BASHS Library - Web Page Challenge

Introduction - In this fast-paced, information age, the Internet has become an incredible tool for research. The Internet has massive amounts of information, however not all of the information is reliable or true. As a web-savvy researcher, you must evaluate all Internet sources before using information from them.

Task - Using the Evaluating Web Pages Criteria, Evaluating Web Pages - Authority Criteria and the corresponding worksheet, you will work as a team of two to determine if the information on the Web sites listed below is true or false, and list at least two reasons to support your conclusion.
Resources -
ROW #1	ROW #2	ROW #3
AIDS Facts	California Velcro Crop	Dihydrogen Monoxide Homepage
Genochoice	GOP.com	Notions of Gender in the Middle Ages
Pets or Food	The First Male Pregnancy	The Onion
Time Newsfile	The White House	The White House #2
Mankato, Minnesota	Feline Reactions to Bearded Men	Insect Rights Activists
Magic Cyber Camera	McWhortle Enterprises	Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie
Computer Virus Spreads to Humans	ID Chip
Process - Each student will be assigned a row number (1, 2, or 3) from the links above. Students will then be placed in teams of two. Each team must select one Web site from the two row numbers they were assigned. Using the Evaluating Web Pages Criteria, Evaluating Web Pages - Authority Criteria and the corresponding worksheet, each team must determine whether the selected Web pages contain valid or false information, and must list two reasons supporting their decisions for each site. Teams will present their conclusions and supporting reasons to the class.

Evaluation - Class members will decide by a show of hands whether or not they believe the team made correct decisions and whether or not they supported them with valid reasons. Open discussion and debate is encouraged.

Conclusion - The Internet can be an extensive source of information, but, as this activity illustrates, not all information on the Internet is valid. As researchers, students must always evaluate information located on a Web site before including it in their research. Remember that print resources are available at the library which often present a topic in more detail than any Web site could. To aid in your evaluation of a Web page, you can visit Who Is - a Web site that enables a searcher to check who owns a Web page.