Digital Literacy
Tips for Success When Assessing Websites
Here are some basic terms that will help you evaluate resources as you research your famous person in preparation for your digital story. There are two inter-activities for you to do as you go through the material.
The second part of this module provides an opportunity to demonstrate your skills as you navigate through a scavenger hunt!
Reading a URL
When you are searching and find a site, the URL can tell you a lot about what you have found. Here are some of the basics on reading a URL. (URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator)
html - This is the starting code that tells the browser to expect Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.
tilde - When you find a ~ in the address, it usually means that it is a personal site. While there may be restrictions on the information that a teacher or university professor publishes, there may not be. The ~ can indicate that even if it comes from a 'reliable looking' site, it may not be.
www - Stands for World Wide Web. This is now optional for many websites.
.com - The last period and set of letters before any / represents the type of domain. In this case it is .com which stands for .commercial. There continues to be additional domain extensions, most recently .tv and many others.
Check Wikipedia for a list of Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD)
www.domainname.com - The part between www and the extension is called the top level domain. This may tell you who the site belongs to and you can use it to search for who owns / manages the domain.
/directory_name - each series of /name represents a directory on a server.
/pagename - the last /name represents the actual name of the page you are trying to view.
.html - This stands for hypertext markup language.
.xml, .php - These and other extensions are specific pages that interact with a server to modify the page viewed.
Evaluating Sources
Once you find a website you like, you also need to be confident that you know about the information you are getting. It can be helpful to read the URL to learn more about the source.
Questions to Ask Yourself
1. Who is the author? Does the page tell you who the author is? Can you confirm that this is the author?
If a page does not list the author, you can find out information about the author at http://www.easywhois.com
You may also try http://www.easydns.com/. With this site you can see who owns and manages sites.
2. Does the author have a particular point of view?
• What information is available to give you a clue about potential biases or points of view?
• Is the information one-sided or balanced?
• Why was the page written in the first place?
3. Is there advertising?
• Can you easily distinguish the advertising from the content? Do advertisements interfere with the content on the
website?
4. When was the source last updated?
• Judging on what you are studying, or looking for information about, this may or may not be important. If you want to learn about the latest chemical element discovered, a site saying it is up to date, but the last date listed is the year 2000, then the information would not be true.
• Does the page display - Date Last Updated?
• You can also go to the 'way back machine' at http://www.waybackmachine.org
If you look at www.history.com (the History Channel) how far back can you go?
5. What were previous versions of the site?
6. Who links to the site you have found?
7. Do other sources verify or confirm the information on this site? Does the information align with what is already know or supported with other research? Is it easy to verify the accuracy of the information?
8. Is a real organization behind the creation of the site? Is the expertise of the organization highlighted?
9. Are honest and trustworthy people associated with the site?
10. Is it easy to find contact information?
11. Is the design appropriate to its purpose? Is the site easy to access and use?
12. Finally, is the site free of errors?
For more details, see Stanford University’s criteria for credible websites: http://www.webcredibility.org/guidelines/index.html (Fogg,2002)
An Assignment to promote digital literacy on the way to embarking on your digital story
Find the following sites and evaluate them based on the above information and the criteria above:
• Dog Island Free Forever
• Alex Chiu Eternal Life Devices
• McWhortle Enterprises
• Martin Luther King website
• Mankato, Minnesota
• All About Explorers
• Save The Pacific Tree Octopus
• The Ova Prima Foundation
• The DHMO Research Division
• Buy Dehydrated Water
• The Truth!
• Velcro Crop In Trouble
• The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency
Use the following table for you to input your findings about each site you explore. [This table can be cut and pasted into a new doc and resized to make it more usable.]
Site Name:
Advertising?
Who Links?
Expertise?
Do other sources confirm?
Trustworthy People Associated?
Contact Info.
Appropriate Use of Design
User Friendly
Last Updated
Errors?
Overall Rating
Instructions: For each site, consider the questions above. Choose at least 5 of the sites listed above. You may include 4 more of your own choice or from this list.
For each site, evaluate on a scale of 1 – 4.
1 – Does not satisfy criteria
2 – Somewhat satisfies criteria
3 – Completely satisfies criteria
4 – Exceeds criteria
In the overall rating space, assign a number that best represents the site overall. Report on your findings to the discussion thread, “Site Ratings.” Comment on your favourite site(s) and your least favourite site(s), stating why they impressed you one way or the other. Then read what others have to say and respond to at least three people.
Be prepared to discuss your findings on _______________________
[This could be a blog post, a journal entry or a class discussion or ????]
