Evaluating Websites

Evaluation Tools

• Evaluating Internet Information: Virginia Tech
• The Quality Information Checklist
  
• Student tool for evaluating websites.
• Website Evaluation Wizard
  Provided by the 21st Century Information Fluency project
  

Hoax Sites

• Burmese Mountain Dog Club of America
• Buy Dehydrated Water
• California's Velcro Crop under Challenge
  
• Dog Island
  
• Drivers License Search: National Motor Vehicle License Bureau
  
• "Facts About" Series
• Topics include Mars, the Civil War, Ancient China, Beluga Whales and several others.
  
• History of the Fisher-Price Airplane
  
• Mankato, MN
  
• McWhortle Enterprises
• Be sure to press "click here" at the bottom of the first two pages to find out the truth behind this site.
  
• Republic of Molossia: Official Website
• RYT Hospital: All the Miracles of Modern Medicine
  
• Save the Mountain Walrus
  
• Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
  
• World Nearly Out of Chocolate
  

Lessons and Projects

• All About Explorers
• Site developed by teachers as a way to teach students about the Internet.
• Allies and Aliens
• "This interactive module for Grades 7 and 8 is designed to increase students’ ability to recognize bias, prejudice and hate propaganda on the Internet and in other media."
• Credible Sources Count tutorial: Acadia University
  
• Cybersense and Nonsense: the Second Adventure of the Three Cyberpigs
  "In this sequel to Privacy Playground, for ages 9-12, the three CyberPigs learn some important lessons about authenticating online information and observing rules of netiquette. They also learn how to distinguish between fact and opinion and how to recognize bias and harmful stereotyping in online content."
• Cybersmart: Rating Websites
  
• Internet Detectives: a Middle School Social Studies and Library Media Project
• Student project in which websites are evaluated and reviews are published on this site. Look at the Overview and Resources section on the right side.
  
• Internet Police Squad
• Students create a rubric to evaluate websites.
• Jo Cool or Joe Fool
• "This interactive online module takes students through a CyberTour of twelve mock Web sites to test their savvy surfing skills."
• OSLIS Elementary: Evaluating Websites (inactive until site is repaired)
• OSLIS Secondary: How to Evaluate Web Information (inactive until site is repaired)
• Website Evaluation
  A middle school librarian in Tennessee developed this simple page which mixes together hoax and true websites. First they discussed good websites and how to evaluate websites. Then while reviewing each website, students filled out a worksheet with the following columns: Hoax, True, Helpful, Comments.
  

Resources

• Critical Evaluation Surveys and Resources: Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
  
• Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria for the Classroom (Lesley University)
• Selecting and Evaluating Your Sources
  Page from the Research Tools LibGuide of Springfield Township High School built by Joyce Valenza.
  

Last updated: April 3, 2012