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= = = WEB LITERACY =

Essential Questions:

 * ==How do we enable our students to be critical consumers of and producers of Internet material?==
 * ==Why is this important?==

//Consumers://
= media type="youtube" key="wZoMbBzqxyc" height="229" width="384" align="center" = World Wide Web, URL, Domain Name, Internet, IP Address...All terms we've heard of, but do you know what they all mean? View the slideshow for terms and definitions.

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Truncating A URL: First of all, what is "truncating?"

 * Truncate: –verb (used with object)   1.  to shorten by cutting off a part; cut short (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/truncating)


 * Truncating Tip: Start from the right and move left deleting the the characters up to the first slash. This can be done until you reach the domain name.

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Take A Close Look At The URL:

 * A look beyond the domain name is also useful when validating a site. There are a few URL red flags that denote personal pages, which means that the likelihood of the owners' personal opinions will come into play.
 * Tilde, ~
 * words //user, people, members//
 * Suffixes: .org is used widely. Some of the sites with .org on the web page are highly credibly. Others...not so much.
 * http://www.moma.org/ (Legitimate site...Museum of Modern Art's Homepage. It has .org as the suffix.)
 * @http://www.dhmo.org/ (Sounds like a normal website...check it out by clicking on it.)
 * @http://www.dhmo.org/ (Sounds like a normal website...check it out by clicking on it.)

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Take A Close Look At The Content:
"Reality is merely an illusion." -Albert Einstein

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 * Another Example: (Click image to view site.)

Why this video and photos? People view these types of images all the time and think nothing of them. However, the image is distorted. That can happen with website content as well.

Case in point: This website was shown to a group of seven students ages 5-11 after being told that just because something is on the web doesn't mean it's credible. They believed what they saw and read. //Sample of site://


 * When evaluating the content of a website ask:
 * Does it look right? Does it sound right? Does it MAKE SENSE?
 * Alan November's "Evaluating Content Worksheet" Questions:
 * //Is the information on the Web site useful for your topic?//
 * //Are there additional resources and links provided? Do the links work?//
 * //Is the site current? Do you know when it was last updated?//
 * //Do you think the information is accurate?//
 * //Does the information contradict information you have found elsewhere?//
 * Kathy Schrock's evaluation surveys (Elementary, Middle, & Secondary Education, Teaching sites, Virtual tours, Blogs, & Podcasts)
 * The University of Southern Maine also has an easy-to use checklist.

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Take a Close Look At The Author/Owner Of A Site:
Web sites may include information about the site's author/owner. The sites about frogs did.

//Frogs://

 * The owner: Exploratorium (Click image to learn more.)
 * This site even has "Web site credits."

//The Froggy Page://

 * The owner/author: (Click image to learn more.)

When in doubt...
Hm-m-m...Tech Smith is a corporation specializing in screen capture software. Further reading revealed that there are educational benefits to using screen capture software. By the way...Jing is FREE!
 * Go to "Domain Tools" Website.
 * Type in a Domain Name.
 * Click "Search."
 * Site owner is displayed.
 * Check owner information to determine reliability.

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Take A Look At The Links...Among Other Things:
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 * **Alexa** is a website that makes it possible to find out what sites are linking to a particular site. It also provides a lot of other valuable information. (Click image to access site.)
 * **Google** also has a way to check links among other things.

Tying It All Together:
(Click image to view site.)

> > > Here's what the student will find: (Click image to view details.)
 * Look at the URL: http://zapatopi.net/afdb/**
 * First things, first... Truncate the URL to see what the home page is.
 * @http://zapatopi.net/
 * Hm-m-m-m...This might explain some things. Take a look at the "Informative Tracts" section of this page.
 * Evaluate the Content: Is the information helpful? Are there additional resources and links provided? Is the site current? Do you think the information is accurate? Does the information contradict information you have found elsewhere?
 * Based on the truncating the URL and evaluating the home page, it is obvious this site contains invalid information
 * Suppose a student did not truncate the URL and is looking at the site to see if it's valid.
 * The content seems kind of bogus, but there is a book for sale on the topic from Amazon. It must be legitimate, right? (Look at the preview. Information provided is similar to the information on the site. By the way, //Gossamer// can be purchased on Amazon. It is a childrens book of fantasy about dream-givers. So...not all books sold on Amazon are informational text.)
 * Suppose a student got stuck on the fact that you can buy a book about the topic. Look for an author/owner of the site. Here it's located in Frequently Asked Questions.

Click "Site Profile."
 * Suppose the student did none of the above steps. They could also go to Domain Tools to conduct a search.

Click the Web Site Title. The student will realize that the site gives inaccurate information. Information about site and links, the audience that is visiting the site, the sites that link into the site, etc. Take a look at what's displayed under the "related links" section.
 * Suppose the student did not check any of the above mentioned validating tools. There's still hope! The student access information using www.alexa.com

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Google:
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 * "Google It" is a catch phrase heard over and over again. It's simple, really. Except that one can "Just Google It" or Google Smarter!




 * There's even more to Google!

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 * Wonder Wheel Example
 * Timeline Example
 * Want To Give Students Sites For Which To Search? Create A Google Custom Search!

Sweet Search:

 * Sweet Search is another search engine that includes more than 35,000 sites that have been reviewed by educators, librarians, and researchers. (Click image to access site)
 * Sweet...a Sweet Search Widget For Your Site!

Wolfram:

 * Wolfram Alpha is another search engine that calculate figures, identify facts, etc.

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What About Wikipedia?
//What Is Wikipedia?//

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 * Should Students Use It To Gather Information?
 * Yes, but they should validate the information on the site. It is also important to remember that not ALL information is appropriate for students.
 * There's Also A Section Of Wikipedia That Is Specifically For Students: @http://schools-wikipedia.org/
 * If Students Use Wikipedia, There Is A Proper Way To Cite The Source.
 * Could Classes Contribute To Wikipedia?
 * Editing Wikipedia
 * The Answers Are...Yes and Yes! (Just Make Sure Students Are Well Informed And Check Resources!)
 * [|Example] of Middle School Wikipedia Page
 * Interesting Way To Visually See Information On Wikipedia: www.eyplorer.com

Producers:

 * Wikis
 * Blogs
 * Sites
 * Photo Sharing

Essential Questions:

 * ==How do we enable our students to be critical consumers of and producers of Internet material?==
 * ==Why is this important?==

Resources:

 * http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides/Technology/Internet/Dulcineas-Guide-to-Searching-on-the-Web.xa_1.html
 * //Web Literacy For Educators//, Alan November
 * http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/ten-items-all-should-know-when-using-google-basic-search-far-from-basic/
 * http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
 * http://cysdtechsupport.wikispaces.com/Developing+Web+Literacy (Thanks, Sue!)