Online Learning

Part 1

Read Between the Lines

Make a judgment about the site's reliability based on your own analysis of the site's and information it contains. Here are some ways to do this.

·        Look for facts you know or can check with a trusted source. If the site gets those facts right, it’s more likely that the other facts on the site are also accurate.

·        Study the language used, is it angry, satiric or overly impassioned? This may indicate that the site is biased.

·        Consider whether arguments are logical and backed up by evidence and whether the site presents only one point of view.

·        Check links to the sources that the author acknowledges. Scholarly writing, whether in print or online, should include a bibliography.

It's Online, but Is It On Target?

Part 3

Dot-What?
Look at the site's address. What follows the dot?

• Dot-com is not only for businesses; anyone can use it. Dot-coms include well known and respected companies but also private individuals.
• Dot-org usually indicates a not-for-profit organization.  Dot-com is not only for businesses; anyone can use it. Dot-coms include well-known and respected companies, but also private individuals.
• Dot-org usually indicates a not-for-profit organization. Many dot-orgs present unbiased information, but others have political agendas, focus on debatable issues instead of facts, and might not present all sides of an argument.
• Dot-gov indicates a government website at the federal, state, or local level. The federal government is a good source of statistics and its sites are widely considered among the most reliable.
• Dot-mil is used by sites that are part of the military.
• Dot-edu usually indicates a university website. While its published research is generally considered very trustworthy, anyone associated with the university, whether a world-renowned scholar or a freshman, can be given space on its server. Professors sometimes put student course work up on the web, but that doesn’t mean they’re vouching for the information’s accuracy

It's Online, but Is It On Target?

Part 1

Using the Web Wisely

Thanks to the Web, information is easy to find. However, it's also easy to post something online. Anyone can do it.

You've probably used the Internet to do research on a paper, to help you which product to buy, or to form an opinion about current events. Looking up information online is fast and convenient. But when you do online research, its important to find sites you can trust.

Many websites claim to be facts, but are full of errors. Others present information in a biased way - they only give one side on an argument. How can you tell a reliable source from an unreliable one? Also, it is critical that you post online only that which is decent and appropriate, never anything pornographic, vulgar, indecent, out of taste, untruthful, or obscene. Post those things that will make a good name for you and your organization, that will promote goodwill and be of benefit to the world.