When you move on with your major project for this course, keep the following in mind:
• Differentiate between fact and opinion.
• Examine the assumptions, including your own.
• Be flexible and open-minded as you look for explanations, causes, and solutions to problems.
• Be aware of false arguments, ambiguity, and manipulative reasoning.
• Stay focused on the whole picture, while examining the specifics.
• Look for reputable sources.
Research and Web Literacy - Scavenger Hunt
Famous People and their Contributions to our World’s Culture and History
You will be assigned a partner. Your mission will be to complete the following scavenger hunt. Each pair who complete the scavenger hunt will earn bonus points! These will be added in at the final presentation of your Digital Stories!
Keep in mind that some of these sites might be useful for future reference!
Report back to our class on _________________ so we can discuss your findings and determine your next task towards creating
your digital story!
Places to Search
Famous People
http://www.thefamouspeople.com
What categories are notable people sorted into on this site?
In which journal did Robert Frost publish his first poem?
What is the First Baron of Kelvin responsible for creating?
What did Blais Pascal invent?
What event propelled Martin Luther King Jr. to emerge as a prominent civil rights leader?
Which scientists are named as “famous” on this particular site?
The History Channel
http://www.history.com
Look under “popular topics.
Which famous people do the history channel list under "popular topics?"
Go to “History By Topic.” Click on “The Fight For Women’s Suffrage.”
What does “suffrage” mean?
What potential biases are reflected in this research?
Famous Canadians
Search “Famous Canadians” (There are many sites)
Choose one famous Canadian
What is this person famous for?
The Franklin Institute
The following link takes you to the Franklin Institute.http://www.fi.edu/learn/sci-tech/ It is an institute for Science and Technology, situated in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, U.S.A. When you click on the link, go to the case files in the History of Science and Technology.
Which 5 themes are represented?
What is the title of the article under the tab, “Cosmic Inquiry?”
Most Important Painters
http://www.theartwolf.com/articles/most-important-painters.htm
Find the self-portrait of William Hogarth.
What animal is portrayed with him?
How could a famous painter perhaps impress an intergalactic super power that indeed, earth was worth preserving?
Visit the The Sistene Chapel http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/x-Pano/CSN/Visit_CSN_Main.htmland participate in the virtual tour.
What three areas are viewable in this virtual tour?
Whose paintings are featured here?
Why is this particular place famous and worthy of note?
How could this site be used in your plea for humanity?
Visit the Smithsonian Institute. Explore this website.
Name 3 collections that interest you and why.
According to the Smithsonian Institute, collections are important. Why? Do you agree? Explain your thinking.
How might this collection help you defend our world from being obliterated?
Finally, visit the British Museum.
http://www.britishmuseum.org
What types of collections are found at this museum?
How many civilizations are represented?
How might this collection help you defend our world from being obliterated?
Discussion Post
Share your thoughts on the value of "collections" under the "Value of Collections" discussion thread.
Good luck! May you all succeed in this step in your mission. See you __________________ for a debriefing session and more information on what you
will be doing and who you will be working with on your digital stories!
Self Assessment for Research Skills Activity
Each aspect will be grading according to the following scale:
Exceeds Expectations (EE)
Fully Meets Expectations (FM)
Minimally Meets Expectations (MM)
Approaching Expectations (AE)
Have visited 9 sites in total, (and have provided URLs for the “free choice sites).
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have analyzed all these sites, considering all aspects as shown in table.
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have determined overall rating for each of the sites.
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have chosen a favourite site and a least favourite site.
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have included posts in the discussion forum.
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have made thoughtful responses on three others’ posts in the discussion forum.
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have attending the debriefing session and presented your findings to the group.
EE FM MM AE
Assessment for Scavenger Hunt
Name: _____________________
Each student will complete a self-assessment and will submit it to me. I will also complete the same assessment, based on what is submitted and discussed during our discussion.
Each aspect will be grading according to the following scale:
Exceeds Expectations (4)
Fully Meets Expectations (3)
Minimally Meets Expectations (2)
Approaching Expectations (1)
The members of my group were: ___________________________________
We visited all the sites listed.
4 3 2 1
______________________________________________________________
We answered all the questions to the best of our ability.
4 3 2 1
______________________________________________________________
We collaborated well and shared ideas in order to answer the questions.
4 3 2 1
______________________________________________________________
We were respectful of each other’s opinions if we had different viewpoints.
4 3 2 1
______________________________________________________________
We were ready to share our findings with the rest of the class.
