Evaluating Search Results: Usefulness

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Evaluating Search Results Usefulness
Truthfulness

• Berea Middle School
• Mrs. Hunt-Barron
• ELA

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Review

• Web browser
• Search engine
• Boolean operator
• URL
• Search strategy

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Objectives

• Evaluate Search Results for Usefulness
  Truthfulness
• Evaluate Websites for Usefulness Truthfulness
• Use Plan B Strategies
• Refine Topic, Focus, and Research Questions
• Refine Keyword Searches

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What We Know

• How to develop a theme, topic, focus and research
  question
• Strategies to locate information

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Internet Research Process

• Question (develop good research questions)
• Locate Information
• Evaluate Information
• Usefulness (relevancy)
• Truthfulness (reliability)
• Synthesize Information
• Communicate Information

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Questions to Ask Yourself

• What do I want to know?
• What is my plan for finding out?
• Is this the information I need?
• Do I have enough information?

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Themes from Scorpions

• Coping w/siblings
• Part-time jobs
• Drugs alcohol
• Dealing with bullies
• Gangs
• Racism
• Managing Anger

• Gun violence
• Single-parent families
• Friendship
• Children being tried as adults
• Living in poverty
• Trouble at school
• Truancy

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From Theme to Research Questions

• Theme Gangs
• Topic Teens
• Focus Coping
• Questions
• 1. Why do teens get involved with gangs?
• 2. How are they dangerous to teens?
• 3. How can teens avoid getting involved with
  gangs?

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Questions to Ask Yourself

• What do I want to know?
• Why do teens get involved with gangs?
• How are they dangerous to teens?
• How can teens avoid getting involved with gangs?
• What is my plan for finding out?
• Topic focus search strategy
• Is this the information I need?
• What we will learn today
• Do I have enough information?

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Other Questions to Consider

• Who is my audience?
• What is my purpose
• To inform
• To persuade
• To entertain
• To express yourself
• What is my final format for the project

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Evaluating Search Engine Results

• Does this info meet my needs and interests?
• Use question to decide what to read
• When to read
• How fast to read
• When to stop reading
• Trick you want to make fairly quick decisions
  so that you dont waste time on irrelevant info
  BUT, not so hasty that you miss good info.

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What can you learn from search results?

• 1. Read the search result compare to
• your question? Will this help in
• answering that question? (example DNA)
• Title
• Description
• URL
• Category Links
• 2. Look at the domain names and
• URLs

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Analyzing the URL

• http//www.kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol
• Do you recognize the domain name?
• Trustworthy reputation?
• Do the path directory and file name contain words
  or parts of words related to your topic?

http// www.kidshealth.org teen drug_alcohol
Type of protocol Domain name or host Path to the file Name and type of file
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Evaluating the URL

• .edu (college or university)
• .gov (government agency)
• .net (network related)
• .com (commercial)
• .org (nonprofit and research organizations)
• .k12.sc.us (school district)
• Hosted by private individuals
• Look for the word users or members or
  people
• Check for a persons name
• Check for the use of a tilde () or a ()

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Example

• Worksheet
• Use Google
• Keyword Search
• Teens Gangs
• Complete the worksheet with a partner
• Rank the Search Results from 1 to 10
• Discussion