Google search tips

Yes, you know how to use Google already, but can you run a search without getting 3 million hits?  These tips will help you refine your search and access the best stuff out there.  This stuff is gold.

Evaluating a website

Anyone can add stuff to the web, so how do you know that it's trustworthy?  Try this checklist.

Evaluating a website – the 3 A’s  
More info on evaluating sites:  http://tinyurl.com/dy6lf52
As you know, anyone with a computer can publish on the web. So how do you know whether you can trust information online?  Is it credible? Here’s three quick things to look for.

1.  AUTHORITY
  • Author.  Who wrote it?  Did a real person sign the article?  Is there an organization? If you can’t find an author? Bad sign, but check everything else too.
  • Credentials.  Look for an “about us” link and check for credentials. Is the author qualified to write about this topic?  Does the organization have a strong reputation? (For instance, the CBC, Government of Canada, or National Geographic)  Is there contact information? This helps you know they’re legit.
2. ACCURACY
  • Currency.  Is the information up to date?  Look for a date on the article and an “updated” date somewhere at the bottom of the page. This can tell you currency of information as well as whether anyone cares enough about the page enough to keep it up to date.
  • Check links.  Are any of them broken?  Bad sign. No one cares to maintain the page.  The information could be out of date.
  • References.  Are factual claims backed up?  Look for references to other works, a works cited or a bibliography.
  • Mechanics.  It you finds tons of misspelled words, bad grammar—bad sign.
3.  ANGLE
  • Advertising.  Basically, are they trying to sell you something?  Literally, is the page cluttered with ads and pop-ups?
  • Bias.  More generally, what’s the author’s motivation?  Check for bias.  Does the information seem fair, balanced, objective and purely informative?  Or is the author trying to persuade you of something? For instance, you might not get unbiased information about mad cow disease from the Alberta Beef Association.
  • Domain. Look for that three letter “domain” in the URL (internet address):  It can, potentially, tell you a lot.  GOV, EDU, COM, ORG, NET   
    • .GOV  is a government body.  Probably trustworthy...
    • .EDU  is an educational institution.  Again, more likely to be trustworthy
    • .COM  it’s “commercial”, usually a business for profit.  May be trying to sell you something
    • .ORG  usually a non-profit org. Could be biased, could be educational
    • .NET could be anything.  Check it out.

Keyboard shortcuts

This is a handy list of keyboard shortcuts--basically, ways to do things faster on the computer.  There's instructions for both Mac and PC.

Writing an APA research paper

Technical and grammatical tips for writing a great APA research paper (i.e. Biology 11/12)

Copyright rules    

Is it legal for students or teachers to print, change, or perform copyrighted material? What are the rules & limits?
Some important changes for educators as a result of Bill C-11 Nov.2012
  • Works available on the Internet can be reproduced, sent over the internet and performed in public before students, provided it is for an educational purpose & provided it has been legitimately posted and there is no expressly worded prohibition stated on the site (just a copyright symbol is not enough to prevent such use). 
  • A legal copy of a video or DVD can be shown in public on the premises of an educational institution, for educational purposes, before an audience comprised primarily of students; this seems to remove the need to purchase public performance rights for classroom use. As was the case previously the video/DVD must be a legal copy or have been legally uploaded. 
  • Off air recordings of news or commentary can be shown to students for educational purposes, on the premises of the educational institution without having to be destroyed after one year or pay royalties.
  • New exception created: the "mashup" exception.
  • Technological Protection Measures (TPMs) or digital locks are expressly protected by Bill C-11 and it is illegal to circumvent them for any purpose.  
  • Expands fair dealing to include new categories of education and parody or satire.