This document provides an overview of various components of the Internet and how to evaluate online resources, with the goal of teaching web literacy skills to enrich classroom instruction. It discusses topics like URLs, domain names, search engines, blogs, podcasts, and wikis. It also provides a 4-step process for validating online content and discusses using tools like AltaVista to analyze backlinks. The overall message is that all teachers should have basic web literacy skills to make use of online tools and resources in their lessons and develop students' critical thinking abilities when evaluating information online.
IP Addresses: Internet Protocol Addresses are used by the Internet to “call up” websites. A user typically does not see the IP address. Rather, they see the domain name. i.e. nike.com vs. 212.58.240.33 Domain Names: created by the owner of a site such as cnn.com. The domain name is purchased and held by owner until they relinquish the rights to the domain name. URL: Uniform Resource Locator-another term for web address Web Browsers: software tool used to access the internet. Examples: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, Netscape Navigator Home Pages: first place you arrive at when entering in a web address. Links: used to access additional resources within a website or outside a website.
Top Level Domains designate certain groups or categories.
Give student handout for their individual use.
Using the URL listed in the slide, a user can see the top level domain is education with the domain belonging to Northwestern. Upon further review of the URL, the slash indicates a subdirectory, which contains the personal opinion of a person named abutz. This is critical when evaluating if this information comes from Northwestern U or from A. Butz.
Have your participants hit these 2 sites and evaluate the information using the URL dissection skills.
Pose the question to the group. Have participants turn to their neighbor and share.
Search engines are used to roam the web and bring back the the user information based on the key words used in the search. Search engines sell advertising, which uses cookies. Cookies track sites that are “hit” and then begin to gear advertising around the key word search. Search sites also sell “spots”, which place advertisers in the top listings.
Specialty search tools are geared towards specific needs. Google Scholar is a search tool for higher-level student researchers…ie journal articles, etc.
These search sites are geared to finding web pages specific to the topic, such as blogs and podcasts.
Pose this question to the group and have them come up with a way to integrate this question into a lesson.
A tool to use in evaluating the validity of website information is REAL. REAL handout can be given to participants.
Can give participants the Investigating the URL handout.
Give Student Evaluation Check Sheet and hit The Froggy Page http://www.frogsonice.com/froggy/
Give Check Out the Author sheets and have them do one. At www.easywhois.com enter martinlutherking.org and click next…will find Stormfront.org…check that site out. Can use martinlutherking.org with the wayback machine site.
Where do the forward links take the visitor? Do the links take them away from the home site or within the home site. An example: visitor is on the Nike homepage. They click on a link. Does the link take them away from the Nike website or to another page on the Nike website? How will the visitor know?...check the URL…if the web address is www.nike.com/newproducts, the user is still at Nike. Pose this question to the group: If the links keep the user at that same site, does that validate the material on the site?
Back links exist on other websites and bring the visitor to your website. A quick look at who is linked to a site can give you insight on the quality of information.
Open Alta Vista and enter in the URL and demonstrate how the link and host commands work.
Have participants access Alta Vista and do the task on the slide.