Internet Research Workshop

BACKGROUND: Students have decided on a research topic for a short 2 page research paper and will be using the Internet for research for this paper. Unfortunately, it is often that students are not sure how to complete online research or determine if online resources are valid.

RESOURCES: Students will need a computer with internet access to complete this workshop.

TO START: You are being asked to do some background research regarding an island for dogs off the northwest Florida Gulf Coast. To start, do a Google search for "Dog Island." Your first internet resource for this topic is a website for thedogisland.com. This is exactly what we are looking for. Click through to that page and look around. There is a great deal of information here, with numerous links at the top of the page. Once you are familiar with the site, answer the questions below:

THE QUESTIONS:

  1. Describe DOG ISLAND. What happens there? What do dogs do there? (HOME page)
  2. What are some of the facilities offered for dogs at DOG ISLAND? Are there different islands for different types of dogs? Explain. (FACILITIES page)
  3. Describe the PHOTOS page of the website. Do the dogs looks happy? What are they doing?
  4. How do you get your dog accepted to stay at DOG ISLAND? (SEND YOUR DOG page)
  5. Once you send your dog to DOG ISLAND, can you visit your dog? Describe. (VISITS page)
  6. Would YOU send a dog to DOG ISLAND? Describe why or why not.

THE ANALYSIS: Now that you have answered some questions regarding DOG ISLAND, we will do some analysis. Answer the questions below regarding the website for DOG ISLAND.

  1. An important piece of website evalution is researching the author of a website to see if they are credible. Who is the author of the DOG ISLAND or the island website? Is there information regarding DIRECTIONS to the island if you wish to visit?
  2. When was the website created or last updated?
  3. There is a PRESS section for this website. Describe this page. Describe the PRESS links on this page.

YOUR CONCLUSIONS: You have spent some time analyzing and reviewing the website for DOG ISLAND, a dog paradise off the coast of Florida. DESCRIBE your findings regarding the information on this website. Is this how you felt when you originally began your research into DOG ISLAND? Describe.

CLASS DISCUSSION: As a class, we will discuss this workshop and the implications for your upcoming research paper.

SUBMISSION: Your charts all be created on the same GOOGLE SHEETS FILE, named as outlined above. The file should be in your FRESHMAN_TECH folder for grading.