Transcript Hey there! - Wandering Booknut

Web Evaluation
(ARE THERE REALLY WHALES IN MINNESOTA?)
Giving credit….
This slide show is based on the original
created by Joyce Valenza
https://sites.google.com/site/valenzaresume/
We’re Not In Kansas Anymore!
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO
EVALUATE WEB PAGES?
Because....
Your house has landed in Oz without a map.
Unlike the Land O’ Books - The web has no editors and
fact checkers. That is your job. Even scarier - it's now
your students' job too.
Because there are lots of web writers who are out to fool
you and your students.
From EasyBib
http://content.easybib.com/2012/04/10/infographic-information-literacy-issues/
Examples....
The Less than Good
(Unreliable - but fairly harmless)
Airport Security – After 911
http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0311600/After911Page.htm
Who is the author of this site?
What organization is in charge?
The Bad
So outrageous, they are funny….but they can still catch
your kids.
 The Federal Vampire & Zombie Agency
http://www.fvza.org/
 ClonesRUs
http://www.turbulence.org/Works/thacker/Clones_R_Us/clones_r_us.html
 RYT Hospital
http://www.rythospital.com/2011/
Who Knows?
William Shakespeare
http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b2shakespeare.htm
Articles are basically published anonymously on this one.
The Downright Dangerous
Cocaine.org (Shows up within the first 3-5 results in
virtually every search engine)
http://www.cocaine.org
Martin Luther King, Jr. - A True Historical
Examination
http://www.martinlutherking.org/
Look at the group responsible for the page.
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/
WHAT ABOUT WIKIPEDIA?
Is there a problem with
Wikipedia?
To paraphrase Groucho Marx:

"I would not want to use an encyclopedia that would accept me as
contributor."
Inaccuracies – sometimes blatant & purposeful.

Vandalism by “contributors”.

Should we let students use it?
 It is often the only encyclopedia with any information at all
about very current events.
 It provides links to other, more reliable or more detailed sources.
 Students are GOING to use it, no matter what adults say.
Educators need to teach how to use it with caution.
My personal opinion?
I think it is OK to use Wikipedia as a
PLACE TO BEGIN …..
….. for adults and high school
students.
Older students can understand the need
to remain skeptical. They often do not
want to take the time necessary to
compare Wikipedia with more reliable
sources - but they at least understand
the concept.
High School Teachers:
Make sure your students know that
Wikipedia can be used - but it will not
count towards your minimum total of
sources.
College professors will laugh at a
paper that cites Wikipedia.
Picture used with permission from BingeGamer.net http://www.bingegamer.net/
Elementary students?
Middle School students?
Perhaps not so much, unless they are
unusually mature.
What do you think?
OTHER RESOURCES
Evaluating Websites
http://wanderingbooknut.weebly.com/other-resources.html
Web Evaluation Tutorial
http://library.acadiau.ca/tutorials/webevaluation/
Hey there!
Have you evaluated?
Is that site
good enough to cite?
Remember:
Anyone can publish
anything
on the Web!
It is your job, as a
researcher, to look for
quality!
Hmmm.
This one looks good.
How can I tell
for sure?
Question Authority!!
CREDIBILITY / AUTHORITY
Who is the author?
Why is he or she an expert? (experience?
Education?)
Is this a personal page? (Clues: ~ tilde,
%, users, members)
Is it part of a major institution?
Is the page hosted by a free server like
AOL Members, or Geocities?
Look for credibility clues!
Words and phrases to look for:
• About us, Who Am I, FAQs, For
More, Company Information,
Profiles, Our Staff, Home
• Search for the author in a search
engine or online database
• Ask your teacher-librarian for help
Truncate the URL
Delete characters in the address line up to
the next slash mark to see if a main page offers
more information about who is responsible for
publishing the page you are interested in.
Go from:
http://pathology.uth.tmc.edu/courses/BT2003/BTstudents
2003_files%5CPlague2003.htm
TO
http://pathology.uth.tmc.edu/
What can you
learn from a URL?
You can use the end, or suffix of a
domain name to help you judge the
validity of the information and the
potential bias of a website.
This strategy is not always
accurate.
URLs as clues to content
.com=commercial sites (vary in their credibility)
.gov=U.S. government site
.org=organization, often non-profit.
Some have strong bias and agendas
.edu=school or university site (is it K–12?
By a student? By a scholar?)
.store=retail business
.int=international institution
.ac=educational institution (like .edu)
.mil=U.S. military site
.net=networked service provider, Internet
administrative site
.museum=museum
.name=individual Internet user
.biz=a business
.pro=professional’s site
~=personal site
What do their URLs reveal
about these sites?
http://personal.statecollege.edu/~ejv114/
http://www.fi.edu/wright/index.html
http://www.house.gov/house/Legproc.html
http://aolmembers.com/joyciev328/civalwarsong
R
ELIABILITY
Does the source present a particular view or bias?
Sometimes a bias is useful for persuasive essays or
debates.
Recognizing bias
is important.
R
ELEVANCE
• Does this information directly support
my hypothesis/thesis or help to answer
my question?
• Does the source give you enough
information?
D
ATE
• When was this information
created?
• Revised?
• (Be suspicious of undated
material.)
So, why should we care
about all of this?
There are bigger questions in life!
You will be using information to
make important decisions!
•
•
•
•
Which car should I buy?
Which doctor should I choose?
Should my child have this surgery?
Should I take this medication?
You want to be able to ensure the
information you choose is reliable, credible,
current, balanced, relevant, and accurate!
Evaluation is
important!
Learn to be fussy!
http://wanderingbooknut.weebly.com/uploads/9/3/4/5/9345192/web_evaluation_checklist_hs.doc