BECAUSE IT’S ON THE WEB IT’S TRUE….RIGHT?? THERE IS A WORKSHEET TO COMPLETE AT THE END OF THIS PPT……EARBUDS ALLOWED….

Evaluating Websites

BEFORE USING A WEBSITE FOR RESEARCH ASK THESE QUESTIONS FIRST……. Who ? Authority Why ? Purpose What? Credentials When ? Current

WHO Who writes for the website? Are the authors experts in their field/authority on the topic?  Who publishes the website?  Are they well-known ? Can you contact them?  Is there a phone number or mailing address (look for “about us” links to find that information)

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE SITE? To Inform ? To Sell ? To Persuade ?

TO INFORM For research you want to use sites that are INFORMING you (not selling or persuading or entertaining you) ASK yourself---  Is it OBJECTIVE ?  Or is it biased or prejudiced ?  Are the authors or publishers of the website trying to persuade you to their point of view?  Are they trying to sell you something?  Are they entertaining you and creating a spoof?  What’s wrong with this site Lake Michigan Whale Watching ?Lake Michigan Whale Watching

WHEN WAS THE SITE CREATED OR LAST UPDATED? CURRENCY Is it Current Is it contemporary Or is it outdated? Look for a date at the bottom of the website.

CAPOW! Before watching this video about evaluating websites can you figure out what some of the letters in the acronym CAPOW stand for?video  (they were used in this tutorial)

WHERE DOES THE INFORMATION COME FROM? Domains are clues.edu.gov.mil.com.net.org

DOMAINS MOST RELIABLE FOR RESEARCH.edu (education).gov (government).mil (military)

EVALUATE THESE DOMAINS CLOSELY:.com (commercial) they may be trying to sell you something.org (organization) mostly non-profits  BUT now anyone can buy a.org domain so sometimes they are ‘hate sites’ or spoofs.net (network) Always check facts from 3 sources to avoid being fooled from spoofs like the Lake Michigan Whale watching!

REVIEW Here are criteria to remember when evaluating websites: Authority (Who) Are they experts in their field? Accuracy Are all facts correct? Coverage Does the site offer enough information? Currency (When) Is there a copyright and update date Objectivity Is it unbiased? Is it fact based not opinion based? Purpose (Why) Why are they publishing the site? To inform or sell

LINK TO THIS VIDEO View this xtranormal project that explains how to evaluate websites slightly differently then the CAPOW video.xtranormal project

WORKSHEET Open the worksheet (also located on the Media Lit classwork site)worksheet Save to your H-Drive Complete answers (this will be graded) Print and hand in to me When finished go to TypingPal and practice (or other project if you have passed Final Test)