PLACING AN ORDER ONLINE

PLEASE FILL IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER AND SUBMIT

CLICK HERE

What's on in Powys?

Powys Events: visit the following websites and choose an event you would like to attend in the near future.

You can also use Google to find out more information on events taking place in Powys

NEWTOWN

WELSHPOOL

Once you have made a decision, fill in the following form and submit 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FORM

What's a website address? www.????.com

What's a URL

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is an Internet web address that connects your computer to an image, file, page, or program on the Internet. The URL contains specific protocol information (a standard procedure for regulating data transmission between computers) needed by the browser to read the item it is seeking. 

Capitalisation, punctuation, spelling, and spacing are all very important. The computer can not guess at your intent like a human postal carrier. 

Just like dialing a wrong number, a single error in the URL will misdirect your browser and cause a 'File not Found' error.

Can you describe the following components in a URL?

.edu 
.gov
.mil
.org
.net
.html
.jpg
.pdf
.doc
.mp3

What's the difference?

www.google.co.uk    www.yahoo.it    www.traveldreams.es   www.newtown.au

Wikipedia

Do you believe everything you read? How gullible are you? There are people who believe that we never walked on the moon and that the Holocaust never happened, so be careful when you read a web page. The truth is out there, but so is the lie.

Have you ever used Wikipedia?

In Wikipedia, verifiability means that anyone using the encyclopedia can check that the information comes from a reliable source. Wikipedia does not publish original research. Its content is determined by previously published information rather than the beliefs or experiences of its editors. Even if you're sure something is true, it must be verifiable before you can add it.^[1] When reliable sources disagree, maintain a neutral point of view and present what the various sources say, giving each side its due weight.

Wikipedia articles should be based on reliable, published sources, making sure that all majority and significant minority views that have appeared in those sources are covered (see Wikipedia:Neutral point of view). If no reliable sources can be found on a topic, Wikipedia should not have an article on it.

What You Should Know

School librarians often find themselves in the middle of the Wikipedia debate dealing with misconceptions and misuse of this information resource.

Let's explore a dozen things you should know about Wikipedia to prepare for this debate.

Five Pillars. It's important to understand purpose of Wikipedia. The fundamental principles that guide Wikipedia form Five Pillars. These include:

1. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia.
2. Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view.
3. Wikipedia is free content that anyone can edit, use, modify, and distribute.
4. Editors should interact with each other in a respectful and civil manner.
5. Wikipedia does not have firm rules.

Source: http://eduscapes.com/sessions/wikipedia/

Have some Fun: CLICK HERE Wikipedia will open in a new tab 

MISLEADING WEBSITES

Some websites were designed to be intentionally misleading. These websites may be parodies, satire, hoaxes, or designed to show students the importance of questioning information found on the web.

Can you spot a fake site? 

Use the following websites to explore the issue of Internet content. Some are real and some are fake or silly. How would you question EVERYTHING you read? Select one to use as an example.


Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie

Dehydrated water

Dog Island

The Fake Apollo Landings

Online Pregnancy Test

The Museum of Hoaxes

Pets or Food

EVALUATE A WEBSITE

We need to learn to evaluate the quality of information we find on the web as well as other information resources such as books, magazines, CD-ROM, and television. We should be skeptical of everything we find and compare and contrast different information resources considering the following ideas:

Authority. Who says? Know the author. 

• Who created this information and why? 

Objectivity. Is the information biased? Think about perspective. 

• Is the information objective or subjective? 

Authenticity. Is the information authentic? Know the source.

• Is the information from an established organisation?

Reliability. Is this information accurate? Consider the origin of the information. 

• Who is sponsoring this publication?

Timeliness. Is the information current? Consider the currency and timeliness of the information. 

Relevance. Is the information helpful? Think about whether you need this information.

SEARCHING THE WEB

You've probably heard of search engines such as Yahoo!, Google, and Bing. There are literally dozens of these tools to help you locate what you're looking for. 

Which one do you prefer?  Why?

Let's try all of them! Follow your tutor's instructions and use the following search engines