Internet & The World Wide Web

How to know what to trust

Objectives:

E1-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.

E1-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (including word choice, the exclusion and inclusion of particular information, and unsupported opinions).

E1-2.7 Analyze propaganda techniques in informational texts.

Once upon a time…

There was a student named Zack Zack didn’t know much about finding

our information on the Internet and made a HUGE mistake!

He trusted a site and a person on the Internet

http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~abutz/di/intro.html

This is what he “learned”

Fourteen year old: “I’m working on a history paper about how the Holocaust never happened.”

Long pause. “Zack, where did you hear that the Holocaust didn’t happen?”

“The Internet. It’s on a Web page at Northwestern University.”

So, how do we know what to trust?

There are steps to take to ensure what you find is legitimate (genuine, legal, valid)

Steps:

1. Always check more than one source2. Make sure that if a source is the only

one making the claim, you do not use it!

3. Validate the information by cross checking with other reputable sites

4. Check on who the author of the site is…GOOGLE it!

5. Discover the purpose of the site: what is the author trying to say?

Steps continued…

Purposes defined:› To sell products› To inform› To persuade or advocate› To entertain

Author’s Reputability

Let’s check on Arthur Butz to see where his name shows up….

The URL (Uniform Resource Locator )

Items to beware of: › ~› /users/Abutz

› http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~abutz/di/intro.html

How to know what is safe or reputable

Follow the steps outlined in this presentation

Do not blindly “trust” what you read or see

Take the time to cross reference information & authors

Identify the purpose of the web page/site.

Let’s practice…

http://urbanlegends.com/ www.snopes.com http://www.cracked.com

Slurls…

ABC news aired a show on “slurls”, a hybrid name for slur + url. These are accidents waiting to happen.

Did you ever perform a search only to find things like this?...

Slurs…

www.childrenslaughter.com -- The website for The Children's Laughter Foundation in Dallas, Texas.

www.amigonefuneralhome.com -- The website for the family-owned Amigone Funeral Home Inc., a Western New York funeral services provider.

To do:

Now it is your turn…Find a reputable web site that provides unbiased information on the following topics: (select one)› The effects of Lung cancer on the body› Hip-hop music› Renaissance artists› Bulimia› Caring for cats› Birdwatching› Making a wooden picnic table

Lessons learned:

Trust no one! Double check your sources Do a background search on the author Define the purpose of the site Check with a teacher if you are not

sure