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 Can be daunting with its volumes of resources  Takes skill & perseverance.  Should be done with prudence when › selecting sites for your students to use › doing online research

 Magnitude of resources  Any person can create a webpage  Search portals do not scrutinize sites

 Information  Opinion  Point of View or Perspective  Commercial or business  Personal

 Authorship  Publishing body  Point of view or bias  Verifiability  Currency

 Author is well-known and well- regarded  Positive referral from another trusted source  Biographical information is given  Other contact information is supplied

 Name or link to governing organization  Organization is: › Recognizable › Suitable to topic at hand  Identified relationship between author and server  Verify server where document resides

 Decide where webpage resides (URL) › Corporate site? › Political agenda? › Philosophical agenda?

 Explanations of research methods provided  Bibliography / links to supporting documents  Individuals/sources are identifiable  Use other sources to cross-reference

 Date of information  Publication date  Date of last revision  Current, active links

 You may work with a partner to utilize the evaluation chart to evaluate two different websites.  Spend approximately ten minutes per website

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Upon review of the sites,  Conclusions?  What were some red flags?  What surprised you?

.edu = Education Site .com = Commercial Sites - Unrestricted! .gov = Government Agency .org = Organizations – Unrestricted! .net = Intended for ISP’s & Networks (but can be purchased) .info = Unrestricted!

.biz = Intended for Business – Unrestricted! .pro = Professionals/Organizations .k12.nj.us = Public / Private Schools .library.nj.us = Public Libraries .state.nj.us = Official State Websites .name = Individual, Personal Website

 Web Search Strategies In Plain English  YoVpdz8o YoVpdz8o  Hints on identifying personal pages are available in Understanding and Decoding URLs.  general/evaluating/url.html general/evaluating/url.html 

 Read "Rising Tide: Sites Born of Hate", New York Times, March 18, 1999 to learn about tough-to-detect extremist point of views.  /02/circuits/articles/18hate.html /02/circuits/articles/18hate.html  Get students to evaluate web pages by exploring these hoax sites!  ts/TCEA/hoaxtable.html ts/TCEA/hoaxtable.html

Tutorial which explains the ABC’s (and D’s) of evaluating websites ALA’s Great Sites For Kids Selection Criteria Site includes a website evaluation checklist, a lesson plan, and a list of links for students to evaluate

" Evaluating Internet Information." The Sheridan Libraries Homepage. Web. 15 July "Helpful Hints to Help You Evaluate the Credibility of Web Resources." Mason Academic Research System (mason.gmu.edu). Web. 15 July Morris, Pat. "Developing Validation Criteria for WebPages." Reading. Web.

STANDARD 8.1 Computer and Information Literacy: All students will use computer applications to gather and organize information and to solve problems B. Application of Productivity Tools Evaluate the accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness of print and non-print electronic information sources.

B. Application of Productivity Tools 7. Evaluate information sources for accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness. STANDARD 3.5 Viewing and Media Literacy: All students will access, view, evaluate, and respond to print, nonprint, and electronic texts B. Visual and Verbal Messages 2. Evaluate various media messages for credibility.

1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge Evaluate the information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context Maintain a critical stance by questioning the validity and accuracy of all information

 Learners will understand the importance of assessing online resources.  Learners will learn and apply 5 criteria for assessing website credibility

 Discuss the importance of knowing the credibility of information sources.  Discuss the criteria posted in the PowerPoint.  Distribute 2 copies of the Website Evaluation Chart to each teacher.  Have teachers form pairs to explore two websites with false information and complete the evaluation chart.

 Discuss teachers’ conclusions.  Use the PowerPoint to show teachers some web based material to support further understanding.  Use the PowerPoint to provide teachers with a few resources that they could begin to use for lessons with their students.

 Show teachers how this connects to the Technology, L.A.L., and Information Skills standards.  Allow a few minutes for Q &A.

 Website Evaluation Charts