1. Exploring and Evaluating
Online Resources
Monique Flaccavento
OISE Library
monique.flaccavento@utoronto.ca

2. By the end of today’s session, you will
have:
Strategies to help your students evaluate
websites
Strategies to help your students improve
their Google searches
An awareness of student-friendly
resources beyond Google
Outcomes

3.  Evaluating Websites
 Improving Google Searches
 Alternatives to Google
 OnlineResources Available Through
Knowledge Ontario / School Board
Library Sites
Agenda

4. What are some of the
issues / challenges your
students will face when
searching the internet?
Discussion

5. Issues students face in searching:
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6. A search for
Immigrants Toronto
in Google…

7. …yields over 14.5 million results!

8. How could a student be tricked into
thinking that these sites are real?
Tree Octopus
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
Martin Luther King
http://www.martinlutherking.org/
Evaluation of Websites

9. pp. 31-32
Tools for Evaluating Websites
http://go.utlib.ca/cat/5993033

11. Improving Google Searches

12. - (to exclude)
“ ” (phrase search)
OR
google site:.edu
* (Obama voted * on the * bill)
Improving Google Searches

13. http://www.askkids.com/

14. http://kids.yahoo.com/

15. http://quinturakids.com/

16. http://www.quintura.com/

17. http://www.yippy.com/

18. http://www.dmoz.org/Kids_and_Teens/

19. What makes this search engine
better / worse than Google (for
your students)?
Be prepared to share your findings
with the class.
Activity

20.  http://www.askkids.com/
 http://kids.yahoo.com/
 http://yippy.com/
 http://www.quintura.com/
 http://www.dmoz.org/Kids_and_Teens/
Activity

21. Internet Licensed Resources
 No editor or  Professionally created
gatekeeper (not / edited
filtered)  Materials carefully
 Sponsored hits / selected (censorship;
quality control)
advertising
 Current /
 No censorship (no continuously updated
criteria – anyone can  Indexed with Subject
post anything) Headings
Free Internet vs. Licensed
Resources

22. What are KO Licensed Databases?

23. http://eresources.knowledgeontario.ca

24. http://www.tdsb.on.ca/libraries/cat.a
sp?schoolNo=9

25. Licensed Databases

26. The importance of…
 Formulating a clear research question /
topic (pages 12 – 16 of Research Success
@ Your Library)
 Selecting the “right” keywords and
synonyms (see pages 10 & 11 of Research
Success @ Your Library)
Other things to Consider…

27.  Creating effective search strategies
(pages 21 & 22 of Research Success @
Your Library)
Other things to Consider…

28. Monique Flaccavento
monique.flaccavento@utoronto.ca
416-978-1867
Or
askeloise@utoronto.ca
Questions? Contact us!
We’re here to help!

29. These slides are available online