Become a Net Detective

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Become a Net Detective

• Mrs. Bixler-Zalesinsky

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Investigate this site on Velcro and ask yourself
these questions

• Why should I believe this information?
• Can I defend this site as a credible part of my
  works cited?

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Look at the URL!

• Take a look at this URL and decide just from the
  URL if it is the link to the White House?
  http//www.whitehouse.net
• What would you expect to see?

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Which URL endings are restricted?

• .edu (educational institution)
• .gov (government)
• .mil (military)
• .jobs
• .int (international businesses)
• .pro (attorneys, doctors, professionals)
• Although the URL ending can be an important first
  step, a good detective looks deeper!

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Look at the website itself.

• Are all the links to outside web pages working?
• Can you go to other web pages on the site
  easily?

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Is it relevant to today?

• Is there a date on the page?

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Look at the Information

• Does the information seem credible or believable?
  

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Where did the facts come from?

• Look at the sources that are listed and then
  search for them to see if they exist and actually
  say what they were quoted as saying.

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Take a look at the facts!

• For example, lets take a look at this websites
  sources. Then take a look at EBSCOhost through
  InfOhio to see if the sources really exist.

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Purpose

• Sites can meet all of the earlier criteria, but
  if the purpose of the site is to lead you to
  conclude a certain viewpoint it may still be
  biased.
• What is the mission of the author or organization
  sponsoring the site?
• Are they trying to sell you something?

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How can you tell if it is just all made up?

• Download and print this evaluation tool to
  evaluate the next website.
• Spanish Version

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Try your evaluation tool on this site.

• What were your scores?
• What made you think this was an authentic site?
• What made you begin to question it?

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Now create your own search for the good and the
bad!

• Your research question is What percent of our
  brains do we actually use?
• Search words percent brain use

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Discussion and Reflection

• Were you able to spot any misleading sites just
  by their URLs?
• Were you able to weed out any sites by their
  misleading information?
• Were you able to look up the statistics and
  sources quoted by the site? Were they legitimate?
  
• Were you able to determine the purpose of the
  site?
• Will you use these questions in the future to
  differentiate credible sites in your search
  results?

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Works Cited

• College Republicans at Texas. Bush/Cheney 04.
  2004. Coll. Repubicans at Texas U of Texas at
  Austin 2003-04. 24 Nov. 2006 lthttp//studentorgs.u
  texas.edu/cr/OLD20WEBSITES/contact.htmlgt.
• Google. 2006. 24 Nov. 2006 lthttp//www.google.comgt
  .
• Henderson, John R. AIDS Facts. 2005. Ithaca Coll.
  Lib. 24 Nov. 2006     lthttp//147.129.226.1/libra
  ry/research/AIDSFACTS.htmgt.
• Herrin, Bill, and Chris Mincer. "The White
  House." White House.Net. 2006. 24     Nov. 2006
  lthttp//www.whitehouse.netgt.
• McLachlan, Karen. "Cyberguide Ratings for Content
  Evaluation." Cyberbee. 31 July     2002. 24 Nov.
  2006 lthttp//www.cyberbee.com/content.pdfgt.
• Maloney, Catherine, et al. "Feline Reactions to
  Bearded Men." Improbable Research. 1999. Annals
  of Improbable Research (AIR). 24 Nov.
  2006lthttp//www.improbable.com/airchives/classica
  l/cat/cat.htmlgt.
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Pumpkins. P.
  E. T. PU. 2006. 24 Nov. 2006     lthttp//www.geoc
  ities.com/petpu4/gt.
• Umbach, Ken. Californian's Velcro Crop under
  Challenge. 1996. 24 Nov. 2006     lthttp//home.in
  reach.com/kumbach/velcro.htmlgt.
• Wey, Tom. Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division.
  24 Nov. 2006. 24 Nov. 2006lthttp//www.dhmo.orggt.