A Guide to Thinking About A Guide to Thinking About What You See on the WebWhat You See on the Web

Is the Web a good research tool? Is the Web a good research tool?

Survey -Survey - Take a few minutes to answer the survey Take a few minutes to answer the survey

questions at the following web site.questions at the following web site.

http://lg014.k12.sd.us/computers/http://lg014.k12.sd.us/computers/web_sites.htm click on Evaluating Web web_sites.htm click on Evaluating Web Sites SurveySites Survey

http://lg014.k12.sd.us/Evaluating%20Web%20Siteshttp://lg014.k12.sd.us/Evaluating%20Web%20Sites%20Survey.doc%20Survey.doc

When you are finished with the survey, When you are finished with the survey, please print your answers and turn it in.please print your answers and turn it in.

Form AForm A Please take a few minutes to answer Please take a few minutes to answer

questions from the following web site.questions from the following web site.

http://lg014.k12.sd.us/computers/http://lg014.k12.sd.us/computers/web_sites.htm click on Web Evaluation Form Aweb_sites.htm click on Web Evaluation Form A

http://lg014.k12.sd.us/Web%20Evaluation%20formhttp://lg014.k12.sd.us/Web%20Evaluation%20form%20A.doc%20A.doc

Please print after you answered the questions Please print after you answered the questions and turn it in.and turn it in.

Evaluating Web SitesEvaluating Web Sites Using the Web takes more than

just knowing how to google.

When examining Web pages use the Five W’s of Web Site Evaluation :

•Who•What •Where•When•Why

WhoWho Try to find out who wrote or created Try to find out who wrote or created

the Web pages -- not just their names, the Web pages -- not just their names, but something that indicates they are but something that indicates they are a "good source." a "good source."

Sometimes pages will provide an about Sometimes pages will provide an about the author link, but usually you will the author link, but usually you will have to dig around. have to dig around.

You can try googling an author,You can try googling an author, but you can but you can also check the URL itself for important also check the URL itself for important clues.clues.

Who continuedWho continued Truncating the URLTruncating the URL by deleting the all by deleting the all

the characters after each the characters after each slashslash (/) until (/) until you get to the first one is a good way to you get to the first one is a good way to find out what person, organization, or find out what person, organization, or institution is responsible for the site. The institution is responsible for the site. The URL URL http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/thinhttp://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think3.html reveals that this page is k3.html reveals that this page is connected to the Library at Ithaca College.connected to the Library at Ithaca College.

You would think that an author You would think that an author wouldn’t be writing unless he or she wouldn’t be writing unless he or she was an expert on the topic, but that is was an expert on the topic, but that is not always true.not always true.

Domain NamesDomain Names Check the top level domain of the site's URL.

Here are some of the most common domains:• .edu educational site (universities and colleges) • .com commercial business site and personal sites• .gov U.S. non-military governmental site • .mil U.S. military site • .net networks and internet service providers • .org U.S. non-profit organizations

You can generally expect the information on .gov and .mil sites to be accurate.

The information on .edu sites is generally accurate. However, they range from research forums to joke collections.

if an .edu site also has a tilde symbol (~) in the address, it is a personal page and needs further evaluation.

Whether a .com is a personal web page or a commercial site, it warrants a different kind of scrutiny than a .gov page.

WhatWhat Try to identify the reason the Web page was

created in the first place. Determine if the main purpose is to inform, to persuade, or to sell you something. Advertising and opinion can both be disguised. If you know the motive behind the page's creation, you can better judge its content.

Another important question to ask is--What is not being said?

• Since money talks, try to notice who is paying for the site, either through advertising or sponsorship. Both can affect content. Whether bias is intentional or not, it is a factor.

WhenWhen Is the page dated? Is it current enough?

Especially with time-sensitive or evolving topics. Undated factual or statistical information is no

better than anonymous information. How recent the date needs to be depends on your

needs. • For some topics you want current information. • For others, you want information put on the web closer

to the time it became known. In some cases, the importance of the date is to

tell you whether the page author is still maintaining an interest in the page, or if it has been abandoned.

