Transcript Evaluating Web Sites - Laura Zieger, Ed.D.

Essential Internet Savvy:
Tips & Tricks
A Presentation for the New Jersey
Association of School Librarians
Dr. Laura Zieger
New Jersey City University
October 30, 2006
Intentional Searches
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Use specific search
engines/ directories
Intentional Searches
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Use Boolean Logic
Quotation marks are always recommended
Intentional Searches
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View the "hits" that are found on the results page “metamorphosis”
Intentional Searches
Search “metamorphosis butterfly”
Anyone can publish to the Web!
Use critical viewing skills. Ask these questions....
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Who provided this information? Why?
Is someone trying to sell us a product or point of view?
What kind of site did it come from (com = commercial, gov = government,
edu = education, org = nonprofit organization).
How might the source affect the accuracy? Can we believe everything that
comes from the government or an educational institution?
What biases are likely held by the providers?
If quotes or data are provided, are they properly referenced? How can we
validate the information provided? Can we check the sources?
Does the information represent theory or evidence, fact or fiction, etc.? How
do we distinguish between these?
How do the visuals, sound, or animation influence how we interpret the
information? Do visuals and text convey the same meaning?
Excerpted from: Computers as Mindtools for Schools by David H. Jonassen, (2000).
Who provided this information?
The above cartoon by Peter Steiner has been reproduced from page 61 of July 5, 1993 issue of The New Yorker, (Vol.69 (LXIX) no. 20)
Is someone trying to sell us a point of view?
www.whitehouse.org
www.whitehouse.net
www.whitehouse.com
Selling products
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http://www.butterflies.com
URLs and Domain Names
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URL= Universal Resource Locator.
http://www (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
https://www (notice the s) tells the browser that the site is secure
and information has been encrypted so you can feel safe when
entering a credit card number or other private info.
ftp://" tells the browser that there are files, like programs, to be
captured and saved on your computer. (File Transfer Protocol)
Domain Names = IP Addresses
icann.org = 192.0.34.163
Top-Level Domain Names 1985
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At the end of a domain name is a suffix of two or three
letters called a "top level extension". (.com, .net, .mil, .edu)
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Some countries have their own suffix, called country code
top-level domains such as .ca for Canada.
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New suffixes (2000, ICANN-Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers)
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.pro – restricted to professionals
.aero – restricted to aviation community
.coop – restricted to co-operative organizations.
.museum – restricted to museums
.job - corporate job openings
.travel - travel-related Web sites
Proposed
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.geo, .kid, .mail, etc.
.xxx “voluntary” ICANN revoked approval in 2006
Top-Level Domains
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What kind of site did it come from? Unrestricted?
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.com = commercial (intended for businesses)
.net = network (used by many- orig. intended for ISPs)
.org = (intended for nonprofit organizations but unrestricted!)
.info = information
.pro = restricted to certified professionals
.biz = restricted to businesses
.name = restricted to individuals
.gov = restricted to US government
.edu = education--restricted to accredited schools
.mil = military- restricted to Dept. of Defense
Most expensive domain name to date: business.com
resold for 7.5 million in 1999 according to Guinness World Records
Watch your intercapping
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Who Represents = whorepresents.com
Therapist Finder = therapistfinder.com
Experts Exchange = expertsexchange.com
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to experts-exchange.com)
Pen Island = penisland.com
Fact or fiction
Is it somebody's personal page?
 Read the URL carefully:
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 Look
for a personal name (e.g., jbarker or
barker) following a tilde ( ~ ), a percent sign (
% ), or the words "users," "members," or
"people."
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Is the server a commercial ISP* or other
provider mostly of web page hosting (like
aol.com or geocities.com
Techniques for Web Evaluation
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Look for links that say "About us," "Philosophy,"
"Background," "Biography," "Who am I," etc.
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If you cannot find any links like these, you can often
find this kind of information if you Truncate back the
URL.
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/theme_units/insects/butterflies/
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Look for "last updated"
What Do Others Say?
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Find out what other web pages link to this page.
http://www.alexa.com/
Do a link: search in Google, Yahoo!, or another search
engine where this can be done.
Resources
Bibliography on Evaluating Web Information
http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/instruct/evaluate/evalbiblio.html
University Libraries at Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Kathy Schrock’s Guide on DiscoverySchool.com
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html
Librarians' Index to the Internet
Search the subject "Evaluation of Internet Resources" in http://lii.org
Further Information…
Dr. Z’s Asterism
http://lzieger.blogspot.com
Email: [email protected]
EDTC 621 Using the Internet in Education
Discover NJCU website:
http://www.njcu.edu/discovernjcu