Ensuring Your Resources are Valid by Christin Banes

Visit the following site, and make some observations about the type of information you find there:

You will notice information found is well-organized and the style of the page seems to be professional, but upon further investigation, some issues pop up…

The information here is not supported by scientific fact, or by functional links, and the author does not offer verifiable information about his background

Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanies

Let’s discuss the reasons a web site may be useful or not and how to decide if a site is valid.

By the end of this lesson, you willbe able to look at a site online and determine if the site is reliable through a simple, clear evaluation process.

Introduction to Evaluation The Five W’s of Evaluation Who?

What?

When?

Where?

Why? Domain extensions Quiz

Information can be posted to the Internet by anyone and editorial or expert review is not always used, so don’t always trust it.

May look credible meaning links to other sites, nicely presented, and supporting information, but is actually untrue.

It is best to get a base of knowledge from print resources like databases, encyclopedias or nonfiction books to know when information is questionable.

You should be looking for: authenticity- true information

that is supported elsewhere and proven fact

Authorship-written by an expert with a reputable education, an author with a biography and links to more information about them, an author who can be contacted, authors who used verifiable resources

Bias- information that only represents one side of an argument

Usability-a site that easy to navigate through, information that is correct and can be verified and links that work

Who wrote the pages and are they an expert? Is there a biography?

Can I find out more about the author-Look in the “about us” or “contact us” sections?

Where was the author educated?

Can you verify the authority of the information source?

I can probably find information about the author in the…

a. “About us” or “contact us” sectionb. The “Games” sectionc. The “photo gallery” sectiond. The “blogs” section

What is the main purpose of the site?

What is easy about this site? What information is presented

and is it better than another site?

What links to similar sites are provided?

What kind of in-depth information is provided or is it broad and vague?

Look for lots of pictures and advertisements.

If the main purpose of a site is to give information it will NOT

a. Be a governmental siteb. Persuade me to think a certain wayc. Be an educational site

When was the site last updated?

When was the site created? Is there a date of publication?

When are the scheduled updates or postings?

Do the links work?

A site whose links are for the most part inoperable is probably out of date and not kept up by its author.

a. Trueb. False

Where is the information from?

Where can I find out information about the sponsor?

Is the information one-sided or biased?

Verify the domain type or what type of site it is (more about this later)

Information will usually be good if it is from…a. A governmental siteb. An educational sitec. A professional site of an expertd. All of the above

Why is this information useful?

Why should I use this information?

Why is this page better than others? Does the information match what I have found in print sources?

Good sources for initial printed information include:

a. Databasesb. Encyclopediasc. Nonfiction booksd. All of the above

.gov- applies to federal departments, in Canada it is .gov.ca .gc-the federal government in Canada uses this in some of its

departments .edu-represents four year universities and colleges .org-represents organizations and groups, often trying to

convince a visitor to agree with them .com-represents commercial sites, often trying to persuade a

buyer .net-intended for networks involved in Internet operations These sites are now allowable for a variety of organizations

and many different types of sites are associated with each. The government still holds the greatest validity, and are only held by governmental departments.

Which domain is still the most reliable?a. .com-commercialb. .net-Internet networksc. .gov- Governmentald. .edu-Colleges, educational

1. Are commercial sites good sources of information?

a. no, they are always biasedb. Yesc. Sometimes, but lookout for persuasive

advertising

2. Where should I begin my research process?a. Ask the teacherb. In a print source like a nonfiction book or

encyclopediac. online

3. Who would be the best provider of information?

a. A group of kidsb. An organization trying to get me to buy

somethingc. An expert on the subject

4. Should you use a site without an author?a. Neverb. Sometimes, if it is a page on a reputable site

I have reviewedc. Yes

5. How can you tell if a site is biased?a. If the information is only about one side of

an argumentb. All sides of an argument are presentedc. A site is NOT trying to get you to buy

something or think like them

Return to question #

Return to question #

Use the form found at the following site to find a good site on the properties and uses of aluminum

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/pdf/evalmidd.pdf

Print out the form, complete it and turn it in.

Schrock, Kathy. (2001). Information-Literacy Primer: Learning to research on the web. Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation. 30 June 2010.

Schrock, Kathy. (2010). Teacher Helpers: Critical Evaluation Information. Discovery Education. 30 June 2010. Retrieved from http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/eval.html

(2010). The Five W’s of Cyberspace. Media Awareness Network. 1 July 2010. Retrieved from http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/handouts/internet/5ws_cyberspace.cfm