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Computer Applications » Semester 1 » Internet » Lesson 4 - Evaluating Web Sites
Lesson 4 - Evaluating Web Sites
In this lesson, you will learn 5 criteria for evaluating websites and will use the information to determine whether selected sites are truthful or hoaxes.
You have 2 class periods to complete this lesson.
In the previous lesson, you learned strategies to help you find information on the web. However, how can you tell if the information you find is relevant, useful or true?
There are millions of pages of information on the World Wide Web on everything from Aardvarks to Zithers and much more in between. Not all the sites you find are truthful. Web sites are created for many purposes including:
- to inform
- to entertain
- to promote
- to sell
However, in the same way that a web site can be used for positive purposes, it can also be used:
- to misinform
- to ridicule
- to obstruct
- to defraud
In this lesson, you will examine several websites to determine whether they are reliable sources of information. To do this, you'll be looking at 5 criteria:
- Purpose
What is the purpose of the site or page?
- commercial
- informative or educational
- entertainment
- personal
- a hoax
- Author's Intent
- What is the top-level domain of the site?
- Who created the site and what authority do they have on the subject?
- What contact information is given for the author or sponsors?
- Bias
- Does the content give only one side of an issue? If so, do they hide their bias?
- Does their bias impact the usefulness of the information?
- Content
- Is the site accurate, complete, well-written, and relevant?
- Is the site up-to-date?
- Do most of the links on the page lead to relevant information?
- Are there mistakes in spelling or word usage?
- Design
- Is the information presented in a clear and organized fashion?
- Do any graphics, video or audio add to the content or distract?
- Do ads interfere with the content?
Your task:
- Download the web evaluation worksheet located at the bottom of this page.
- Using the criteria above, visit the sites below to determine if they are reliable sources of information. Record your findings on the worksheet. Write a description for each of your answers and a concluding statement for each site.
- When you are done, turn in your worksheet to your teacher.
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