4 3 2 1
______________________________________________________________
Here are some basic terms that will help you evaluate resources as you research your famous person in preparation for your digital story. There are two inter-activities for you to do as you go through the material.
The second part of this module provides an opportunity to demonstrate your skills as you navigate through a scavenger hunt!
Reading a URL
When you are searching and find a site, the URL can tell you a lot about what you have found. Here are some of the basics on reading a URL. (URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator)
html - This is the starting code that tells the browser to expect Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.
tilde - When you find a ~ in the address, it usually means that it is a personal site. While there may be restrictions on the information that a teacher or university professor publishes, there may not be. The ~ can indicate that even if it comes from a 'reliable looking' site, it may not be.
www - Stands for World Wide Web. This is now optional for many websites.
.com - The last period and set of letters before any / represents the type of domain. In this case it is .com which stands for .commercial. There continues to be additional domain extensions, most recently .tv and many others.
Check Wikipedia for a list of Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD)
www.domainname.com - The part between www and the extension is called the top level domain. This may tell you who the site belongs to and you can use it to search for who owns / manages the domain.
/directory_name - each series of /name represents a directory on a server.
/pagename - the last /name represents the actual name of the page you are trying to view.
.html - This stands for hypertext markup language.
.xml, .php - These and other extensions are specific pages that interact with a server to modify the page viewed.
Evaluating Sources
Once you find a website you like, you also need to be confident that you know about the information you are getting. It can be helpful to read the URL to learn more about the source.
Questions to Ask Yourself
1. Who is the author? Does the page tell you who the author is? Can you confirm that this is the author?
If a page does not list the author, you can find out information about the author at http://www.easywhois.com
You may also try http://www.easydns.com/. With this site you can see who owns and manages sites.
2. Does the author have a particular point of view?
• What information is available to give you a clue about potential biases or points of view?
• Is the information one-sided or balanced?
• Why was the page written in the first place?
3. Is there advertising?
• Can you easily distinguish the advertising from the content? Do advertisements interfere with the content on the
website?
4. When was the source last updated?
• Judging on what you are studying, or looking for information about, this may or may not be important. If you want to learn about the latest chemical element discovered, a site saying it is up to date, but the last date listed is the year 2000, then the information would not be true.
• Does the page display - Date Last Updated?
• You can also go to the 'way back machine' at http://www.waybackmachine.org
If you look at www.history.com (the History Channel) how far back can you go?
5. What were previous versions of the site?
6. Who links to the site you have found?
7. Do other sources verify or confirm the information on this site? Does the information align with what is already know or supported with other research? Is it easy to verify the accuracy of the information?
8. Is a real organization behind the creation of the site? Is the expertise of the organization highlighted?
9. Are honest and trustworthy people associated with the site?
10. Is it easy to find contact information?
11. Is the design appropriate to its purpose? Is the site easy to access and use?
12. Finally, is the site free of errors?
For more details, see Stanford University’s criteria for credible websites: http://www.webcredibility.org/guidelines/index.html (Fogg,2002)
An Assignment to promote digital literacy on the way to embarking on your digital story
Find the following sites and evaluate them based on the above information and the criteria above:
• Dog Island Free Forever
• Alex Chiu Eternal Life Devices
• McWhortle Enterprises
• Martin Luther King website
• Mankato, Minnesota
• All About Explorers
• Save The Pacific Tree Octopus
• The Ova Prima Foundation
• The DHMO Research Division
• Buy Dehydrated Water
• The Truth!
• Velcro Crop In Trouble
• The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency
Use the following table for you to input your findings about each site you explore. [This table can be cut and pasted into a new doc and resized to make it more usable.]
Site Name:
Advertising?
Who Links?
Expertise?
Do other sources confirm?
Trustworthy People Associated?
Contact Info.
Appropriate Use of Design
User Friendly
Last Updated
Errors?
Overall Rating
Instructions: For each site, consider the questions above. Choose at least 5 of the sites listed above. You may include 4 more of your own choice or from this list.
For each site, evaluate on a scale of 1 – 4.
1 – Does not satisfy criteria
2 – Somewhat satisfies criteria
3 – Completely satisfies criteria
4 – Exceeds criteria
In the overall rating space, assign a number that best represents the site overall. Report on your findings to the discussion thread, “Site Ratings.” Comment on your favourite site(s) and your least favourite site(s), stating why they impressed you one way or the other. Then read what others have to say and respond to at least three people.
Be prepared to discuss your findings on _______________________
[This could be a blog post, a journal entry or a class discussion or ????]
