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[[image:keyboard_1.png width="90" height="58"]] Unit 3: Evaluating the reliability and validity of online information
Objective 3-1: Learners will evaluate website validity and reliability based on information found in the URL.

Objective 3-2: Learners will evaluate websites in their entirety for validity and reliability.


 * Understanding a URL**

Activity 1 - Introduction:

Think back to our friend Zack. There are several things he could have done to ensure that the online information he found for his report was valid and accurate. In this part of Unit 3, we are going to learn how to read a URL (web address) to help us determine the validity of a website. Keep the website Zack used (http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~abutz/di/intro.html) in mind. (It’s an outdated site so you don’t need to go there. Just think about the parts of the URL.)

Activity 2:

Visit the following websites. As you are searching, keep these questions in mind:

• What is a URL? • What are the three parts of a URL? What do they mean? • What are some common URL extensions? Can they help you determine if the information contained on a website might be accurate and valid? • What words and/or symbols indicate it might be a personal webpage?

Understanding and Decoding URLs Understanding a URL Understanding Website URLs How to Read a URL How to Read a Web Address

Activity 3:

When you have finished your online exploration, download the [|Evaluating URLs Worksheet.doc] and complete the information. You will also be going to 3 websites and evaluating the information contained in the URL of each site. //Suzanne says: as I look at this URL I notice from the name this appears to be an educational site but the extension is .org rather than .edu. Maybe I should check this further to be sure it is reliable.//


 * Wrap It Up #1:**

1. When you have completed the worksheet, e-mail it to the faciliator.

2. Discussion #1 - Post your comments to the "Reading a URL" Discussion Forum. How could knowing how to read a URL have helped Zack be sure his information was valid and reliable?

Click on the Discussion tab at the top to post your reply.

We’ve defined information literacy, learned about search engines and keywords, and identified parts of a URL that can help determine if information on a website is valid. We now need to look at the website itself to evaluate its validity and reliability. Why do we need to do this?
 * Evaluating Websites**

Watch this video to learn “Why Ya’ll Need to Evaluate Websites” media type="youtube" key="MGITknZkjss" height="344" width="425"

Activity 1: What to look for

There are different ways to evaluate the information on a website. We will investigate looking at the 5-W’s – who, what, when, where, why, and sometimes how – as well as evaluating the accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency and coverage of the website and its information.

Visit these sites to learn about the accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage of a website:

Evaluating Websites Video Five Criteria for Evaluating Webpages ABC’s of Web Literacy Tutorial Evaluating Internet Resources: A Checklist



These websites will guide you through evaluating a site using the 5-W’s: The 5-W’s and 1-H of Cyberspace - Media Awareness Deconstructing Webpages Fact or Folly: Authenticating Online Information

Review: To review what we have learned so far, watch these two videos and visit the Evaluating Web Pages site listed below.

Evaluating Websites Video Tutorial How to Evaluate Websites Video Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask

In addition to the information contained within the pages of a website there are some other things you can look for. Visit these sites to learn how to:

Find the publisher of a website Search the history of the website Who is linked to the page

Activity 2: Wikipedia – friend or foe?

One of the mostly widely used websites for locating information on the web is Wikipedia. There is much controversy about its validity and reliability, especially in education. Our students often go to Wikipedia first and use this information without visiting any other sites or ensuring the information is valid. Visit these resources to learn more about this tool and how it works.

Wikipedia Beneath the Surface (YouTube video) Dialogue – Wikipedia (You Tube video) Wikipedia, Information or Opinion?

Wikipedia has also developed a more student friendly site. You can view the topics in a title or a pictorial index.

Wikipedia for Schools

Activity 3: Validating a website

Practice your evaluation skills at one of these online evaluation website challenges:

Use it? Or Lose it? (flash challenge)

Find the Bad Apple (flash challenge)


 * Wrap It Up** #2:

__1. Website Evaluation Exercise__

Using either the [|Website EvaluationWkst.doc], or the, you will be evaluating 3 different websites. Go to the “Websites to Validate" link below and choose two of the websites from the list. The third website to evaluate will be your choice.

Websites to Validate

When you have completed the evaluations, e-mail the worksheets to the project facilitator.

__2. Discussion Forum__ Discussion #2 - Post your comments to the "Wikipedia - Friend or Foe" Discussion Forum. Question: Is Wikipedia an effective research tool for student research? Why or why not?

Click on the Discussion tab at the top to post your reply.

__3. Online Survey__

Please complete the online survey for Unit 3. media type="custom" key="4535726"