Validating Websites
easyWhois -Tells you who owns a website
WayBack Machine Drafts of past websites
Get REAL (Alan November, "Web Literacy for Educators")
1. Read the URL
•Do you recognize the domain name?
•What is the extension in the domain name?
•Are you on a personal page? (name, ~, %)
2. Examine the content
•Is the information on the website useful for your topic?
•Are additional resources and links provided? Do the links work?
•Is the site current? Do you know when it was last updated?
•Do you think the information is accurate?
•Does the information contradict information you have found elsewhere?
3. Ask about the author and owner
•Is the author's name on the site?
•Is there a contact person or e-mail address?
•Is there any information about the author?
•Does the author know the topic well? Is her or she an expert?
4. Look at the links
Forward Links-name given to a link from your website to a page on someone else's website
•What are the URLs of the forward links?
•Do the domain names change?
•Is the information biased?
Back Links-name given to a link from someone else's website to a page on your website
(in AltaVista link:web address) link:http://www.ikm-manning.k12.ia.us
•Who is linked to the web site?
•Why they are linked?
•What do other sites say about the information on the site?
Sites for students to validate
California Velcro Crop Under Challenge http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html
Dihydrogen Monoxide http://www.dhmo.org
Dog Island Free Forever http://www.thedogisland.com
Feline Reactions to Bearded Men http://improbable.com/airchives/classical/cat/cat.html
Martin Luther King http://www.martinlutherking.org
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus
Get Real Content Frame
Web Literacy Note Frame
WayBack Machine Drafts of past websites
Get REAL (Alan November, "Web Literacy for Educators")
1. Read the URL
•Do you recognize the domain name?
•What is the extension in the domain name?
•Are you on a personal page? (name, ~, %)
2. Examine the content
•Is the information on the website useful for your topic?
•Are additional resources and links provided? Do the links work?
•Is the site current? Do you know when it was last updated?
•Do you think the information is accurate?
•Does the information contradict information you have found elsewhere?
3. Ask about the author and owner
•Is the author's name on the site?
•Is there a contact person or e-mail address?
•Is there any information about the author?
•Does the author know the topic well? Is her or she an expert?
4. Look at the links
Forward Links-name given to a link from your website to a page on someone else's website
•What are the URLs of the forward links?
•Do the domain names change?
•Is the information biased?
Back Links-name given to a link from someone else's website to a page on your website
(in AltaVista link:web address) link:http://www.ikm-manning.k12.ia.us
•Who is linked to the web site?
•Why they are linked?
•What do other sites say about the information on the site?
Sites for students to validate
California Velcro Crop Under Challenge http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html
Dihydrogen Monoxide http://www.dhmo.org
Dog Island Free Forever http://www.thedogisland.com
Feline Reactions to Bearded Men http://improbable.com/airchives/classical/cat/cat.html
Martin Luther King http://www.martinlutherking.org
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus
Get Real Content Frame
Web Literacy Note Frame