Transcript Google Filter Bubble / R.E.A.L.

SEARCHING FOR
TRUTH
Defining Student Research Skills
Bonnie McCormick, Librarian
Ronny Crownover Middle School
Denton ISD
Google Filter Bubble
Eli Pariser
Former Executive Director of MoveOn (and now the board president),
a co-founder of Avaaz.org
• Hits on Google are tailored to your
personal searching history
• You do not always get all the
news, all the views, all the
information
What does this mean
to YOU?
• Must know how to use a variety
of research tools
• Must be discriminate searchers –
Website Evaluation
RESOURCE OPTIONS
• Printed hard materials
•
Books, journals, magazines, newspapers
• Databases
•
Ebsco, Britannica, Gale, First Search,
ProQuest, ERIC
• E-books
• Internet
Databases
•
•
•
•
Reliable information
Links to Internet
Multi-media available
Citations provided
Wikipedia
• Great place to start
• Links to the entire Internet
• Not a good source to cite –
just a place to get ideas and
launch a good search
RESEARCH on Wikipedia
From Wikipedia: Article Quality in Wikipedia
“Keep in mind that an
encyclopedia is intended to be a
starting point for serious
research, not an endpoint.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Researching_with_Wikipedia
Website Evaluation
Get R.E.A.L.
Alan November
International leader in educational
technology
GET “R.E.A.L.”
Website Evaluation
in 4 easy steps
Not all websites are
created equal…
So, before you use
a website,
You need to get
R.E.A.L.
Read the URL…
•Look for the owning entity (person, company, or
organization) in the website address (URL).
•Are they an authority on the subject
•Are they trying to sell you something?
•Might they be biased?
•Identify the domain: .gov, .com, .mil, .edu, .org, .net
•
•
Are you on a personal page?
Note: an ~ before a name in the URL means
that you are on a personal webpage
Examine the content…
•Does the site clearly tell where they got their
information?
•Is the site current and updated?
(look for a date, often at the bottom of the webpage)
• Are the facts different from any other source?
Ask about the author or
owner…
•Who wrote it?
•Is there a “contact us” or “about us” link
•Does the author have any credentials?
•Are there spelling or grammar errors?
Look at the links…
•Are additional links and resources provided?
•Do the links work?
•Click on the links to other websites.
•Are the links credible?
Look at the links…
•Click on the links to other websites.
•Are the links credible?
•FORWARD LINKS
• What are the URL’s of the forward links?
•Do the domains change?
•Is the information biased?
Look at the links…
•BACK LINKS
• Who is linked to this website?
•Why are they linked?
•What do other sites say about the
information on the site?
•Wayback Machine – see the history of a
website
Be a smart and
responsible researcher…
R.E.A.L.
WORKS CITED
Brandt, Sherry. Get R.E.A.L. adaptation. Argyle: Harpool Middle School Library. 2010.
Pariser, Eli. "TED Talk." The Filter Bubble TED Talk Comments. Eli Pariser, n.d.
Web. 25 Jan. 2013. http://www.thefilterbubble.com/ted-talk.
November, Alan. Web Literacy for Educators.
Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press. 2008.
Ohlone College Library. “Evaluating Websites or How Emma” and “Len” Quickly Selected the
Best Web Sites and Had Enough Time Left Over to Go For Coffee Before Class.” 23
Nov. 2009. Online video clip. YouTube. Accessed on 6 Sept. 2011.
Students, Microsoft® Clip Organizer 2002. Microsoft Corporation 1983-2001. Redmond,
Washington.