EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGIES Internet as a Tool for Credible Research and Information Most of us spent time using the Internet. What search engine do you usually use in searching for information over the Internet? Is the site credible? Have you ever searched the Internet for certain information where the search engine returned a different result? Remember that Internet is a public place and there are billions of information we can get through the web. Internet is also known as “information super highway” that is why it is a challenge to know what information is relevant and reliable. Here are some tips you may use to be able to look for relevant and reliable sources: Search Engines are search facilities provided number of sites on the World Wide Web. Enable the user to search the whole of the Web for keywords and phrases to locate related websites. Are useful facilities for locating information. Here are some search engines we use today : Anatomy of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) Also known as Web Address. A URL contains the location of a resource on the Internet. It specifies the address of the computer where the resource is located, which may be the homepage of a website. • • • • • • • • • Protocol/scheme- The protocol declares how your web browser should communicate with a web server when sending or fetching a web page or document. Sub-domain- If your website is like a house, your subdomains are like specific rooms in that house. A subdomain in a URL indicates which particular page of your website the web browser should serve up. Second-level domain- (SLD) is the name of your website. It helps people know they’re visiting a certain brand’s site. Top-level Domain- The top-level domain (TLD) specifies what type of entity your organization registers as on the internet. Folders/path- The path typically refers to a file or directory on the web server. File name- This is typically (though not always) just a path to a file located on the web server. File type- The file format often (but not always) depicts how the web server provides the content. For example, a .php ending is indicative that the webpage is being served by a php 'engine' - a scripting language which facilitates 'dynamic' webpages. Queries-The query string is found after the first question mark in the URL and is represented by key/value pairs separated by an ampersand (&). It defines values sent to a website such that the website feeds the correct information. Fragment- A fragment is an internal page reference, sometimes called a named anchor. It usually appears at the end of a URL and begins with a hash (#) character followed by an identifier. It refers to a section within a web page. Popular Domain Top-Level Domains .edu – educational institution .org – non-profit organization .gov – government site .com – commercial site .net - network Country Code Top-Level Domains .ph – Philippines .eu – European Union .uk – United Kingdom .au – Australia Search Skills and Tools 1. Boolean Logic – narrows, broadens, or eliminates search term. 2. Phase Searching – is used to search for famous quotes, proper names, recommendations, etc. It encloses the phrase in quotation marks. Ex. “Jane Doe” “To be or not to be” 3. Plus (+) – indicates that the word after the sign is a required word must be found in search. Example: +fire 4. Minus (–) sign – indicates to exclude a word from your search that is not required on the result. Example: Jaguar speed –car 5. Ampersand (@) is used to find social tags. Example: @SteveJobs 6. Hashtag (#) is used to find popular hashtags. Example: #LawOfClassroom 7. Finding Documents – using the filetype refines the search for documents on the web. o filetype:pdf o filetype:doc o filetype:xls Ex. ICT in the Philippines pdf 8. Searching Site – the sites find webpage from a website. Ex.: National Geographic information in Australia Search: Australia site: NationalGeographic.com Now that information you need is just one-click away, how do you really know if that piece information is fact or fiction? The following is a list of fact-checking, fact-correcting, and image authenticity tools based on the article titled “Tools for verifying and assessing the validity of social media and user-generated content” from the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. FACT-CHECKING SITES • FactCheck.org • Checkdesk • Full Fact Finder • Emergent.Info • Churnalism • LazyTruth • Is Twitter Wrong FACT-CORRECTION TOOLS • MediaBugs • Retwact • Report an Error Alliance • • • IMAGE TOOLS TinEye Google Images FourAndSix Performance Task No. 2 Research and Evaluation of Website Use the Internet to research about any of the following topics below. Print the information you have gathered. You may also screen shot and print the website. Do not forget to include the URL of the website you have taken the information. After which, evaluate the website using the checklist attached. Copy the checklist and write it on your paper. Topics to search: 1. Monkeypox 2. ROTC in the