What makes a website trustworthy?

https://youtu.be/fXFbQKz3anw-take notes

The Internet allows you to find any information that you want. However, just because it is online doesn’t mean its true. You must be a skeptic and ask: What is the point of view of this website? What are they trying to get me to believe? What opinions or ideas are missing? You should also investigate the source and ask: Who is publishing the information? Remember, a reliable source, like a university, tends to be more credible. Lastly, follow the rule of three—this means compare three sources of information before coming to a conclusion

Investigate the source: • Check the URL - what is the domain extension and what does it stand for?

Think of domain extension as a flag for a country. It helps group similar websites together. Some common domain extensions include .com and .org. For example, .com represents the word “commercial” (businesses like this extension). Countries also have domain extensions, like .co.uk (which refers to the UK). When searching for something online, make sure to check the website’s domain extension to see if the website’s source makes sense for your search – in other words, if you’re looking for educational sites, maybe you should put more weight on websites with .edu.

Who holds the copyrights?

When a person creates an original work that is fixed in a physical medium, he or she automatically owns copyright to the work. Copyright ownership gives the owner the exclusive right to use the work in certain, specific ways. Many types of works are eligible for copyright protection, including:

• Audiovisual works, such as TV shows, movies, and online videos
• Sound recordings and musical compositions
• Written works, such as lectures, articles, books, and musical compositions
• Visual works, such as paintings, posters, and advertisements
• Video games and computer software
• Dramatic works, such as plays and musicals

Ideas, facts, and processes are not subject to copyright. Names and titles are not, by themselves, subject to copyright protection. For more information about Copyrights, visit:
• http://www.youtube.com/yt/copyright/what-is-copyright.html
• http://www.teachingcopyright.org/curriculum/hs

What are they trying to get me to believe: What is the purpose of the site? Why was it created? Is the purpose clear? Is it to sell something, to inform, to explain, to persuade, to entertain, to share, etc.? What kind of a website is it? Is it a business website? Is it a personal website? Is it a news source?

What is the point of view of the site: What information is included? What information is missing from this website? What is the bias of the author? What ideas or opinions are missing? Is the information presented in a balanced way? Can you detect any ideas or opinions that are missing?

Other good questions to ask yourself: • Is there contact information that can be verified? • Are there any links or footnotes to other relevant and reliable sources? • Does the website use correct grammar, spelling and sentence structure? • Are graphs and/or charts clearly labeled? • Is the content current? • Are there dates that show when the site was created and updated?

Recognizing credibility is not cut and dry. The credibility of some web sources may be hard to determine, but the questions posed in this activity will help.

Use the above questions subjectively to determine credibility. These questions are not a checklist. Some credible websites will not meet all of the criteria, and other unreliable websites may include other suspicious indicators not listed. These questions are designed to be an opportunity for students to practice locating, identifying, and processing various kinds of information.

Once you have accessed your school Gmail account you will want to use it to start sending emails to teachers and fellow students. Follow the instructions in the video below to experiment with sending an email.

When using your school Gmail account please remember the following:

1. Your school email can only be used with contacts within our school district (teachers and students)

2. You should not treat your school email like a personal email account. Don't use it for anything inappropriate, making threats, foul language or inappropriate images. It is not a private email account, it is your school email account.