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A Lesson in Assessing Web Content Validity

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A Lesson Using Kathy Schrock's “5 W's” to Evaluating Web Site Content

I teach an introductory level technology course at The College of Westchester, focused on emerging information technologies and how these are impacting the workplace, society, and world around us.

One of the vital topics we cover is how to assess the validity of web site content.

We start with a laugh, taking a look at the State Farm “You can't put it on the Internet if it isn't true” commercial. Next, we check out “How to charge on iPod with electrolytes and an onion” to get the students thinking.

After discussing the ipod charging onion video, we check out Kathy Schrock's “5 W's of Web Site Evalutation“. I created the following presentation to introduce these, and examine two web sites using the 5 W's to guide our assessment of each:

After reviewing this presentation, we move on to an assignment in which students  are expected to evaluate 5 of these 10 sites, in writing, using the 5 W's:
Feel free to use this lesson as you see fit! If you are teaching in a flipped classroom, you might want to voice over this slideshare presentation to create your own flipped lesson on this topic.
Also, you may want to check out one of Kathy's great sites:

Of course, there are other methods and tools that students can use to assess web content for validity (such as the “CRAPP” test, which we shared here a while back). We welcome your suggestions and resources!

4 COMMENTS

  1. Great lesson plan, thanks for sharing! It is so important to teach students to be able to look at websites critically and be cautious when finding information online, this is definitely a smart and fun way to do it, especially as students can look at websites that seem valid but are in fact deceiving!

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