When you move on with your major project for this course, keep the following in mind:
• Differentiate between fact and opinion.
• Examine the assumptions, including your own.
• Be flexible and open-minded as you look for explanations, causes, and solutions to problems.
• Be aware of false arguments, ambiguity, and manipulative reasoning.
• Stay focused on the whole picture, while examining the specifics.
• Look for reputable sources.
Research and Web Literacy - Scavenger Hunt
Famous People and their Contributions to our World’s Culture and History
You will be assigned a partner. Your mission will be to complete the following scavenger hunt. Each pair who complete the scavenger hunt will earn bonus points! These will be added in at the final presentation of your Digital Stories!
Keep in mind that some of these sites might be useful for future reference!
Report back to our class on _________________ so we can discuss your findings and determine your next task towards creating
your digital story!
Places to Search
Famous People
http://www.thefamouspeople.com
What categories are notable people sorted into on this site?
In which journal did Robert Frost publish his first poem?
What is the First Baron of Kelvin responsible for creating?
What did Blais Pascal invent?
What event propelled Martin Luther King Jr. to emerge as a prominent civil rights leader?
Which scientists are named as “famous” on this particular site?
The History Channel
http://www.history.com
Look under “popular topics.
Which famous people do the history channel list under "popular topics?"
Go to “History By Topic.” Click on “The Fight For Women’s Suffrage.”
What does “suffrage” mean?
What potential biases are reflected in this research?
Famous Canadians
Search “Famous Canadians” (There are many sites)
Choose one famous Canadian
What is this person famous for?
The Franklin Institute
The following link takes you to the Franklin Institute.http://www.fi.edu/learn/sci-tech/ It is an institute for Science and Technology, situated in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, U.S.A. When you click on the link, go to the case files in the History of Science and Technology.
Which 5 themes are represented?
What is the title of the article under the tab, “Cosmic Inquiry?”
Most Important Painters
http://www.theartwolf.com/articles/most-important-painters.htm
Find the self-portrait of William Hogarth.
What animal is portrayed with him?
How could a famous painter perhaps impress an intergalactic super power that indeed, earth was worth preserving?
Visit the The Sistene Chapel http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/x-Pano/CSN/Visit_CSN_Main.htmland participate in the virtual tour.
What three areas are viewable in this virtual tour?
Whose paintings are featured here?
Why is this particular place famous and worthy of note?
How could this site be used in your plea for humanity?
Visit the Smithsonian Institute. Explore this website.
Name 3 collections that interest you and why.
According to the Smithsonian Institute, collections are important. Why? Do you agree? Explain your thinking.
How might this collection help you defend our world from being obliterated?
Finally, visit the British Museum.
http://www.britishmuseum.org
What types of collections are found at this museum?
How many civilizations are represented?
How might this collection help you defend our world from being obliterated?
Discussion Post
Share your thoughts on the value of "collections" under the "Value of Collections" discussion thread.
Good luck! May you all succeed in this step in your mission. See you __________________ for a debriefing session and more information on what you
will be doing and who you will be working with on your digital stories!
Self Assessment for Research Skills Activity
Each aspect will be grading according to the following scale:
Exceeds Expectations (EE)
Fully Meets Expectations (FM)
Minimally Meets Expectations (MM)
Approaching Expectations (AE)
Have visited 9 sites in total, (and have provided URLs for the “free choice sites).
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have analyzed all these sites, considering all aspects as shown in table.
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have determined overall rating for each of the sites.
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have chosen a favourite site and a least favourite site.
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have included posts in the discussion forum.
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have made thoughtful responses on three others’ posts in the discussion forum.
EE FM MM AE
______________________________________________________________
Have attending the debriefing session and presented your findings to the group.
EE FM MM AE
Assessment for Scavenger Hunt
Name: _____________________
Each student will complete a self-assessment and will submit it to me. I will also complete the same assessment, based on what is submitted and discussed during our discussion.
Each aspect will be grading according to the following scale:
Exceeds Expectations (4)
Fully Meets Expectations (3)
Minimally Meets Expectations (2)
Approaching Expectations (1)
The members of my group were: ___________________________________
We visited all the sites listed.
4 3 2 1
______________________________________________________________
We answered all the questions to the best of our ability.
4 3 2 1
______________________________________________________________
We collaborated well and shared ideas in order to answer the questions.
4 3 2 1
______________________________________________________________
We were respectful of each other’s opinions if we had different viewpoints.
4 3 2 1
______________________________________________________________
We were ready to share our findings with the rest of the class.
4 3 2 1
______________________________________________________________