The online education magazine eSchool News recently asked its readers what were the most important technology skills for students to know in the modern era (Stansbury, 2012). This series will look more closely at the skills that were identified and their relationship to online education.

The first two skills identified were online literacy and critical thinking (Stansbury, 2012). While separated for the purposes of the article, these ideas actually are inseparable. To be truly literate in the online world means possessing not only the ability to navigate the structure of the Worldwide Web but also to validate the quality of information found online. To validate the quality of online information requires critical thinking. Thus, these two skills are interdependent and inseparable.

The connection of these skills to online learning should be quite clear. Most online learners will conduct some form of research via the Worldwide Web. Therefore, it makes sense that these learners should strive to be discerning of the information they read online; this includes critically appraising the source of the information. For example, not all online sources are peer reviewed. While it is true that not all peer reviewed sources are reliable and that sources that are not peer reviewed are not universally unreliable, peer reviewed sources are more likely to be both free from unnecessary bias and generally more reliable.

Nonetheless, this is the point where learners need to think (or perhaps be taught to think) critically regarding the content of the source. With the ability to publish information and have it appear professional and even academic or research-oriented comes a new challenge to critically appraise the information being presented. To this point, the online learner searching for information needs to be aware of any bias or agenda displayed by the author just as would a traditional researcher wading through the proverbial mountain of printed texts, journals, and other resources. Just as when working with printed materials, the online researcher must also examine the content and context of the resource and the validity of the information presented. Just because the television news declares it or the newspaper prints it or the Internet publishes it does not mean that the information is true or accurate. Critical thinking is a necessity when researching online.

Here are some questions to ask when researching online:

• Who published this material? Web sites produced by universities (.edu) or by government agencies (.gov) are usually relatively reliable resources.
• Is this article peer reviewed? Find the requirements for submitting an article to the publication. The submission and acceptance process is often outlined. If the process requires a review of the submissions by a panel of experts, this is a peer reviewed publication and is a relatively reliable source.
• Who is the intended audience of this publication? Often, the "About Us" section of the online publication will state or imply its intended audience. Critically appraise the intended audience to make a decision regarding the quality of the resource.
• What are the authors' credentials? The credentials provided should indicate a level of expertise in the given field.

Retaining the tie between online literacy and critical thinking is one component of mastering 21^st century technology. The wealth of available information is a boon to research. However, critical analysis of the information presented is of greater importance than ever before because of the ease with which information can be published online.

                                                                                                                     Reference

Stansbury, M. (2012). Five technology skills every student should learn. eSchool News. Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/09/04/five-technology-skills-every-student-should-learn/.