Assignment: Web Eval Activity
Name:
Instructions: In this activity, you will consider how to determine if a website is
useful. There are five (A.-.E.) sections to this activity. Please type your
responses within the document below and save. Upload the finished assignment
to the appropriate dropbox at CourseDen.
How do you determine if a webpage is accurate, relevant, appropriate,
comprehensive, and unbiased?
A.
Brainstorm a list of criteria which you believe should be evaluated to determine the
usefulness of a webpage for research. (Type your responses in the textboxes below.)
1. The site is easy to
navigate.
2. Often updated.
4. Author’s
credentials are listed.
B.
What
makes a
Web Page
useful for
research?
3. Easy to see adds
from content.
5. Is not biased.
Review the following websites and answer questions about each:
1. http://www.martinlutherking.org/
There’s something not quite right about this website. List any reasons you can see why this
website is not appropriate for students to use in school research. (Hint: who is sponsoring this
website?)
WOAH!! Rap Lyrics is absolutely terrible!!! I would never have imagined that this
website would have a link to that! Also, this website is hosted by Storm Front which is
about white pride, it talks about the KKK and it also has a link that says “Why the King
*This lesson is adapted from Critical Evaluation of a Web Page Lesson Plan: Grades 6-8, Retrieved
1/31/08 from: http://kathyschrock.net/eval/index.htm
Holiday Should be Repealed”. This site is completely biased! I am in shock to see that
what looks like a website for kids at first glance turned out to be just the opposite!!
2. http://www.dhmo.org/
I (your instructor) am an ardent supporter of the cause to ban DHMO. Based on the information
you find on this webpage, will you join me in supporting this cause? Why or why not? (If you
dig deeply enough, you will discover why not.)
There is a note at the bottom of the home webpage that states “content veracity not
implied”. When I tried to click on feedback, a box popped up that said “the default mail client
is not properly installed”. All the Alerts and Advisories are from 2000 and it still says it’s new
on the home page. All in all, I will join you, but not based on the information from this
webpage. It looks like they just want money!
C. Below you will find six important website evaluation criteria.
These criteria are explained
with examples at the Good, Bad, and the Ugly website (brought to us by the New Mexico State
University Library). Read through this website, then answer the questions that follow about
each website.
1. Authority
Do you consider the author of Clonaid to be an expert of the subject covered? Why or why not?
I did not see the name of an author, maybe I missed it. So, I would say I do not know, because
there is no name listed.
2. Accuracy
What information in The True…Facts about Women with AIDS leads you to believe or
disbelieve its accuracy?
There is no sponsor of this webpage.
3. Objectivity
*This lesson is adapted from Critical Evaluation of a Web Page Lesson Plan: Grades 6-8, Retrieved
1/31/08 from: http://kathyschrock.net/eval/index.htm
Can you determine the real purpose of The Truth? What is it and how did you determine the
purpose?
To inform people about the shortcomings of Big Tobacco, and about an industry manipulating its
products, facts and advertisements. I determined this purpose by looking at the About Us page.
4. Currency
Is it easy to determine the currency of The Onion? What did you do to determine the currency of
the site?
Yes, all of the dates on the articles are from November 2009. Also, it is copyright 2009.
5. Coverage
Do you consider the information on OncoLink to be relevant and comprehensive? Why or why
not?
I think so because it has a wide variety of information on different types of cancer and
information for treatment, coping as well as other resources.
D.
Visit the following pages and briefly share your thoughts (a sentence or two) about how you
might guide your future K-12 students in determining the reliability of the information found:
http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/fisher/
There should be an author and sponsor listed. The sponsor should be trustworthy. Also, a link
to information about the author and/or sponsor should be provided.
E.
Write a paragraph explaining why it is important to evaluate the information found on a Web
page, include the ways to find out more about the author, the sponsoring agency, or the
information itself. Paste this information on your Web Eval wiki page.
*This lesson is adapted from Critical Evaluation of a Web Page Lesson Plan: Grades 6-8, Retrieved
1/31/08 from: http://kathyschrock.net/eval/index.htm
It is imperative that teachers evaluate information found on a webpage, because with most of
the world having access to the internet, it is easy for someone to make a webpage that may
look appealing to students, but have VERY inappropriate content. Teachers must read the
content in order to determine a webpage’s usefulness. It is also important for teachers to find
more information about the author and sponsor by clicking the link provided on the webpage,
and if a link is not provided, then there is no way to determine its origin.
*This lesson is adapted from Critical Evaluation of a Web Page Lesson Plan: Grades 6-8, Retrieved
1/31/08 from: http://kathyschrock.net/eval/index.htm