ABSTRACT
An online environment complicates reading. This chapter presents an analogy demonstrating parallels between traditional and online research practices. These parallels explain the complexities associated with online reading for novice readers, even experienced readers. In general, the internet can be likened to a global library system: a library system to the internet, a library to a web browser, a catalog system to a search engine, a call number to a URL, a book to a website, a table of contents to a menu, a chapter to a webpage, an index to a search bar, and a paper bookmark to Web 2.0 bookmarking tools. Strategies that promote critical thinking while on the internet present unique challenges not experienced when reading a print-based book, ads, hyperlinks to shopping sites, photos, videos, and other multimodal distractions. Continued parallels for teacher modeling include the use of mentor texts on the internet to enable the evaluation of website credibility and informing students of the possibility of encountering inaccuracies online. Finally, an acronym describes a plan for teaching students how to research online, the differences between children and universal search engines, the importance of developing digital citizenship, and the need to address internet safety are included.
