Re: Internet Sources

["Danielle Nicole Devoss" <devossda@pilot.msu.edu>]

> Have you noticed (as I have--lately it seems) a rash of students
> downloading the first three (or five or ten...) things they get off
> of a yahoo (or other) search and using them as sources?  No matter
> how hard I try, I can't seem to convience people that the Web is far
> less trustworthy--I had a student base a whole argument on some
> information she got from Dixienet -- which turns out to be a front
> for the United Klans of America or some such organization....no bias
> there, right?

I've noticed the same thing -- and even fallen to the temptation myself.
Getting students to think critically in a realm where flashing images, wild
graphics, and garishness abound can be difficult.

We've created a "Web Site Evaluation" handout that we provide for students as
part of our "Research on the Web" presentation we do at the Michigan State
University Writing Center.  We broke the document into four (obviously)
interweaving sections:  author/credibility, reliability of information,
interface, and navigating the site.

Questions on the handout include:  who is the author or producer?  Is there a
way to contact the author or supply feedback?  Who is the expected audience?
Is a bibliography of print or web resources included?  Is the site conceptually
exciting?  Does it do more than can be done with print?  Are the individual web
pages concise, or do you have to scroll forever?  Do parts of it take too long
to load?  Are the links primarily internal or external?

We constructed the document last semester and have been workshopping it since.
I spoke with a professor earlier today who mentioned she had workshopped it
with her students while they were on-line and she said their responses to the
questions were fantastic.

If you'd like a copy of the document, please feel free to email me with your
mailing address or your fax number.


Danielle DeVoss
--
Teaching Assistant                                    Research Assistant
Technology Projects                                   Family Care Study
The Writing Center                                    B109 Clinical Center
300 Bessey Hall                                       East Lansing, MI  48823
East Lansing, MI  48824                               Michigan State University
Michigan State University                             (517) 353-3843 ext. 433
(517) 432-3610

                     http://pilot.msu.edu/user/devossda

                        eat rice have faith in women
                           what I dont know now
                            I can still learn

                              (Fran Winant)