The Internet is a wonderful source
for information!
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But the information found on the Internet has one tiny little drawback.
And that one tiny little drawback makes the information harder to use than information found in library books.
That drawback can be ignored for a long time, but eventually, if you don't pay attention to it, you'll pay the price.
What's that drawback?
1. Here's a hint. Take a couple of minutes to look over the following two websites. Neither of them would be good to use as a research source. Can you figure out why?
http://www.palos118.org/south/curriculum/team6c/midages/blackdeath/index.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215022/timeline.htm
2. Now go to Google: http://www.google.com/
Search for Jews. (Type the word Jews in the search bar and press Google Search.)
Glance over the list of sites.
3. One of the sites will be Jew - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Click on it. Take a couple of minutes to look it over. Does it look like good, reliable information to you?
On the left side of the page is a link to the Wikipedia home page. (They call it a main page.) Click on it.
Toward the top of the page it says "Welcome to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that ______________________________________." Fill in the blank. What does this mean? Can anyone edit the World Book Encyclopedia? How reliable to you think the information is on Wikipedia?
4. Another of the first ten sites found in Google using the search term Jew is: Jew Watch.
Take 5-10 minutes to look over this site. Do you think this would be a good site to use?
Have you figured out the one little drawback of using information that you find on the Internet? The drawback is that you have to evaluate it before you use it to make sure that the information is reliable!
5. Now you and your partner will do an online tutorial to learn about Evaluating Information on the Web. Some of it may be difficult to understand. Ask for help. Answer the questions on the tutorial when you come to them. :
You do not need to take the quiz at the end of the tutorial.
http://www.library.drexel.edu/resources/tutorials/webeval/intro.html
6. If you have time, go to this site too: http://www.multcolib.org/homework/webeval.html
7. Now it is time to for you to test your evaluation skills. Pick 2 of the following web sites. Evaluate the first using the evaluation form you were given in class. Evaluate your second site by using this online Website evaluation form. Print it after you fill it out.
Online website evaluation form: http://www.2learn.ca/evaluating/div3netscheck2.html
Websites for you to evaluate (pick 2)
http://www.walken2008.com/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Fair/8006/index.html
http://147.129.226.1/library/research/AIDSFACTS.htm