Evaluating Internet Web Sites(INFORMATION LITERACY)

Created by Pam Kopf

• 67% of teens take no steps to confirm the accuracy and validity of information found on the Internet

• “Our students are growing up in a world saturated with media messages, messages that fill the bulk of their leisure time…yet, they receive little or no training in the skills of analyzing these messages, many of which make use of language, moving images, music, sound effects, special visual effects, and other technologies that powerfully affect our emotional response.”

• Renee Hobbs in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, February 2004

Why Evaluate?

• Rumors• Hoaxes• Falsehoods• Exaggerations• Gossip• Skams• Fraud

80%-85% of all information is INCORRECT AND INACCURATE

“The World Wide Web is a lot like a flea market: there’s a vast selection of sites to choose from but not a lot of order to it. Some sites are offered by reputable “dealers” and some from individuals who want to show off their personal favorite items. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s hidden treasure, what’s worth taking a look at, and what’s a waste of time.”

( ALA’s Children and Technology Committee)

HOAX OR SPOOF?

http://www.malepregnancy.com

HOAX or SPOOF?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

http://www.geocities.com/lakemichiganwhales

The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

(Endangered)

Help Save The Tree Octopus From Extinction!

About The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus Rare photo of the elusive tree octopus The Pacific Northwest tree octopus (Octopus paxarbolis) can

http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus.html

HOAX OR SPOOF?

Aluminum Foil Deflector BeanieAn Effective, Low-Cost Solution

To Combating Mind-Controlhttp://zapatopi.net/afdb/

http://zapatopi.net/afdb/

HOAX OR SPOOF?

• http://www.brookview.karoo.net/Stick_Insects/ (British Stick Insect Foundation)

• http://www.fvza.org/index.html (Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency)

• http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html (California Velcro Crop)

• http://www.sudftw.com/jackcon.htm (Jackalope)

HOAX OR SPOOF?• http://arachnophiliac.co.uk/hoax/Giant_Cat.

htm

Fake Awards

What to Evaluate---CAPS

• Content/ Currency

• Authority

• Purpose

• Structure

• Critical thinking skills should be used to evaluate all Internet sites

Using the web is like becoming a detective. You must learn to check the web site for clues that tell you if the site is good or bad. A good detective will know how to look for these clues.

Evaluation Criteria #1

• CONTENT AND CURRENCY– Is information clearly understood and accurate?

– Is content error free?

– Fact or opinion?

– Biased or prejudiced?

– Is date of creation given?

– Has site been updated?

– Are links working?

Content/currency example site

• http://www.thekingcenter.org/

• http://www.martinlutherking.org

Evaluation Criteria #2

• AUTHORITY– Who published this page?– Is an email or postal address given?– Is biographical information given?

•

•

Locating URL

• The address is the URL

Clues For Evaluating Authority

• Examine URL– gov– edu– com– net– org– k12

– ~ tilde

• Truncate URL– Stop before each / to determine who is

responsible or linked to this site– Delete one / at a time

Link Search

• Using Google or Altavista type into the search box link:URL

Alexa

• Use Alexa to find related links

Similar Pages

• Refer to links for similar pages

Authority example sites

http://ww.quick.org.uk/menu.htm

http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/butz.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=2&item=butz

Evaluation Criteria # 3

• PURPOSE

• Persuade?• Entertain?• Educate?• Advertise?

PERSUADE?

• http://h2o2hydrogenperoxide.com/

• http://www.whymilk.com/

ENTERTAIN?

• http://city-mankato.us• http://descy.50megs.co

m/mankato/martha.html

• http://www.hampsterdance2.com/hampton.html

EDUCATE?

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp

ADVERTISE?

• http://www.tide.com

• http://www.all-natural.com/add.html

Evaluation Criteria # 4

• STRUCTURE

– Site loads rapidly– Easy to navigate and user friendly– Visually appealing– Balance between graphics and text– Contains site map, index, or table of contents– Minimal advertising

Conclusion

• With over 100 million documents on the Internet it is vital to find the most factual, accurate and reputable information available. Being able to effectively evaluate the information you find is an important skill, one which will be used throughout your lifetime.