|
|
Evaluating Internet Resources
The World Wide Web is a great means of putting information at your
students fingertips. In many cases, the Web provides access to information
not found in the school library. It also provides some of the most
current information available. It is a tool to aid teachers who
wish to find out more about a particular subject that they teach.
However, the Internet is truly a "buyer's market," and in some
cases it is "buyer beware." So how do you tell the good information
from questionable or out-right false information? By teaching your
students to evaluate what they see using a few easy steps. Remember
that good information will meet several of the criteria below. Students
should never rely on just one criterion when determining the validity
of the information they see on the Internet.
- Can you find the same information on another page about the
same subject? If the information appears on two or more nonaffiliated
pages, it is more likely to be accurate information. The more
pages that have similar "facts" increase the chances that the
information is common knowledge and true as far as experts in
the field know.
- Does the source page cite their information? When the Web page
author cites a source when presenting facts, it is a good indicator
of accurate information. Be sure to check the type of source cited.
If the source is a scientific journal or an interview with a expert
working in that field, the information is likely to have some
research basis for the claims. If the source is anecdotal, such
as personal experience or an uncle, aunt or friend of the writer,
it is less likely to be useful, truthful information. By citing
someone else, the author is providing you with a corroborating
statement. If still in doubt about the material, you can go directly
to the cited source for additional evaluation.
- If the information is not cited, is the source reliable? Just
like a journalist trying to write an accurate news story, your
students need to look at the source of the information being presented.
Is the author a scientist? Or is he/she a lay-person? How long
has the author been studying the subject he/she has been writing
about? How many pages has the author written? Are they all about
the subject you are studying or related subjects? What is the
tone of the writing? Is the author justifying his or her point
of view with facts and other evidence, or is the author relying
on the reader to just accept his/her words? Is the author affiliated
with an agency that "knows" the subject? For example, a birds-related
page written by someone who works at the Cornell Laboratory of
Ornithology would probably be very accurate and reliable.
- Is the author a for-profit company or an agency with an agenda?
Sometimes when an author wants to sell you something, even if
it's an idea or philosophy, he/she can "shade" or "bias" the facts
to make the point of view more appealing. Ask yourself, "Who
is writing the page and what does he/she want me to think?"
Then take a good hard look at what information is used to achieve
those goals. Can this information be corroborated by another source?
Does it seem to be legitimate? Go to the other criteria and verify
the author's claims.
- Does the author use actual numbers or data in their page where
possible? If the author includes actual data or gives you a number
(such as over 300,000) instead of many, he or she should be able
to defend those numbers. Otherwise the author would not have posted
them where they could be challenged or used against the author.
However, be aware that anyone can make up numbers, so use this
criteria as support for the other evaluation criteria, not as
the sole basis of judging good information.
Numbers are also important in scientific studies. If a Web
page says a drug has been found that cures cancer, take a look
at the number. How many people, or whatever, did they study?
In statistics, data from studies with sample sizes greater than
500 (people, birds, etc.) are considered to be more reliable
than smaller studies using a sample group of 5, 10, 50 or so.
It doesn't mean that the smaller sample studies are wrong, just
that they need to do the experiment over and over again to confirm
their findings.
- Does the author provide an E-mail address or other means of
interacting with him or her directly? Sometimes questions about
the reliability of the information or author can be answered if
you can "speak" with him/her. If the author provides an E-mail
address or another means of contact, the author probably is not
worried about the questions you might ask. But be careful. Don't
just take this as a sign the information is correct; write the
author and ask evaluative questions.
Judging the quality of information is one of the most useful
life-skills a student can learn. The World Wide Web, with all
its peril and promise, is a perfect place to let students begin
to hone this skill. Hopefully, with little guidance, this will
become a life-long process.
Back to DDT and Ethics
Back to Classroom Ideas
Back to Home Page
|
|
