Web Evaluation (ARE THERE REALLY WHALES IN MINNESOTA?)

Giving credit…. This slide show is based on the original created by Joyce Valenza

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

Examples....

The Less than Good (Unreliable - but fairly harmless) Airport Security – After 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  ClonesRUs  RYT Hospital

Who Knows? William Shakespeare 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) Martin Luther King, Jr. - A True Historical Examination / Look at the group responsible for the page

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

Elementary students? Middle School students? Perhaps not so much, unless they are unusually mature. What do you think?

OTHER RESOURCES Evaluating Websites Web Evaluation Tutorial

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!!

C REDIBILITY / A UTHORITY 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: _files%5CPlague2003.htm _files%5CPlague2003.htm TO

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?

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!