LibGuides: How do I: Evaluate & organize information?

Inspect the Evidence: Evaluate Evidence and Organize my Information

Find out about Media Influences

Evaluate Information

Always evaluate the information that you find online before using it. "Evaluating" means to judge or determine the value, significance, and quality of something. Time to put your detective hats on!

Remember that APPROPRIATE, HIGH QUALITY information is:

Website and Online Information Evaluation Checklist: How to find "the Best" Information
As a student, you need “good” information when doing research.
Use the questions in this checklist to evaluate the information that you find online.

Winston and Kara show why it is important to look at more than just one website when researching. This helps them to know that the information they are reading is Right and True! Have more adventures with Winston and Kara by going to the Childnet International website.

CyberSense & NonSense , created by Media Smarts, is created for students ages 8-10 and acts as the sequel to Privacy Playground. Find Privacy Playground under the How do I share & stay safe online section.

In this game students will learn how to distinguish between fact and opinion and how to recognize bias and harmful stereotyping in online content.

The below Teacher's Guide explains how to play the game and gives information about the issues of authenticating online content, stereotyping and cyberbullying. It also provides activities and handouts for classroom use.

CyberSense & Nonsense: Teacher's Guide
This handout provides pre-activity and post-activity discussion starters and activities as well as extended activities and hanouts.

Flocabulary-Source Evaluation-Can I trust it?

Find Reliable Websites

Questions to Ask:

Is this informaiton meant to:
- Teach;
- Inform;
- Persuade;
- Entertain; or
- Sell a product?
Do the creators of the website make their intentions clear?
- Tip: Read the website's "About Us" section to find out.
Is the information fact or opinion?
Is there advertizing on the site?
Does the point of view show bias?
- Tip: Consider if the website is being objective. Is the author only telling one side of the story?
What does the website's URL tell you about the site?

Media has Commercial Implications (VIDEO)
This Media Smarts video gives you food for thought about how companies use the web to market their products.

What is a url?

A url is the address where a website lives on the internet. A url can also be called a link.

What is the difference between "http" and "https?"

The letters "http" normally go before the "www" prefix of a url. When you see "https" it means that the information shared on that website will be kept secure.

What is a website domain extention?

A domain extension is found at end the website's url, it is the url suffix. The url is the website's internet address and the domain extension gives you information about who owns the site. For example, if the website is owned by a company, an educational institution, or the government.

Some common domain extensions and what they mean:

PRINT IT: Domain Extensions and What they Represent

Organize your ideas:

What is Mind-Mapping?

Mind mapping is a way to organize your ideas. It is used to help you brainstorm ideas. Brainstorming is just thinking of creative ideas to help you answer a question or solve a problem.

Mind Mapping Tools for You: