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Are the sources you are finding full of GREAT information?
Are you sure?
Hey- Check these out :
Feline Reactions to Bearded Men (http://lib.nmsu.edu/staff/susabeck/cat/html)
Recognize any of the author's names???
Mankato, Minnesota Home Page (http://lme.mankato.msus.edu/mankato/mankato.htm)
Can you believe everything you read and see??? Read the disclaimer!
California's Velcro Crop Under Challenge
(http://members.unlimited.net/~kumbach/velcro.html)Do you know anyone who grows velcro?
Oklahoma Association of Wine Producers (http://members.aol.com/okawp/)
Nice looking page, but have you ever heard of Oklahoma being such a wine producer???
Interesting... But BOGUS!!!
Now try these- But THINK about what you are reading :
Holocaust Revisionism (http://pubweb.nwu.edu/~abutz/di/intro.html)
Look up the author in the school directory section of this web site. What are his credentials, anyway? Scary stuff !!! There's lots of this sort of thing out there- Be critical, and skeptical !
Kellogg's (http://www.kellogs.com)
What's missing? How about ANY facts about sugar content??? Hmmm... Do you suppose this site might have been designed to SELL their product? (Hint: think about what .com stands for!)
BE CRITICAL!!! Use your head, and CHECK your sources!!!
Finally- How about some good sites:
Britannica (http://www.britannica.com)
Recognize the name? You've probably used this source before- in hard copy! This site also includes lots of magazine articles and links to other good sites.
Homework Central (http://www.homeworkcentral.com)
Need help with yours? Try it!
KidsClick (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/)
Something for everyone. Many topics, many links!
Be a Pro on your own- Read this :
The online world is quickly becoming a source of primary information for both teachers
and students. Considering the enormous amount of information available online, students
need to be able to critically evaluate Web pages for authenticity, applicability,
authorship, bias, and usability.
Unlike the media center, there are no media specialists to sort out the valuable
information from the substandard information. With more than 350 million documents
available on the Web alone, finding relevant information online can be daunting.
Therefore, the ability to critically evaluate information is an invaluable skill in this
information age.
Authority When we look at Internet
information with a critical eye, we want to know the basis of the author’s a u t h o
r i t y. Some filters we can employ are: Is the author a well-regarded name you
recognize? Does the online document contain a biography and an email address? Did
you link to this site from a site you trust? Are you led to additional information
about the author?
Bias Biased sites contain words
that try to persuade rather than inform. Some of these words include over- g e n e r a l i
z a t i o n s and simplifications and may also contain games, giveaways, contests, or
celebrity endorsements intended to persuade. Some things to think about include: Is
it clear what organization is sponsoring the page? Is there is a link to the
sponsoring org a n i z a t i o n ’s Web site? Is the page actually an ad
disguised as information?
Citations If the author of a site
includes a source bibli-o g r a p h y, students can consult these sources to find
additional information about the topic and compare the author’s content w i t h other
works. If the author leads the user to related sources, it allows the student to evaluate
the a u t h o r’s scholarship. Citations should be full citations to allow students
to locate the book or periodical at the library.
Dates Every
credible Web site includes the date that it was created and the date of last update.
Another date that may be important is the date the data was collected. Students need to
ask themselves if the information they are looking for is from an area that demands more
current information. In this case, the date of last update is an important feature to look
for.
Fallacy As with print material, one
thing that may happen on a Web site is that the information presented may be used out of
context. Citations allow students to research the original Cove document and become
familiar with the surrounding text. Another event that occurs on the Web that is unique to
hypertext systems is the ability to jump into a Web site at any point. Students should be
encouraged to find the "top" of the Web site and read the author’s purpose
and rationale for providing the information.
Graphics As bandwidth shrinks
and becomes a precious c o m m o d i t y, more attention needs to be focused on the
graphics that are included on a Web site. A clearly labeled graphic is worth a thousand
words when illustrating a point.
Information Availability A
particular piece of information might not be available online because firms who pay to
create and disseminate information are unlikely to provide this information free of
charge. Keeping information up-to-date is costly.
Jerry-Built We b s t e r’s
Dictionary d e f i n e s jerry-built as "built poorly, of cheap materials." When
evaluating a site, students need to understand that a page that contains multiple spelling
and grammatical errors may have been thrown t o g e t h e r. There is one exception: If
the native language of the Web site designer is not English, spelling and grammar
inconsistencies should be overlooked.
Knowledge Before researching
online, students should have working knowledge of the topics they are pursuing. T h i s
allows students to relate how the new information compares with what they already know
about the subject.
Links Students should also try to
find out if a site is meant to be comprehensive in scope or is just an overview or sampler
of links. The links should be appropriate for the site’s intended audience and also
offer something that is not available at any other online destination.
Misinformation Students need to
realize some of the sources of misinformation on the Net, which include the fact there is
nothing to stop a Web page author from modifying the text at any time; the use of opinion
verbs and appeals to emotion may indicate bias; and there are many jokes and pranks on the
Net.
Navigability AWeb page should be
designed for easy navigation. Links should be easy to identify and grouped in some type of
logical order. Students should be able to tell at first glance how a site is organized and
the options available. An added bonus is the inclusion of a keyword search function.
Pertinent Central to the online research model is the need for students to know when to disregard information. With the amount of information available, it is imperative that students learn how to evaluate whether the information that they find is pertinent to their purpose. This begins by having students clarify their objectives before they begin the research process.
YOU ARE NOW ARMED AND READY! Have fun- Choose well!