But I Found It on the Internet It

“But I Found It on the Internet. . . It Has to Be True!” “The Computer as an Educational Tool: Productivity and Problem Solving” ©Richard C. Forcier and Don E. Descy

Today 1. Introduction 2. Problem 3. Solutions? 4. Questions/Comments

Internet Stages 1969: Military/Research 1986: Higher education/Research 1991: General education: Using the Internet Finding things/Publishing Credibility

The Problem (1) Web publishing Anyone can do it. No screening Ill-informed/Pranksters “Bad” examples

The Problem (2) Naive users Believe it is filtered Believe it is accurate Confuse it with library material

Solutions? Understand the problem User guidelines Use Web review tools Luck

Understand the Problem Educate users about potential problems and solutions

User Guidelines Author, producer, site publication, purpose, date of publication, arrangement, intended audience, coverage, writing style, reasoning, references. . .

User Guidelines (2) Author Is author known in field? Affiliations listed? Address, mailto, homepage? Creator or compiler? Who’s Who, Whois, finger

User Guidelines (3) Site Is URL clearly noted? What can you find out about site? Ending suffix: . edu. com. net. mil. au. ca. gov. us Does information/site fit? Try deleting right to left

Sites to Visit 1. city-mankato. us Is Mankato a real place? Are the advertisements real? Is this a real city? How can you tell?

Sites to visit? 1. www. whitehouse. gov 2. www. whitehouse. net 3. www. whitehouse. com (X)

Which was real? 1. www. dole 96. com 2. www. dole 96. org (Neither presently online)

User Guidelines (4) Publication Single page/series? Author, collection, organization? Abstract, full text, presentation? Where published/presented?

User Guidelines (5) Purpose Inform? Advocate position? Stimulate discussion?

User Guidelines (6) References Well documented? Current references? Links to other sources? Links to referenced work on same or other servers?

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19): Your well-being is assured. There should be some positive news regarding real estate or an investment. You may have to cope with work overload, but colleagues are willing to assist. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20): You're in a do-or-dare mood and want to persuade loved ones to support a project. With the harmonious moon in your sign, you should have extremely positive news and unconditional support.

User Guidelines (7) Intended audience Coverage Writing style/reasoning Spelling, grammar, etc. .

Web Review Tools (1) Reputable organizations Named reviewers “Honest” reviews READ any introductory material!

Web Review Tools (2) Yahooligans Safe site for students Huge database of sites Screened and checked yahooligans. com

Web Review Tools (3) Argus Clearinghouse Rates, reviews sites and lists 1– 5 checks Uses Info/Library Pros www. clearinghouse. net

Online Tools (1) Information Quality WWW Virtual Library (T. Ciolek) www. ciolek. com/WWWVLInfo. Quality. html

Online Tools (2) Kathy Schrock’s Evaluation Guides (Kathy Schrock) school. discovery. com/schrockguide/

Sites to Visit (1) Strawberry Pop-Tart Blow Torches www. sci. tamucc. edu/~pmichaud/ toast/ Feline Reactions to Bearded Men www. sree. net/stories/feline. html

Strawberry Pop-Tart Blow-Torches

Feline Reactions to Bearded Men

Sites to Visit (2) Real. Aroma First Human Male Pregnancy www. malepregnancy. com

Real. Aroma

First Male Pregnancy

Credibility Page Don’s credibility page

The Solution (? ) Educate users about potential problems and solutions Triangulate!

Comments and Questions?

Presentation available at: descy. net