Locating and Evaluating Information on the Internet (Internet Library)

-- Each book serves as an introduction to important issues that anyone who uses the Internet should be familiar with.
-- Contains step-by-step explanations on new concepts.

Grade 4-8-History records the highlights of the development from its inception in the late '60s to its growth and ubiquitous influence on today's society. Wolinsky discusses how to get online and gives a few browser basics. Information is an overview of how to find and evaluate material on the World Wide Web. The author describes a wide range of tools available to searchers; gives students tips to make their searches more successful; and cautions them to filter out illegal, porn, hate, and inaccurate sites. Parts of this book are confusing. On one page, the text states that the "total amount of information in the world doubles every two years," and two pages later, reports that, "The total knowledge base in the world is doubling every three years." Wolinsky warns against using the cut-and-paste feature when creating a report, and then recommends cut and paste for note taking. Both books are well organized, attractively laid out, and easy to read. Black-and-white drawings and diagrams enhance the understanding of the texts. Adults will appreciate the strong message about plagiarizing. While most students prefer to learn by actually searching rather than reading about it, the books do provide some useful information.
Sandra L. Doggett, Urbana High School, Ijamsville, MD
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