The Great CyberTrip

 

Written for Ms. L. Fennell

Psychology 150

Chesapeake College

by the Library / Learning Resource Center

http://www.chesapeake.edu/library/library.htm

Goals and Objectives for this Lesson

  • To learn about important terms used in the field of Psychology.

  • To learn to properly navigate the World Wide Web in order to find information.

  • To properly evaluate the found Web Sites in order to ensure their accuracy and appropriateness.

 

Introduction | Task | Resources |  Process | Evaluation | Conclusion

 

Introduction

Your assignment is to obtain information on the Web.  Use the list below or use any terms from the glossary (in bold print) in your Psychology textbook to complete the assignment.  You must select four (4) commonly-heard terms.  See what you can find on these topics.  How have each of these terms enhanced our understanding of our society? You must evaluate the quality of the resources you access. When you understand the strengths and limits of the web sites you encounter, you will be able to distinguish valuable information from misinformation.

 

The Task

You will have to complete the following tasks:

  1. Choose four (4) terms from the list below or from your textbook's glossary.

  1. Use the World Wide Web to search for information on the terms you have chosen.

  2. Evaluate the Web Sites based on the criteria given below.

 

Resources

Choose four (4) of the following terms to research:

 

Latchkey Children

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Sexual Harassment

REM Sleep

Intelligence Testing

Action Potential

Biofeedback

Conventional Level

Emotions

Hypnosis

Introspection

Phobia

Reinforcement

Schizophrenia

Psychotropic Drugs

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Gestalt Therapy

Open Adoption

Date Rape

Abnormal

Critical period

Dendrites

Fixation

Learning

Oedipal Complex

Oral Stage

Psychotherapy

Shaping
 

http://www.google.com

 

The Process

Step One :

You will choose four (4) terms from the list above (or from your text).

If you find sites that do not make sense to you or that do not seem to be about Psychology, then keep looking.

TIP: Many of these terms need to be searched along with the word psychology in order to bring up the correct results.

 

Step Two:

You will use Google to find 2 websites on each term (2 websites X 4 terms = 8 websites).

 

Step Three:

  • You will evaluate each website based on the following five criteria.

  • Print out the chart so that you may take notes as you evaluate the sites according to the criteria.

  • Also take notes on the topic, collecting information from each site.

1.  Production 

  • What company, organization, or institution produced the site?

  • What is the domain name?  Does it end in .com, .gov, .edu, .org? 

  • Is there a home page, "About us" page, or any information telling about the producers?

2.  Level / Quality 

  • Does the site cover the information clearly?   Accurately?

  • Can you understand what is being said?  Is it written above or below your level?

  • What is unique about the site?  Does it offer something the others do not?

  • Are the links well-chosen?  Sufficient?

  • Would you get better information in a book?  An encyclopedia?

  • Would you include this site in a bibliography?

3.  Authority 

  • Who is responsible for writing this site?

  • What are his/her credentials?

  • Is there a page about the author?

  • Have the authors of the site cited their own sources?

4.  Date 

  • What is the date that the site was created?

  • What is the date of the last update?

  • If the page contains a reprinted article, what is the original publication date of the article?

  • Are all of the links current, or are many of them dead?

  • Is the information given on the page comparable to the information you have seen in print?

5.  Source 

  • Why was this site created?  Is it a personal, commercial, government, or an organization site?

  • Is there any bias?  Is only one side of the argument presented?  Is there a hidden message?  Is it trying to persuade you or change your opinion?  Is the bias useful to you in some way?

  • Can you distinguish facts from opinions?

  • Is the site trying to sell a product or service?

  • Is the information free or provided at a cost?

  • Do you need special software to download the information?

  • Is the site easy to navigate (user-friendly)?

  • Are there any errors in spelling or grammar?

Step Four:

  • Complete an Evaluating Web Sites Chart.  This chart may be sent to your instructor electronically by hitting the submit button, or it may be printed out and handed in.  You will find a link to the chart at the end of the WebQuest.

  • Remember that you must complete the entire chart at one time - if you leave the chart to go to another web page, the information you have already typed will be cleared.

  • Write an essay discussing each term, using information you found on the websites.  Use APA format:

o       Visit the Academic Support Center for assistance and to get handouts on this format. Pay special attention to how to cite a website.

o       Include a title page with your name, date, title, course and professor.

o       Include a Reference Page, listing all your websites.

o       All pages must be numbered.

  • The following site has been evaluated as a GOOD site.  Take a look at it, applying the criteria, in order to see what makes it a good site to use for research.

Society for Neuroscience Publications http://www.sfn.org/content/Publications/BrainBriefings/rem_sleep.html

 

 

Evaluation

You will be evaluated on your ability to apply evaluative criteria to websites, your completed Web Sites Evaluation Chart, and your essay.

 

Conclusion

You will find yourself using the Internet for information. The Internet is only one of a variety of information options. Remember that journals, books, videos and other sources are available as well. Evaluating information is a skill you will be using throughout your lifetime.

 

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Based on a template from The Webquest Page.

If there is inaccurate information on this page, please send correction or comments to: lrcdesk@chesapeake.edu