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Where Exactly Am I?

Submitted by teachergwa on August 9, 2009 - 10:37pm
Summary: 

Students learn about how to decode a URL and that it is the address for locating a web page. They also learn how to begin evaluating a site based on the top level domain (e.g. .com, .org, or .edu), as well as a few other tricks for determining the quality of the site.

Objectives: 

After this lesson, students will

  • be able to state the function and purpose of a URL.
  • recognize that top level domains (URL "endings") are good clues to determine the purpose of a web site.
  • understand that evaluation for quality is their own responsibility when using a search engine.
Materials: 

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Preparation: 
  • Review lesson 4 PowerPoint presentation for content prior to lesson. (Note that the presentation may need to be adapted for your specific situation before use.)
  • Prepare copies of the Now You Try It! worksheet #4
Time Activity
5 min

Review

  • Review Lessons #2 & #3, using subscription databases, subject directories and search engines
10 min

Knowing Where You Are

  • Direct students to the lesson 4 student page
  • Where are you now? (School name)
  • How do you tell someone else? (School address)
  • A Web site has an address, too: Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
  • Tells the computer where the site is located.
30 min

Top-Level Domains

  • URLs can tell you a great deal about what is at a site
  • Assign students to one of the groups: North, South, East, or West. Have them click on the appropriate link on the student page and follow the instructions there to explore several web sites.
  • Have each group share out what they learned.
  • Top-level domains (.com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov) tell you what kind of person or organization runs the site:
    1. .com = commercial
    2. .org = organization (usually non-profit)
    3. .edu = educational institution (usually college)
    4. .gov = government agency
  • .edu and .gov are restricted; others are available to anyone who wants to use them
  • Personal web pages: the tilde (~)
  • What can you trust and why?
    1. www.amazon.com has good information about books. Why? (Better info will sell more books and keep more customers.)
    2. www.fi.edu (Franklin Institute) had to prove they were educational to get a ".edu" address
    3. www.nasa.gov (space program)
5 min

Brief Intro to Evaluation

  • Author and/or organization name
  • Date
  • Factual information
15 min

Now You Try It!

  • Student pairs do a Google search for their explorer and select 5 sites to read in more detail based on analysis of the URL and the site summary.
  • Choose two high-quality sites from your search and tell why you believe they will have useful and accurate information—use what you have learned in all of our lessons to support your choices.
10 min

Summary & Review

  • Review of all four lessons
  • Discussion of key points