Evaluating+Sources

As we explore Internet sites, we must keep in mind that web sites are created by human beings who have something to say, much as you have done on your wikis. What is posted may be based on well-researched facts, poorly researched facts, on personal opinions, or a combination. As we look at information from the web, we will learn to evaluate it according to certain criteria taken straight from the VA Standards of Learning.

As we evaluate the sites, we will deconstruct them, looking at the following attributes: ° **Authorship** (Who constructed the message?) ° **Format** (This is not just the medium being used but also how the creators used specific elements for effect, i.e., color, sound, emphasis on certain words, amateur video, children’s voices.) ° **Audience** (Who is the person or persons meant to receive the message? How will different people //interpret// the message?) ° **Content** (This is not just the visible content but the //embedded// content as well which includes underlying assumptions of values or points of view; facts and opinions may be intermixed.) ° **Purpose** (Why is the message being sent—is it meant to persuade, inform, entertain, sell, or a combination of these?)