Educational Technology EDUC204 and the SIFT Method

Through this library session, students will learn to:

• Distinguish between all results and News results on Google.
• Generate a reverse image search on Google. 
• Confirm authenticity of news clips and images. 
• List sources students might use for gathering news. 
• Predict how to use the SIFT method with various sources.

Two strategies for tracing information are described below.

1. Google search and the News tab
2. Reverse image search

Proceed through the following information on this page in the order it is listed, following prompts as you go.

Setting the scene:

You overhear the following news clip on the television one evening and can't believe what you hear!

Can it really be true?! Let's find out.

Watch the video below and proceed through the rest of the contents in the order they're listed on this page.

Mentioned in the news clip was a hawk in a taxi cab. Can that really be true?! 

Let's find out.

The image shown below is another that was mentioned in the news clip video.

We're going to learn a quick way to check information, to see if other outlets (maybe ones we have heard of before and recognize to be reliable) are giving similar information. 

Do Now:

Complete a Google search on the overall topic. In this case, let's search: hawk in taxi cab

Then select the News tab.

Answer this:

Based on your exploration of the search results, was there a hawk in a taxi cab after Hurricane Harvey?

Once you've come to your determination, and if there's time, watch the video linked below for further information about the image of the hawk in a taxi cab.

So we looked into the hawk in a taxi cab.. but what about the shark swimming on the highway?! 

The image shown below is mentioned in the news clip video you just watched.

Rather than using the News tab in a Google search, like we tried for the hawk in the taxi cab, let's try a different strategy this time. 

This strategy is called a reverse image search.

Do Now:

Complete a reverse image search by following the steps:

1. Download and save the file of the image shown above
   • How to save on a computer/laptop:
     • Select the file that is linked below the image
     • Right click on the image and select Save Image As)
   • How to save on an iPad:
     • Select and hold photo
     • Select option: Save to Photos
2. Go to Google.com
3. Select the camera icon in the search box
4. Upload the file that you saved
5. Browse the search results, noticing the titles and descriptions seen on the results page throughout the images

Answer this:

Based on your exploration of the search results, was there a shark swimming along the highway after Hurricane Harvey?

Come to a conclusion:

Now that you've looked into two pieces mentioned in the news clip, how do you feel about the reliability of the overall news clip? 

Do you trust it or would you rather find better coverage elsewhere? Now you have some tactics and ideas on how to do so.

While we traced two images, we can trace other information and source types.

The SIFT method is helpful when determining whether online information is reliable and trustworthy.

Think and reflect:

What sources (I.e. websites, news sources, blog posts, images, videos, etc.) might your future students need to apply the SIFT method to?

For example, how might you teach the SIFT method using something from social media, like TikTok or Instagram?