Transcript jungle_out_there - Dewey-Dot-Com

It’s an Information
Jungle Out There!
Not All Web Sites are
Equal
• How do you sort the good ones from
the bad?
Let’s Imagine that Your
Assignment is to…
• Write a report
about Egyptian
mummies
How Will You Find
Information?
• Many students use the Internet
because it’s fast!
Web Sites on Egyptian
Mummies…..
• With a few mouse
clicks on a search
engine, you’ll find
hundreds or
thousands of web
sites
How Will You Know Which
Web Sites are the Best????
• Which web site do I trust?
• How can I tell if the Web Site has
accurate information?
For Reliable Searching on
the Internet…
• Use a reputable search engine (There
are problems with this….)
– Some sites are sponsored links that are
likely to lead you to viruses or spyware
– You’ll get thousands of hits and the top
links may not be reliable at all!
For More Reliability in
Searching on the Internet…
• Use Internet directories sponsored
by educators or librarians such as…
– Internet Public Library (ipl.org)
– Librarians’ Index to the Internet
(lii.org)
For More Reliability in
Searching on the Internet…
• Use a database/databases that your
school library subscribes to
• Ask your librarian about how to access
them at school AND at home
Why Aren’t all Web
Sites Equal?
• Anyone can put up a web site
I create web
sites in my
spare time!
Why Aren’t all Web
Sites Equal?
• Some web sites have information that is
wrong or misleading
Hey, that web
site says
there’s no
school today!
Why Aren’t all Web
Sites Equal?
• Some web sites are more interested
in selling something—a product or a
point of view—than providing the This water has
straight facts
been proven to
be the best for
your health!
How to Sort the Good
from the Bad?
• Teachers and librarians can help
When You’re On Your
Own…
• Use eight critical research skills to
distinguish good Web sites from the
bad
Eight Critical Research Skills
1.
Who sponsors the Web
site?
The name of the person
or group in charge of
the site should be on
their home page.
Is the sponsor trying to
sell a product or
promote a political view?
Who Sponsors the Web
Site?
• Also look at the Web site address
(URL)
.com= commercial site
.edu= a school/college
.gov= a government site
.org= a non-government organization
Critical Research Skills
2. Who wrote the material? If no one
takes responsibility for the
content, don’t trust the
information. Is the author an
expert in the subject? If so, the
content is likely to be good.
Critical Research Skills
3. How much
information does the
site provide? The
site is really helpful
if it is rich in
content. Is the
information
complete?
Critical Research Skills
4. Is the information balanced?
Beware of sites that give only one
side of a controversial issue or that
try to persuade you to accept one
point of view.
Critical Research Skills
5. Is the material well written?
Are the pages full of misspelled
words and bad grammar?? The facts
may be inaccurate as well.
Didn’t they
use a spellchecker???
Critical Research Skills
6. When was the Web Page last
updated? Look for dates on the
page. A page that hasn’t been
updated may contain outdated
information.
Last Updated
June 1, 1985
Critical Research Skills
7. Does the site list reliable sources
for the information it provides?
Where did the information come
from?
My web site doesn’t
need any sources!
Good Sites…
• A good site will give you a way to
check the information
• A good site will have updated links to
other sources of information on the
Web
Critical Research Skills
8. Is the site easy to use? Can you go
to any place on the site from one
page?
This is so easy
to use!
Use these eight critical
research skills….
1) Who sponsors the Web site?
2) Who wrote the material?
3) How much information does the site
provide? Is it complete?
4) Is the information balanced?
Use these eight critical
research skills….
5) Is the material well written?
6) When was the Web Page last
updated? Is it current?
7) Does the site list reliable sources
for the information it provides?
8) Is the site easy to use?
Use these eight research
skills and you’ll be a
successful Internet user!
What about Boolean
Searching?
• Named after George Boole, a British
mathematician (1815-1864)
• Primary operators
–
–
–
–
and
or
and not
near
and
• Requires all terms (search words) to
appear somewhere in the document in
any order
• Dogs “and” cats is the small
overlapping area
dogs
cats
Using “and” narrows a
search
• Example--global warming and Texas
and hurricanes
• All three terms must be somewhere
in the documents retrieved
or
• Requires at least one of terms (search
words) to appear somewhere in the
document
• Dogs -or- cats
dogs
cats
or
• Requires only one of the terms to appear
somewhere in the document
• Using “or” broadens a search
• Example--New York or East Coast
or
Not…
• Using “not” limits a search
• It excludes pages that mention cats
even if they mention dogs
dogs not cats
And not
• “Not” is often used after you have
performed a search and want to limit the
results of that search
• Example--oil fields and not the Middle
East
not
Near
• “Near” requires the term following it to be
close to the first word
• Example--president near Kennedy will give
you articles about President Kennedy, not
articles about his early life and not about
other Kennedy family members
Advanced Searches
• Some Search Engines don’t allow Boolean
searching
• Many search engines have their own
operators for their Advanced Search
boxes
• For help, go to “Advanced Search Tips” on
their search engine main page
Advanced Searches
• Examples
– By language (from Arabic to Turkish…)
– By date (past 3, 6, 12 months, etc.)
– By file format (PDF, RTF, XLS, DOC,
etc.)
Internet Searching…
• It is an information jungle out there!
• Use these critical skills and
searching techniques and….
• You’ll find lot of useful and relevant
information on the Internet
Carole & Mike Bell
Scholastic Classroom & Library Group
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[email protected]
Phone: 956-631-1277
Fax: 956-661-1780
Voicemail: 800-825-4579 *4581
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