Web Evaluation Variations Created by AIs
AIs can use this page to upload exercises/assignments/approaches they have created or modified for their course.
1. Explanation that can be used in all classroom environments:
Finding Viewpoints on the Web
Viewpoints can be found on any kind of website. While there isn't a surefire trick to isolating websites that include an argument, you can use some search strategies to explore likely sources of viewpoints.
1.1 Site-limited searching
Google allows you to limit a web search based on the domain of the website, found in the URL. Understanding these domains and thinking about who might have an opinion on your topic can help you limit a search.
- Often organizations (.org) have an agenda tied to a controversy.
- Educational institutions (.edu) may provide a professor's viewpoint.
- News sources and blogs may be a .com
You can limit a search on the Advanced Search page in Google or in the search box using site:
Examples:
Advanced Search
Search box using site:
1.2 Blogs
Many blogs written by experts and activists include viewpoints on different controversies. Try searching for blogs using Technorati (http://technorati.com) or Google's Blog Search (http://blogsearch.google.com)
1.3 News sources
News organizations’ Opinion/Editorial pages are great places to find viewpoints on a controversy. Try going directly to a known news source, like http://www.nytimes.com, to find an editorial related to your controversy. Syndicated columnists often maintain their own blogs and websites as well. Explore the Analysis and Opinions section of Google's directory to find other sources at http://www.google.com/Top/News/Analysis_and_Opinion/.
2. Evaluating Viewpoints on the Web
The fact that anyone can publish to the web and that there's no surefire way of limiting to viewpoints means that it's very important to evaluate the information you find on a website to determine that it's an informed viewpoint.
The following criteria provide a framework for evaluating viewpoints on the web. Consider all four criteria when evaluating a site.
- Authority of the Author and Publisher: Who is the author? Is he/she an expert? Does he/she represent a larger organization or speak for a side of a controversy? Who is the publisher? Are they reputable?
TIP! Often the author and the publisher are the same entity. For example, if you find a viewpoint on
http://www.peta.org and it doesn't have a named individual as an author, the authorship of the viewpoint can be attributed to the publisher of the information, PETA.
- Bias: Why was this site created? Is this informative or a viewpoint?
- Accuracy: Is this information true? If it’s a viewpoint, did they use facts to support it? Are the facts accurate? Where did they get the information? Can you find this information elsewhere to confirm its accuracy?
- Currency: When was the web site last updated? Is it current enough for your research?
3. Next steps - No technology in the classroom:
Resources:
Explain the ways in which to limit to different types of websites and organizations. Make copies of the Evaluating Viewpoints on the Web grid. Hand them out to the class, and go over each of the criteria.
Activities:
- Take-home exercise: Evaluating Viewpoints on the Web This exercise asks students to look at three different websites, and using the criteria grid, evaluate those websites accordingly. When students come to class the next meeting time, break students into three groups, assigning each group one website to discuss. Ask them to compare notes among one another, and then have one student from each group self-appoint to discuss why or why not they chose, as a group, to use that website. If they did not choose to use the website, follow up by asking if there would ever be a situation in which they would use that information. This would reinforce finding relevant information for the "task at hand."
- In-class exercise: Using the Evaluating Viewpoints on the Web grid, discuss in class how each of these would apply to a commonly known website (such as NYtimes, the UT website) or pick an organization that would have a website, like PETA, and ask students to walk you through where they would find or fulfill each of the criteria.
4. Next steps - Instructor station only:
Resources:
Explain the ways in which to limit to different types of websites and organizations. Make copies of the Evaluating Viewpoints on the Web grid, hand them out to the class, and go over each of the criteria. Have a few websites picked out in advance to demonstrate how students would evaluate a website according to the criteria grid. Let them do the talking ;)
Activities::
- Take-home exercise: Finding Viewpoints on the Web This exercise guides students through three different types of websites: organizations (interest groups), blogs, and news organizations. Students are asked to locate and evaluate one website from each group and then explain why they think the web author is an authority and/or representative. You could use this purely as an informational exercise, or in conjunction with asking students to find website resources for their research summaries and/or papers.
- In-class exercise: Use the Evaluating Viewpoints on the Web grid, and navigate to three different types of websites (interest group organizations, blogs, news organizations, government, etc). For each website, ask them to evaluate it according to the criteria grid. If you are so inclined and since you are the only one with the computer, let them control where you look on each page of the website, ex: "Click on About Me" or "Go back to main page.").
5. Next steps - Hands-on/Networked classroom:
Resources:
Choose from either the Finding Viewpoints on the Web exercise or the Evaluating Viewpoints on the Web exercise, depending on the amount of time you want your students to spend on the exercise and if you want them to work in groups.
Activities:
- Take-home exercise: Finding Viewpoints on the Web This exercise guides students through three different types of websites: organizations (interest groups), blogs, and new organizations. Students are asked to locate and evaluate one website from each group and then explain why they think that web author is an authority and/or representative. You could use this purely as an informational exercise, or in conjunction with asking students to find website resources for their research summaries and/or papers.
- In-class exercise: Evaluating Viewpoints on the Web. This exercise asks students to look at three different websites, and using the criteria grid, evaluate those websites accordingly. Break students into three groups, assigning each group one website evaluate and discuss according to the criteria grid. Have one student from each group self-appoint to discuss why or why not they chose to use that website. If they did not choose to use that website, follow up by asking if there would ever be a situation in which they would use that information. This would reinforce finding relevant information for the "task at hand."
