Transcript EVALUATING WEB BASED INFORMATION - LVUSD

EVALUATING WEB BASED
INFORMATION
A Workshop for Teachers
December 2009
Teaching Research Skills Using
Web-Based Technology
Academic research has become technology
enabled
• Information is widely available on Internet
• Need to critically evaluate this information
• Students must be taught key evaluation traits
• Authority and Scope
• Accuracy and Relevance
• Up-to-Date
Information literate students are able to:
 Access info efficiently and effectively
 Evaluate info critically and competently
 Use info accurately and creatively
Source: American Library Association, Information Power -”Information Literacy
Standards for Student Learning.” (1998)
Teach students to be detectives
 Look for clues
 Ask questions - the 5 W’s (who, what, where,
when, why)
 Consider motives
 Trust nobody until you can verify information
Source: Linda Starr. “Fact, Fiction or Opinion: Evaluating Online Information.” Education World
<http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr194.shtml>
Key Traits - Authority
 Who is the author or sponsoring organization?
 Is the author an expert?
 Is there contact information?
 Can you find more about the sponsoring
organization?
 Check the domain name in URL
 .edu, .gov, .mil, .org, .com
 “ ~ “ in address usually means personal web page
Key Traits - Scope
 Is the information fact or opinion?
 Is there evidence of bias?
 Does the web site try to sell?
 Does the web site try to persuade?
Key Traits - Accuracy
 Can you verify the information is reliable?
 Check a print source
 Check other sources
 Are there links to other references or a
bibliography?
Key Traits - Relevant
 Is the site useful for your research?
 Would you recommend this web site to others?
Key Traits - Up-to-date
 When was the web site created?
 When was the web site last updated?
Key Traits - Ease of Use
 How is the web site organized?
 Is it easy to navigate around the web site?
 Is it searchable by keywords?
 Are there links to other resources?
 Are there graphics?
 Do they load quickly?
 Are they labeled clearly?
 Are they easy to view or too cluttered?
Other Web Site Tools
 Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators(includes
evaluation forms for elementary, middle & high
schools, links to articles and other web sites)
 UC Berkeley Library (“Evaluating Web Pages:
Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask”)
 Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University (“Five
Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages”)
 Eduscapes - includes lessons, activities,
evaluation criteria, links to misleading websites
Other Web Tools
 November Learning (includes information
literacy resources - lessons, quizzes, links to
misleading websites including the “Tree
Octopus”). Several years ago Alan November
was keynote speaker at district staff development
day.
 Librarians Internet Index (well-organized directory
for reliable, trustworthy, librarian-selected
websites)