A creature, mythical or real? Image from Wikipedia Commons
Which are the real websites and which are the hoaxes?
Task 1 – Visit each of the following sites and make a judgement about how credible or trustworthy the site is. Use the ‘2AO-Double D’ strategy (from Project Week 1) to guide you.
Set up a Google Doc table by editing the Credibility Template from Project 1. Add a column where you will record whether you think the site is a hoax or not with reasons why.
Website 1: http://www.modernplasztika.co.hu/audioful_eng.html
Website 2: http://www.dreamweaverstudios.com/moonbeam/moon.htm
Website 3: http://www.ovaprima.org/
Website 4: http://www.balancing-work-and-family.com/healthy-living-tips.html
Task 2 – Deciding whether a website is a hoax or not can be REALLY difficult. Which of the above sites did you find the most difficult to make a judgment on?
Check your answers here
Task 3 –Think about this: Although it is important to know whether a website is a hoax, isn’t it probably more important to question whether the information presented is accurate and credible? For example, site 1 looks the most real and believable, but it falls down when you check ‘D‘ (dependability of the information posted). The company and the ‘ear pointing’ procedure are not real, because their existence cannot be verified through other sources.
Task 4 – ‘Skim and scan’ through information on website 4. Find claims or statements made by the author that are questionable – you have a reason to think that are not true or inaccurate. Copy and paste those claims into the Testing Claims document. Highlight, comment, and illustrate, where you challenge the author’s information because it lacks credibility – in other words the information cannot be verified it is accurate (or you can prove its inaccurate). An example has been done for you in the document.
Task 5 – Create a hoax webpage of your choice. Purposefully break some of the “2AO-Double D” rules. Share your webpage with a parent, family member or friend. Explain the ‘’2AO-Double D’ strategy to them. Question them to see if they can identify where your website loses its credibility or trustworthiness.