WhereWhere Almost anyone can put almost anything on

the Web for almost any purpose. Look for vagueness, scheming, and bias.

Accuracy is not easy to confirm. Information on a site cannot be evaluated unless you compare it to other sources. As with any research, you must test one source against another.

Unfortunately, sometimes facts can be misleading. Look at five or six different Web sites and you might get five or six different answers.

WhereWhere Internal clues can tell you much

about a Web page.

Check for the obvious things, such as good grammar and correct spelling. Is the language simple or technical and demanding? Look for documentation of the facts being presented. Look for the date the page was last revised.

WhyWhy Make sure you are in the right place. Ask yourself why you are using the

Web. Don't use the Web because it is fun and easy; use it when it is the appropriate source for the information you are seeking.

An hour on the Web may not answer a question that you could find within two minutes of picking up a reference book.

Questions to ask yourselfQuestions to ask yourself• Who is responsible for the site? Do the authors have any

authority or expertise? Do they provide you a way to contact them? Is this a commercial, governmental, personal, or academic Web site?

• What is the purpose of the site? Is the main purpose to inform, to persuade, or to sell you something? Do you understand what is being said? Are the facts documented? What do you think has not been said that should be addressed?

• When was the site created? Is it updated? Do the links work? Is the site well organized? Are there misspelled words or poor grammar? Do they send you beyond the site to other reliable sources of information? Are the graphics on the page clear and helpful or distracting and confusing?

• Where -Do you have good reason to believe that the information on the site is accurate? Do authors provide any supportive evidence for their conclusions?

• Why - Does this site address the topic you are researching? Was the page worth visiting? Does the site offer anything unique or does it tell you little more than you could find in an encyclopedia?

Remember the BasicsRemember the Basics

So, Is the Web a good research toolSo, Is the Web a good research tool??

The answer is yes, but only if The answer is yes, but only if you are carefulyou are careful

Every time you find a new piece of Every time you find a new piece of information, try to answer all the information, try to answer all the questions so that you can make up questions so that you can make up your own mind whether it is quality your own mind whether it is quality information or not. information or not.

• And finally, never follow advice from the Internet unless you are sure it is correct.

QuizQuiz On your own go to the following web On your own go to the following web

site and complete the Quick Quiz.site and complete the Quick Quiz.

http://http://www.quick.org.uk/quiz.htmwww.quick.org.uk/quiz.htm

Your Assignment – plan a vacation to Your Assignment – plan a vacation to Mankato MNMankato MN

With a partner, view the following web site: http://city-mankato.us/

•After looking at all the links and information on the site, please answer the questions at the following web site:

http://www.2learn.ca/evaluating/div3netscheck2.htmlhttp://www.2learn.ca/evaluating/div3netscheck2.html

•When you have answered all of the questions, click on the “show me my net check page” at the bottom of the web site.

•Print out your answers and turn them in.

Your assignment --Jo cool or Jo Your assignment --Jo cool or Jo foolfool

•Go to the following web site:

•http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/jocool_jofool/kids.cfm

•On the right hand side of the page, click on “Cyber Tour”

•Then choose all 12 sites.

•Read each web page then choose your answer.

Form BForm B Please take a few minutes to answer Please take a few minutes to answer

questions from the following web site.questions from the following web site.

http://lg014.k12.sd.us/computers/http://lg014.k12.sd.us/computers/web_sites.htm click on Evaluation Form Bweb_sites.htm click on Evaluation Form B

http://lg014.k12.sd.us/Web%20Evaluation%20formhttp://lg014.k12.sd.us/Web%20Evaluation%20form%20B.doc%20B.doc

Please print after you answered the Please print after you answered the questions and turn it in.questions and turn it in.

SourcesSources

http://http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.htmlwww.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html http://http://www.quick.org.ukwww.quick.org.uk// http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.htmlhttp://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html http://http://netsmartz.orgnetsmartz.org http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/jocool_jhttp://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/jocool_j

ofool/kids.cfmofool/kids.cfm