1. Information Detectives
With thanks to Matthew Mustafic, Beech Grove Primary School
Phillip Martin Clipart
Click me to return here
The Internet is an amazing place.
It is full of interesting information.
But we have to take care.
Not all information on the Internet is true... and some information is designed to affect the way you think... so we must all be...
Information Detectives
Can you believe it?
Are you persuaded?
Detective training

2. Can you believe it?
These photos prove that we cannot believe everything we see or read. But how do we know what is true and what is not?
How do you know that these photos are not real?
To view video clips in this section you will need to have Youtube unblocked. Remember, be responsible. Don’t follow links to other clips or advertisements.
News Detectives
Website Detectives
Video Detectives

3. Which report do you believe?
News Detectives
Newspapers, Radio, TV, Online, Mobile...
There are so many ways to find out the latest news, but is there sometimes more than meets the eye to the news item? Watch the news reports below and see what you think.
Which report do you believe?
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Watch this news report from 1957 about how spaghetti is produced. (YouTube)
Click on the photograph to see this amazing report about a newly discovered colony of penguins. (YouTube)

4. How will you check the information on each website?
Website Detectives
Did you know that there are more than 200 MILLION WEBSITES on the internet?
Amazing! But think carefully... who makes them? Where did they get their information from? How can we be sure that it is true?
Click on the logo to watch Captain Kara and the SMART crew. What do they say about information on websites? How do they recommend you can check information you find to make sure it is true?
Now put your WEBSITE DETECTIVE skills to the test. Click on the links below to visit each of the websites. Then use your skills to find out which website contain false information.
How will you check the information on each website?
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Victorian Robots
Google Pigeons
Hippo Sweat
Dog Island
Tree Octopus

5. Can you believe your eyes?
Video Detectives
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Camcorders, digital cameras, mobile phones ...
It’s really quick and easy to make videos and upload them to the internet now – and great fun too. But can we trust all the videos we see online?
Ask yourself who put them there, who they put them there for, and what effect they want the video to have.
Can you believe your eyes?
Click here to see how videos can be cleverly edited and changed using computers. You’ll need to have access to YouTube.
Click here to watch a another video. Is it real? Believe it or not these are real people and places. They have been made to look like toys by a clever technique called ‘Tilt-shift’.
You can see how tricky it is to be a VIDEO DETECTIVE. Click here to see if you can tell the difference between videos that are real and not real.

6. Video Detectives Real people that don’t look real?
Fake places that look authentic?
As you’ve seen, we need to be Video Detectives at all times, looking for clues and asking questions about what we see.
Can I find out who uploaded this video?
When was it produced?
Why is it here?
Is it trying to affect the way I think?
Is it real?
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Test your VIDEO DETECTIVE skills: Follow the links, watch the videos. Is each video real or fake?
Think: How can we tell whether a video is real or not?
What are the reasons that people might make false videos?

7. Are you persuaded? Website persuasion Advertising Are you persuasive?
Persuasion is a powerful tool. 
Click on this 'logo quiz' to see how many of these companies you recognise just from their adverts and websites.
When searching on the internet, it is very easy to come across websites and adverts designed to make you think in a certain way, click on particular link, or buy a product.
Sometimes these are obviously trying to persuade you... but at other times it might not be clear.
So as  INFORMATION DETECTIVES we must always think carefully while we search.
Visit each of these pages to build your INFORMATION DETECTIVE skills in recognising persuasion.
Website persuasion
Advertising
Are you persuasive?

8. Website Persuasion
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Fact or opinion? Information or persuasion?
The Internet is full of websites that give us information.
There are also lots of websites which are trying to make us think in a certain way.
As INFORMATION DETECTIVES we are careful when we search the Internet. We check information we find on more than one website and we ask questions about what we see.
Click here to investigate.
There are different reasons for websites to try to persuade us. There are four investigations.
What are the different reasons the websites try to persuade us?
What different ways do web designers use to try to persuade us?
Think!

9. Website Persuasion back Website Investigation 1 Whales
Can you find information about whales on either of these websites? Which one is trying to persuade you to do something? How do you know?
What has the web designer used to try to persuade you?
Why do you think someone wants to persuade you to do something?
Website Investigation 2
Disneyland
Which of these websites gives you just FACTS about Disneyland?
What is the other website trying to persuade you to do? How do you know?
What has the web designer used to try to persuade you?
Why do you think someone wants to persuade you?
Website Investigation 3 Clubs
These websites want you to join their club.
Remember – you must always ask your parents before you join a club.
Which website do you find most persuasive? Why?
What has the web designer done to persuade you?
Why do you think they want you to join?
Website Investigation 4
Fox hunting
All these newsround webpages are about fox hunting. But can you tell the facts from the opinions?
PAGE PAGE PAGE 3
Which of thse pages gives you just FACTS about fox hunting?
What are the opinions being presented on the other pages?
What have the writers used to try to persuade you?
Why do you think they want to persuade you?

