Internet Premodule

LESSON 3  Evaluating Information on the Internet AHS

Materials Needed:           

• Flip chart paper or board and markers/chalk
• Computers with Internet access
• Handout 1 and Handout 2
• Web Sites:

You may want to preview the Internet sites suggested for students on the Web Review Handout. Because URLs change so frequently, it's a good idea to test them in advance, deleting or modifying any whose addresses may have changed or which may no longer be operational.

http://www.absolutevitamins.com  
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002399.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/safeusa/bike/bike.htm  
http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/main/index.html                           
http://www.google.com  
http://www.yahoo.com

Word Bank:

Internet search, Web site, URL, to surf the Internet, analyze, evaluate, judgment, reliability, truthfulness, credible, informational, commercial

Introductory Activity

• In the last activity, you looked at finding the information you need on the Internet. Today you're going to explore ways to judge whether the information you get is reliable.
• Think about the ways you get information every day. How do you know if you can believe what you see on TV or read in the newspaper?

•  Now think about the information you get from the Internet. How can you trust what you read? For example, how can you tell the difference between information and an advertisement for something?

If learners are having trouble with this question, you could offer some helpful prompts, such as "What do you see when you look at a Web page? Do you see advertisements? A picture of a credit card?  What do you think of when you see these things?"

Activity 1: Web Site Comparison

• In this activity, you will compare two pairs of Web sites. For each pair, you will decide which site is the best source of information.

One of the topics presented is bike helmet safety.  This might be a new or strange topic for some learners, especially those from countries which don't emphasize bike safety education.  You might want to ask learners what they know about bike safety, whether they think it is an important issue, etc., to help them focus on the lesson.

• Take a minute to read through the Web Review Handout 1 and Handout 2. The questions on the handouts can help you judge whether you should believe all of the information that you see on a Web site.
• Imagine that you are trying to find information about vitamins and bike helmet safety. In small groups, visit the Web sites on each handout and discuss the questions on the handouts. If you are working by yourself, visit the Web sites and write short responses to each of the questions on the handouts.
• Which Web site is the better source of information about vitamins? About bike helmet safety? Discuss these questions in your group or, if you are working alone, write a brief response explaining your choice and your reasons for it.

As students share search results, you may want to note their observations on the board or on flip chart paper, focusing on ways students evaluated what they saw or read (e.g., "Some of the sites tried to sell things.")

You may prefer to do this as a jigsaw activity, with half of the learners completing the vitamin review and the other half completing the bike helmet safety review; then have each group debrief and share evaluations.

You may want to walk students through the items on the handout to ensure that they understand all of the vocabulary and concepts.

Expansion Activity:  Independent Search and Presentation

• In this activity, you will evaluate whether the Web sites you find from a search give you information or commercials.
• Go to a search engine like www.google.com  or www.yahoo.com,  and type in keywords for something you are interested in, like a sport, a musician, a car or your native country. Look at the Web sites that you get as results.  Think about whether they have the information you wanted, or whether you would believe this information

• Does the Web site give you information or try to sell you something?

• How can you tell?

• Does the Web site answer questions you have about your topic?      
• Would you tell a friend to use this Web site?

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