Background of the ProblemBackground of the ProblemA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

Research questions

• Who are the bloggers in the field? That is, what motivates them to blog and what qualifications do they believe they bring to the task?believe they bring to the task?

• What is their purpose in blogging? That is, what do they hope to accomplish? What influence do they hope to

hi if ? achieve, if any? • What do professionals in the educational technology

who choose to blog choose to write about? g• How do they select the content to report? How do they

verify the content, if at all? • What evidence do the bloggers have of their influence? • What evidence do the bloggers have of their influence?

Literature ReviewLiterature ReviewA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

Key Themes Key Discoveries

Forms of T i i

• 3 types: structured, semi-structured or informal (H i t t l 2003 H i t H i t K i & F Training

Professional Development

(Herrington et al., 2003; Herrington, Herrington, Kervin, & Ferry, 2006; Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002)

• requires self-directed participants• is about sharing of experiences

Social Computing for

• allows for enables co-creation of knowledge (Boyd, 2001)• facilitates the linking of theory to practice (Laurillard, 1999)p g

Professional Development

facilitates the linking of theory to practice (Laurillard, 1999)• enables reflective interaction (Rovai, 2000)• promotes development of critical thinking skills (Greenlaw and

DeLoach 2003)DeLoach, 2003)

Early Social Computing

• discussion boards, LISTSERVs, BBS• promoted exchange and support

Applications

Literature ReviewLiterature ReviewA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

Key Themes Key Discoveries

Early Social C ti

• discussion boards, LISTSERVs, BBSComputing Applications

• promoted exchange and support

Emerging Body • focused on edublogger practices and communities (Crainer, 2002; of Literature on Blogs

Downs et al., 2002; Coates, 2003)• concern about major media publishers (Coates, 2003)• blogging as journalism—no editorial filters means potential of gg g j p

increased credibility (Lasica, 2002; Grabowicz, 2003) • 4 types of posts - opinion, vote, reaction, summation (Coates,

2003))

Credibility of Blogs

• reliability of Web-based information / credibility is given by the reader (perception/popularity) (Flanagin and Metzger, 2007)

• 4 types of credibility: presumed reputed surface experienced • 4 types of credibility: presumed, reputed, surface, experienced (Constantinides and Swenson, 2000)

Research MethodologyResearch MethodologyA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

Phenomenological approach

looking for emic

perspectivepp perspective

Mixed data artifact l

interviews h Mixed data

collection methods analysis of the blogs

with bloggers

Data analysisgrounded

theory methodology

open coding technique case studies

Trustworthiness and credibility

frame interview

triangulation of data data audita c e b ty te v ew o ata

Summary of the FindingsSummary of the FindingsA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

Categories How Consequences

Origin of blogging for th d bl

· Opportunities to d t h d

· ExplorationE i t tithe edublogger document, share and

promote content and ideas.· Openness to explore,

innovate experiment with

· Experimentation· Innovation

innovate, experiment with software and the Web

Motivation to blog d / P

· Share and promote and h d

· SharingF db ktoday / Purpose exchange on content and

ideas· Manage content (archiving

and indexing)

· Feedback· Promotion· Content management

and indexing)· Need to explore, innovate,

experiment· Need for feedback· Need for feedback

Summary of the FindingsSummary of the FindingsA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

Categories How Consequences

Qualification to Blog / Bl b t T i

· Self-qualified as bloggers on bj t

As a content expert: W k iBlog about a Topic a subject

· Maintaining and posting regularly to a blog

· Work-experience· Formal graduate education· InformalAs a edublogger:As a edublogger:· Earned by blogging regularly

Influence the d bl h

· Generating new ideas, i d

· ReadersR fedublogger hopes to

achieveconversations and contacts

· Recognition for their contribution

· References· Recognition· Credibility

Summary of the FindingsSummary of the FindingsA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

Categories How Consequences

Topic / Content l ti

· Reacting with an opinion on f ti

· Personal / professional l bl dselection area of expertise

· Reflection on topics related to their area of expertise (requires more elaboration)

realms blurred· Reaction / Reflection· Expertise· Sharing opinion / (requires more elaboration) · Sharing opinion /

perception· Need to dialogue / for

feedbackfeedback

Use of text and media · Illustrative uses of media (mainly photos, images and logos) not always justified

· Illustration· Information

Communicationlogos) not always justified· Informative uses adds

information to the post

· Communication

Summary of the FindingsSummary of the FindingsA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

Categories How Consequences

Content verification · They check for form but t il t t

· OpinionsR fnot necessarily content · References

· Links· Desire for a certain non-

quantified degree of quantified degree of polished form / writing

Evidence of influence · Quantitative – number of kb k

· QuantitativeR f i hi h comments or trackbacks

· Quantitative – number of links back reported by search engines

· Reference within the edublogger community

search engines· No qualitative – rankings

about appreciation of contributioncontribution.

Summary of the ConclusionsSummary of the ConclusionsA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

• edubloggers share: benefits of the • edubloggers share: benefits of the public exchange

• edubloggers explore: discovery P t it f process and learning

• edubloggers self-promote: seriousness devotion authority

Portrait of an seriousness, devotion, authority

• edubloggers develop: learn through blogging

edublogger• edubloggers perceive: offer their

perceptions and wait for feedback

Summary of the ConclusionsSummary of the ConclusionsA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

• edubloggers discuss: generate new ideas, conversations and contacts

• edubloggers juxtapose: text/media, resources ideasP t it f resources, ideas

• edubloggers reference: but they do not verify

Portrait of an

• edubloggers quantify: awareness of traffic and contribution to blog

• edubloggers support one another: edublogger

• edubloggers support one another: comment on and refer to each other’s blogs

Suggestions for Further ResearchSuggestions for Further ResearchA Qualitative Study of Five Authors of Five Blogs on Training and Development

• Qualitative study: cannot generalize findingsLimitations of the • Throughout the study, new Web tools

emerged

Limitations of the Study

• Blogger Evolution and Self-Directed LearningBlogger Evolution and Self-Directed Learning• Gender and Social Media• Reader Participation and Contribution

Q lit ti A t f Bl C t t

Emerging Questions and

R d ti • Qualitative Assessment of Blog Content• Responsibility to Verify Facts• Value Judgments about Media and Copyright

Recommendations for Future Study

What Needs to Change?What Needs to Change?

The notion of credibility or authority?Read/write joint responsibility?Read/write joint responsibility?Looking for qualitative measurement as opposed to just quantitative

Re‐Assess a Web SourceRe Assess a Web Source

Randomly select one of the sources noted by another participant (ensure it is not the by another participant (ensure it is not the same as the one you originally assessed) and assess that source according to the following criteria:

1. Identify whether or not you find it to be a credible source and why/why notcredible source and why/why not

2. Identify whether or not the author writes with authorityauthority