10. Advertising back Clothes, food, music, films, phones ...
Everywhere we look, someone is trying to advertise something.
Sometimes this is on TV, in magazines, on websites. Sometimes it’s more obvious than others.
As INFORMATION DETECTIVES, we use the Internet carefully, only clicking on links that we trust and thinking carefully about which links are trying to sell us something we don’t necessarily want!
Activity One: Learning Game Challenge
Search for ‘Learning games’. Try a few of the links. How many learning game websites can you find that don’t have any adverts?
Why do you think so many websites have adverts on them?
Activity Two: Advertising Techniques aimed at children
What techniques are used?
Watch Advertising and Marketing Techniques video and make your own list.
Try out the other PBS activities to help understand advertising tricks.

11. Strawberry and Chocolate Pizza
Are you persuasive?
Bright colours, music, famous people, catchy slogans, pop-ups, hidden adverts, clever questions, bold text, exaggeration, special offers ...
You’ve seen all the tricks that can be used to persuade us. Now it’s your turn!
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Choose one of the items below and use as many persuasion tricks as possible. Think about all you’ve learnt.
Broken Clock
Use your powers of persuasion
to create an advert for this
broken clock.
Can you convince buyers that
it is the most stylish ornament
they could possibly have in
their house?
Rubbish Holidays
The rubbish dump is the
latest place to open its
gates as a holiday
destination.
Persuade people that they
really should visit for their
next break.
Strawberry and Chocolate Pizza
Design an advert to sell
the latest design in
pizza toppings!
1970s Mobile Phone
In 1973 this man, Martin Cooper, created the first ever mobile phone. It was huge and heavy. It could also only make phonecalls – no texts, photos, videos and definitely no Internet! Use your powers of persuasion to convince people that his phone is the latest ‘must-have’ gadget for the modern day.

12. Detective Training
So do you think you’ve got what it takes to be a true INFORMATION DETECTIVE?
Can you tell what to believe and what not to believe?
Do you know when you are being persuaded?
Finally, there are a few more skills you need to be a fully effective detective!
Which search engine?
Advanced searching

13. Try out the searches below using the different search engines.
Which search engine?
Almost everyone has heard of Google, and lots of people would only ever use Google to search the Internet. BUT did you know there are many different search engines available?
INFORMATION DETECTIVES make sure the search engine they use is appropriate for their search, and sometimes even use more than one search engine to make sure they get all the information they need.
Try out the searches below using the different search engines.
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Do you get the same results with every search engine?
What tips would you give someone who wants to search the web?
Which search engine would you recommend for young children?
Did you notice any sponsored links?
Why do you think some search engines have sponsored links?
Search for these keywords:
alien
dog
Egypt
underwater
weather
chocolate
gadget
game

14. Advanced Searching
The Internet is a bit like the world’s biggest library. But it’s not always easy to find exactly what you are looking for. ADVANCED INFORMATION DETECTIVES know how to use special search tricks to help make their searching more efficient.
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Advanced search tip 1
Use the subtract
symbol to make
sure words are
not included in your search.
Try this: Do a search for the keywords ‘red panda’.
Do the same search with the subtract symbol in front of the word red, ‘-red panda’.
What do you notice?
Advanced search tip 2
Use speech marks to make sure your search
finds a whole phrase, not just individual words.
Try this: Search on for Wayne Rooney number.
Your results should give you websites that mention Wayne Rooney and the word ‘number’. If you put speech marks around your search “ Wayne Rooney number” your results will only include sites that contain that exact phrase.
Now can you use this to quickly find websites that tell you about Wayne Rooney’s position?
Click here for more tips
Advanced search tip 3
Use more words to make your search more specific.
Try this: Do a search for ‘Giraffe’. What are the top three results? Then try again, but search for ‘Giraffe animal. How are the results different?

15. Advanced Searching Advanced search tip 4 Advanced search tip 5
Read the description of each website before clicking the link.
Try this: Search on  for crisp and scan the descriptions of the websites in the results.
How many of the results are about potato crisps?
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Advanced search tip 5
Use the search engine’s built in 'advanced search' or 'help' function.
Try this: Go to your favourite search engine and find the 'advanced search' or 'help' section.
TRY TO USE IT NEXT TIME YOU DO A SEARCH.