- Grade Focus
- Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7
- Age Level
- 10, 11, 12
- Subject
- Literature
- Technology Integration Activity
- Webpage Creation
Last modified: 09/22/2008
Web of Deceit
Web of Deceit
Web Content Creation Rubric
Introduction
The Internet has created innovative ways for people to communicate, collaborate, socialize and share a variety of information and resources. It has changed the way we live, work and play. There are so many resources available to the user for creating free web sites. Once created, this information can be immediately posted for the world to read. This means anyone who can type could theoretically create a web page. Consequently a large amount of the information stored on the Internet may in fact be false, misleading, bias or contain hidden messages. There is no device in place that scrutinizes data posted to the net. Therefore it is important for the user to analyze web pages before accepting the information contained on it as factual. Students will examine web sites to research and analyze the effectiveness of information stored on a web page.
Prerequisite Experience
Students should be introduced to multi-tasking, word processing and on/off line research prior to beginning the assignment. Web page design using MS Word should be introduced as well. Students may view tutorials found on the Nortel LearniT web site to build/refresh their technology skills.Teacher Prep Time
- Review all web sites and the following Nortel LearniT tutorials:
- Web Content Creation: Microsoft and Open Office Tools: MS Word and Open Office (http://www31.nortel.com/popup.cgi?id=4807)
- Introduction to Web Design: Domain Names http://www31.nortel.com/popup.cgi?id=4807 and · Misinformation http://www31.nortel.com/popup.cgi?id=4807
Project
Students will use the Internet and selected web sites to research and analyze the accuracy of the information contained on the sites. Using the lessons learned, students will select a person and design and create a web site that describes the person's life past and present, and the contributions to the United States.Assessment/Grading
Teachers will assess ongoing learning through the individual incremental outputs on the project, the student's participation in group activities, and the Web Content Creation Rubric (see detailed table in Evaluation section)Time Management Tips
Students should use a viewing guide tip sheet to assist in evaluating web sites. Students should complete content before adding images and design to Web page(s).Lesson Plan Details
Engage
What does a cover tell you about a book?What does the author tell you about a web site?
How can you prove or disprove that information published on the Internet is factual?
The Internet is one of the most commonly used resources for obtaining a variety of services, participating in interactive collaboration sessions, and exploring a vast amount of information on a number of topics published by people around the world. Because the Internet is self-publishing, anyone, expert or amateur can publish a web site.
The Internet's greatest strength can also be its greatest weakness. It has been the source of bullying, morphing, and dispelling bias and propaganda by mean spirited people with the intent to hurt and destroy the character of unsuspecting victims. Intentionally publishing misleading information may be designed to sway one's thinking. It is important to have criteria in place when judging the credibility of information to ensure that it is based on fact rather than opinion. Web evaluation tools in addition to other sources such as electronic and offline encyclopedias, newspaper, magazines, etc. can be used to explore the reliability of the author and the information contained on the web page.
Using the viewing guide tip sheet, students will evaluate the credibility of selected web sites to determine if the information posted is accurate or if it contains misinformation. Using a second source, the students will replace the misleading information with factual information and provide the source from which it was obtained.
Explore
A computer with Internet Connection and a Word Processing program (preferably word) will be needed to complete this activity.Start by viewing the following videos on the Nortel LearniT site (http://www.NortelLearniT.org)
* Online Credibility http://www31.nortel.com/webcast.cgi?id=3182 (6:08)
* Misinformation http://www31.nortel.com/webcast.cgi?id=3182 (6:09)
* Web Content Creation: Microsoft Word http://www31.nortel.com/webcast.cgi?id=3182 (8:08)
Consider the following questions while viewing videos
1. What is the domain for the following:
a. Government sites?
b. Educational sites?
c. Nonprofit organizations?
2. What tips should be considered in helping to identify the possibility of bias, propaganda or misinformation on web sites?
3. What strategies can be used to determine that information is false?
4. Does bias really exist? Consider visiting the following:
Evidence of Bias?
Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
Explain
1. Review vocabularyo Bias
o Misinformation
o Propaganda
2. Discuss videos
o Domain Names
o Is the domain appropriate for the content?
· Government sites: look for .gov, .mil, .us, or other country code
· Educational sites: look for .edu
· Nonprofit organizations: look for .org
· If from a foreign country, look at the country code and read the page to be sure who published it.
o Online Credibility
* To help yourself from being misdirected use the following tips:
· Watch out for domain names (ie. .com, .org, etc)
· A ~ followed by a name is a personal site one person's opinion ~/johndoe/
· If the site uses comic or indecent language, it lacks reference to legitimate authority
· Always check the underlining pages or top level pages. Search the entire site
· Use proven sources outside the internet to cross reference information (magazines/encyclopedia)
· Visit web sites that post hoaxes
· Check domain names with a agency like register.com
· Investigate author of site or page
· Use link followed by URL in www.google.com to determine who links to the page.
o Microsoft Web page design
3. Guide students through the completion of read-write-think web site evaluation activity:
Web Site Evaluation Process http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=175&title=
4. Guide students through web site, discussions and verify information through research
Martin Luther King - http://www.martinlutherking.org/
5. Place students in groups.
6. Allow groups to select name from literary list for web page project.
Elaborate
Students should select from a stack of numbers 1-4 (repeating until all have a number).1. Students should select one number from the stack
2. Each group should have a 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the same color
3. The group should select one person from the Literary List
4. View the video Project 1 – Criteria for Websites http://www31.nortel.com/popup.cgi?id=47855. View the Microsoft Word http://www31.nortel.com/webcast.cgi?id=4807and Open Office: http://www31.nortel.com/popup.cgi?id=4808 Design videos. Use them as a guide to develop project.
