Chesapeake College
Library / Learning Resource Center
http://www.chesapeake.edu/library/
The "good, the bad, and the ugly" on the Web |
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Adapted from Web Quest written by: Joyce Kasman Valenza Springfield Township High School, Erdenheim, PA |
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The vast amount of information and the speed with which it becomes available on the World Wide Web are both overwhelming and yet remarkable. But is everything credible and valuable? What web sites are good for research on a particular topic and what web sites should you stay away from when your goal is to retrieve valid information to complete a research assignment or authoritative information on a health topic.
According to Steve Forbes from Web of Deception: Misinformation on the Internet, the Internet's very ease of communication has actually added to the level of human wrongdoing from "misinformation, libelous gossip, child pornography, fraud and thievery, assaults on privacy, disruptive viruses, global terrorism and other crimes."
This assignment is designed to keep you from being victimized by faulty information. Using sound criteria you will find and evaluate web sites and analyze them for validity and appropriate use. After completing this assignment you will always look at web information with a more critical and discerning eye.
The evaluation of this assignment will be made according to the rubric developed to measure your performance. This Assessment Rubric contains specific performance characteristics arranged in levels indicating the degree to which a standard has been met. How successful you will be is up to you.
| Step 1 Develop evaluation tool |
Step 2 Select and evaluate 1 wellness web site |
Step 3 Find and evaluate 2 additional sites |
Step 4 Complete and submit tool |
The Internet has billions of web sites and growing everyday. How can we be sure that the information provided is current and accurate and that the web site is appropriate for our use? During this part of the assignment you will help to develop an "evaluative tool" that you can use to complete this task.
What are the activities?
1. Review the following three web sites and begin to think about how one determines if a resource is valid.
The following sites are good sources for evaluation criteria:
From Chesapeake College--P.L.A.D.S
From Cornell University Library--Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools
2. As you review the three web sites use the following chart to record "the good, the bad and the ugly" of each site. Once you complete the chart make a copy so that you will have it for the class discussion. The other copy will be submitted to your instructor and will be assessed according to the criteria outlined in the Rubric.
To download the chart to your computer RIGHT CLICK on this chart . Click on "Save Target As" and designate where on your computer you want to save the chart, such as your desktop, 3 1/2 floppy, etc. You will then be able to type in the chart just like you would any WORD document.
3. Come to class ready to discuss the "good, the bad and the ugly" of each of these sites. You will be assigned to a group who will develop an "evaluative tool"--criteria for you to use to complete the rest of the assignment.
Choose one of the following seven sites to evaluate according to the Evaluation Tool created by your class.
Physical Wellness:
Spiritual Wellness
Social Wellness
Emotional Wellness
Intellectual Wellness
Environmental Wellness
Occupational Wellness
Evaluating Web Sites Tool -- Section 01
Evaluating Web Sites Tool -- Section 04
Based on a template from The Webquest Page.