Lesson 8 – Evaluating Websites

I’m Wilf. I will tell you “what I’m looking for”

in this unit. This means I want to know if you can do what I am looking for by the

end!

I’m Walt. I will tell you what we will be learning, after all:

we are learning to…work well in Meldrum Academy!

Walt says: “In this unit we are learning :

– What to look out for when evaluating a resource

– How to judge whether a resource is useful for your investigation.”

Wilf says: “What I’m looking for is that by the end of this unit you should be able to say:

‘I can…– Identify where a piece of information ‘comes

from’– Judge how accurate a resource is likely to be– Recognise differences between fact and

opinion– Spot bias and misinformation in a resource– Judge how useful a resource is for my

investigation’.”

Evaluating information? You’re already doing it!

• Weather forecast • Newspaper reports

“Tomorrow will be warm and sunny throughout Aberdeenshire …”

“New research published today suggests that most pupils enjoy exams”.

All day, every day!

• Television • Advertising

“Heavy industry is destroying our planet!”

“Our jeans will make you irresistible and everyone will fall in love with you!”

Online informationAnyone can publish on the Internet, whatever their intentions ……

To inform …

To sell you something …

To persuade ….

To fool you!

For fame ….

So, is it Great or Garbage?

Evaluation criteria:• Who wrote it?• Is it accurate?• Is it biased?• Is it useful?

Who wrote it?

• What organisation or individual is responsible for the resource?

• Look for clues in the url (.com .gov .org, etc)

• Are they a recognised expert in their field?• Is there an ‘about us’ or ‘contact us’

section on the website?• If in doubt, Google the author to see what

else they’ve written

Is it accurate?

• Does the information ‘fit’ with what you already know?

• How up to date is the material?• Do the ‘facts’ check out?

Think about Wikipedia

• Wikipedia allows anyone to contribute an article

• Wikipedia welcomes amateur contributors

• No formal training is needed for posting an entry

• Wikipedia entries do not list authors’ full or even real names

Is it biased?

• Few sources of information are purely factual – these are mainly encyclopaedias, dictionaries, reference works

• Most sources contain an element of opinion or bias – some more than others!

• Newspapers, television broadcasts, political statements, scientific research – all represent different points of view

Points of view

• Take the issue of animal testing, for example. How many different points of view are there?– Drug companies– Animal rights groups– Medical professionals– Political groups

• Can you think of any other examples?

Clues about bias

• Bias can be useful in an investigation, but it can also be misleading. Here are some points to look out for:

– What sort of ‘language’ or tone does the author use?

– What other sites does the resource link to?– Is there any advertising on the page?

Is it useful for my investigation?

When you are doing an investigation, ask yourself:

• Is the information relevant or related to your topic?

• Is the site well organised and easy to navigate?

• Is the material written at the right level?

Summary …

• Remember:– Who wrote it?– Is it accurate?– Is it biased?– Is it useful?

Sites for Use with Activity 20

• http://www.aboutanimaltesting.co.uk/ • http://www.uncaged.co.uk/iams.htm • http://

www.peta.org/actioncenter/testing.asp • http://www.pro-test.org.uk/ • http://

www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/index.htm

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/animals/animal_testing/newsid_2149000/2149767.stm