6. Create web page incorporating the following
a. Clipart
b. Header
i. Picture
ii. Title
c. Navigation bar
i. Home
ii. Early Life
iii. Written Work
iv. Historical Significance
v. Contributions to the US
vi. Timeline of Life
d. Contact information
i. Team members
e. Contact link
i. Team members contact information (email address)
f. Link to home page
g. Footer
i. Copyright
ii. Email address
h. Accurate content
i. Provide two or more accurate sources to confirm information
i. Follow copyright guidelines http://www31.nortel.com/popup.cgi?id=3318 while creating site (Royalty free graphics or images that you have permission to use should be used in your presentation. If you can not find such graphics, you may draw them.)
j. Overall design, including color, graphics, and text should complement each other
k. All presentations will be shared and critiqued by class members.
l. Each group member must contribute one page to the completed web site. This page will be created using one of the items listed in the navigation bar. There are more topics than members. Be creative in developing a plan for completing all topics.
m. All pages must be linked to the home page and saved as html.
n. Edit work for grammatical errors, accurate content and good design before submitting final document for viewing.
Project Focus: Select one person from the list below. No group may select the same person. Research the
person to find the following information:
· Early life
· Written work
· Historical Significance
· Contributions to US
· Timeline of life
· Graphics
· Other (select a topic as result of research and readings)
Project Activity: Create a web page that contains accurate content and follows the guidelines for good web design and content. It should be appropriate for others to link to.
· Louisa May Alcott
· Maya Angelou
· Judy Blume
· Lewis Carroll
· Roald Dahl
· Ralph Ellison
· Nora Neale Hurston
· Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
· Beatrix Potter
· Shel Silverstein
· Mark Twain
· Laura Ingalls Wilder
Evaluate
| Web Content Creation Rubric | ||||
Score | Level 1 (D) | Level 2 (C) | Level 3 (B) | Level 4 (A) |
| Basic Components | ||||
| One of items exist | The content is clear and some of it works | The content is complete and all of it works | The content is well laid out, clear, comprehensive and all of it works |
| There is some form of navigation | The navigation has a consistent design | The navigation is consistent throughout | The navigation is designed well and consistent through all pages. |
| Body text is present but may not look great | Body of pages exists and is integrated well | Body content looks good | Body content looks great and may include additional implementation such as frames or additional tables |
| Good information design | ||||
| Navigation to some of the sub pages | Navigation to most/all of the sub pages works | Navigation to all relevant sub pages works as well as home | Navigation is intuitive, easy to use and works well |
| Architecture of site is not logical or comprehensive – it is not clear why pages are grouped the way they are – may be on screen or at the file level | Architecture of site is somewhat logical and comprehensive | Architecture of site is generally logical and comprehensive – files are generally well named, lower case, and organized into some appropriate folders | Architecture of site is logical and comprehensive – all files are well organized and grouped into logical folders – links are relative – site is portable – and on screen everything seems where it should be |
| Overall Design | ||||
| Unity | No real unity, but common elements are present | Some unity, but not very aesthetically pleasing | Could be more unified, but looks good | Beautiful work – you know from any page that you are on the same site |
Additional Graphical/Design Elements
| No additional graphics or design | One or two additional elements or design considerations | Some general use of design elements and mostly appropriately used | Excellent use of extra graphics to add to the visual appeal of the site |
| Font and color choices are not professional or aesthetically pleasing | Font and color choices are somewhat professional and aesthetically pleasing | Font and color choices are professional and aesthetically pleasing | Font and color choices are professional, consistent and aesthetically pleasing |
Technical elements
| Some links working, others not. Some parts of page will not load at all. | Some broken links. Images are working, but too large to load quickly. | Maybe one or two broken links, a little slow to load. | Perfect execution, no problems |
| Images missing. | Almost all images are in place – but some too large or some nor formatted well. | All images in place – a few might be not perfectly sized or clear but overall good. | All images in place, placed well are clear and add to the site. |
| Images, if they exist are too large. | Some images are appropriately sized for download. | Most images are appropriately sized for download. | All images are appropriately sized for download and may use links to larger images. |
| Few links are active and access the correct destination | Some links are active and access the correct destination | Most links are active and access the correct destination | All links are active and access the correct destination |
| (Optional) Overall use of Technology to Present | Use of technology to present a few simple ideas | Use of technology to present a variety of simple ideas | Use of technology to present ideas of some complexity | Use of technology to present complex ideas |
Extend
The Internet has revolutionized the world and how information is shared, You should not only be able to identify bias and propaganda on the Internet but understand why these biases are so prominent and the importance of researching data to confirm sources and the accuracy of the content.You should first comprehend data and examine for hidden messages and underlying assumptions. You should ask the question . . .
"Who is the author of this site and why would he/she want to sway one's thinking"?
It is important to share this information and have discussions with your parents and teachers to gain assistance in understanding why it is important for the author to get the reader to accept the data at face value.
Activity One
Students should use the web sites below, or a similar one of the teacher's selection, to determine accuracy of content and provide research to confirm or deny.
Students should use the web sites below, or a similar one of the teacher's selection, to determine accuracy of content and provide research to confirm or deny. Note: To open a web site in this list from the MS Word document version: highlight the url, right click, and select Open hyperlink.
- Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanies
- Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide
- Boilerplate: Mechanical Marvel of the 19th Century
- California's Velcro Crop Under Challenge
- Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division
- Feline Reactions to Bearded Men
- Golden Gate Tunnel (archive.org)
- Google Job Opportunities
- Google Technology
- History of the Fisher-Price Airplane
- OvaPrima Foundation
- Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
- Visit Exciting Fredericton
Activity Two
Design a new web page to correct the problems (if any were found)
*Students may use a variety of topics studied to create web pages for review, tutorials and study guides.