Philippines 3. Best Filipino Dish 4. Student Life during COVID-19 quarantine 5. Covid-19 Variants URL: _______________________________________________________ Title of Article: _______________________________________________ Copy/Paste printed article here. Evaluating Sites The web provides access to some excellent information and can also give access to those that are irrelevant and outdated. Here is some checklist that you can use to evaluate your website: 1. Authority. It reveals that the person, institution, or agency responsible for a site has the qualifications and knowledge to do so. Evaluating a web site for authority: ✓ Authorship: It should be clear who developed the site. ✓ Contact information should be clearly provided: e-mail address, snail mail address, phone number, and fax number. ✓ Credentials: the author should state qualifications, credentials, or personal background that gives them authority to present information. ✓ Check to see if the site supported by an organization or a commercial body 2. Purpose. The purpose of the information presented in the site should be clear. Some sites are meant to inform, persuade, state an opinion, entertain, or parody something or someone. Evaluating a web site for purpose: ✓ Does the content support the purpose of the site? ✓ Is the information geared to a specific audience (students, scholars, general reader)? ✓ Is the site organized and focused? ✓ Are the outside links appropriate for the site? ✓ Does the site evaluate the links? 3. Coverage. This refers to how comprehensive the website is in their discussion of certain topics. Evaluating a web site for coverage: ✓ Does the site claim to be selective or comprehensive? ✓ Are the topics explored in depth? ✓ Compare the value of the site’s information compared to other similar sites. ✓ Do the links go to outside sites rather than its own? ✓ Does the site provide information with no relevant outside links? 4. Currency. It refers to: (1) how current the information presented is, and (2) how often the site is updated or maintained. It is important to know when a site was created, when it was last updated, and if all of the links are current. Evaluating a web site for currency involves finding the date information was: ✓ first written ✓ placed on the web ✓ last revised 5. Objectivity. Objective sites present information with a minimum of bias. Evaluating a web site for objectivity: ✓ Is the information presented with a particular bias? ✓ Does the information try to sway the audience? ✓ Does site advertising conflict with the content? ✓ Is the site trying to explain, inform, persuade, or sell something? 6. Accuracy. It refers to the credibility of the website. Evaluating a web site for accuracy: ✓ Reliability: Is the author affiliated with a known, respectable institution? ✓ References: do statistics and other factual information receive proper references as to their origin? ✓ Is the information comparable to other sites on the same topic? ✓ Does the text follow basic rules of grammar, spelling and composition? ✓ Is a bibliography or reference list included? NAME: _________________________________________________________ YEAR & SECTION: _______________________ Evaluating Websites 1. What is the URL or web address of the web site you are evaluating? http://_____________________________________________________ 2. What is the title of the article/webpage? ____________________________________ AUTHORITY AND ACCURACY 1. Who is the author of the web site? I couldn’t tell The author is: _______________________________________ 2. What authorship clues did the URL (web address) provide? Check all that apply: company (.com) non-profit organization (.org) academic institution (.edu) government agency (.gov) personal web page (e.g., www.jamieoliver.com) country-specific site (e.g., .uk) military site (.mil) network of computer (.net) other? Please describe: PURPOSE AND CONTENT 3. What is the purpose of the web page or site? Check all that apply: A personal web page A company or organization web site A forum for educational/public service information A forum for scholarly/research information For entertainment An advertisement or electronic commerce A forum for ideas, opinions, or points of view Other – please explain: In your own words, briefly describe the purpose of the web site: ______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ______ 4. What does the web site provide? Check one: Balanced, objective or factual information Biased, subjective or opinionated statements Are the arguments well supported? ____ Yes Both objective and subjective information I couldn’t tell Other – please explain: ____ No Does the web site provide any contact information or means of communicating with the author or webmaster? ____ Yes _____ No CURRENCY 5. When was the web site last revised, modified, or updated? I couldn’t tell It was updated on:___________________________________ 6. Is the site well maintained? I couldn’t tell Yes No Answer the question below. Write a paragraph not less than 3 sentences.
