Overall, I thought it was neat how this TrackStar presentation led the viewer through step by step critical analysis. It really gives students an idea on how to synthesize the sites in which they retrieve their information. I think it is very neat how the sites come up, but you still have the slide links and an organizational probes at the top of the screen.
Is No Child Left Behind Working?
I liked this TrackStar as it doesn't just answer the question with a website. It shows both sides to the question. It also has the student think thoroughly through each website: "Why is this information being presented?" "Are there any biased statements."
Drawing Conclusion on Bilingual Education
This TrackStar would help students realize reliable vs. unreliable sources. It has the student question, who the author of the work is and what the author's purpose is. As a math teacher, I thought it was very neat that this project worked its way towards data representation.
Is Time Travel Possible?
As with the previous two, I like that there are a series of probing questions so students can judge the validity of authors/speakers. I like the this investigated the .org domain name. Students might assume that .org is a safe source, but it this TrackStar helped students further investigate the domain.
Thanks for this review of the TrackStars! They were develop by undergraduates students when I taught at Iowa State!
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