5.+Website+Evaluation

=Website Evaluation= How to evaluate a website: []

Criteria for Evaluating Web Resources
1. What is the **purpose** of the website? Is it used for education? personal use? entertaining? to persuade its audience? advertising?

2. Who is the **authority** of the website? > 3. What is the **objective** of the site? Is the author biased about the subject matter?
 * Who is the author?
 * What are his credentials?
 * Does he have sufficient authority to speak on the subject?
 * Is there any way to reach him?

4. Is the site **appropriate**? Is the information appropriate for your learning?

5. Is the site **current**? > 6. Who is **responsible** for the site? > 7. Is the site clear and easily accessible?
 * Is the information on the page up-to-date?
 * Can you tell when the page was last updated?
 * Are there dead links?
 * Is there a way to contact the authors?
 * Do the authors give credit for information used?
 * Is the information clearly presented?
 * Is the text neat, legible and formatted for easy reading?
 * If there are graphics, do they add to the content or distract?
 * If there are advertisements, do they interfere with your ability to use the page?
 * Are the pages well organized?
 * Are there mistakes in spelling or word usage?
 * Does the site load quickly?
 * Can you move around the site easily?
 * Is the site or page still there next time?
 * Is there a text-only alternative for the visually-impaired?

Print out the sheet below to use as your evaluation: Handout: Examples: Select one of the sites below to evaluate and record your findings on the Evaluation Handout. Websites: Death Clock
 * TASK 1:**

CNN

The Onion

Disney

Now let's take a look at how poor research skills can accidently provide bad data by not effectively evaluating website information: Handout: Website: Martin Luther King
 * TASK 2:**

What about online news? Is all news data accurate? Can it be sensationalized? Now, let's try being "yellow journalists!" Using the following handout, follow the directions for the webquest below:
 * TASK 3:**

Handout:

As defined in Wikipedia.... "**Yellow journalism** or the **yellow press** is a type of [|journalism] that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or [|sensationalism]. By extension "Yellow Journalism" is used today as a pejorative to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical fashion".
 * YELLOW JOURNALISM**

Usefull websites:
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