OPTIONAL - you have nothing due this well... get caught up... for those who are interested in a new topic, feel free to read through this and treat it as a resource. You might also start looking at next week's materials, as there are several videos to view.
Goals, overview. When bias is obvious, we can snicker and turn away. But what happens when it isn’t, and we keep reading or watching something because it seems reasonable in its presentation? We need special radar and special skills to deal with this situation. The goal of this activity is to consider the bias of web materials by becoming better able to understand who owns them and what bias they might bring to their presentation. In particular, you will look at the Martin Luther King site martinlutherking.org.Activities. Alan November has developed a presentation and Youtube video that explain how to use website sleuthing to understand some of the hidden biases of web material, focusing on the martinlutherking.org site as an example. Go to Alan’s materials. Read through them and follow the directions. Then watch Alan’s explanation on Youtube.
Next, go to these two sites site, and spend an hour or so reading through them:
Forum discussion question: Based on your activities this week, what kinds of things will you be looking for when you read or scan web materials? Respond to this question, as well as at least two other posts from colleagues. Discussion concludes over the weekend.
Post on your blog, using the heading “Web bias.” Post a minimum of 2-3 paragraphs about what you discovered about understanding the nature of bias and authenticity on the web. What are your “take-away” realizations as a result of this activity? As always, feel free to note any biases you suspect in the materials you used. Also, be vigilant about using visually differentiated text in your presentation.
* image from clipart.com, a paid subscription service
