Authenticity Isn't Always Easy to Find

The first few group assignments that we completed in class were all meant to teach us how to search and use online resources in a responsible way.  Ever since Middle School, teachers have told us that finding a good source for research online can be difficult, but must be done.  These three small activities taught us the importance of a reliable website to use when finding information.  First, we did a Google a Day, then we defined Accuracy, Authenticity, and Reliability, and then we went to the ambiguous cite about the infamous Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.

                A Google a Day is an activity created by the company Google where they post a sets of questions that you are challenged to answer.   We answered three in class.  Google provides a research engine that you have to use to answer the questions, if you don’t know the answer.  Most questions are asking about something that you have never heard of, but sometimes you recognize something mentioned in the questions which can play to your advantage.  I thought that it was fun rummaging through websites as fast as we could trying to find the answer because it made finding an answer to a seemingly impossible question, in a brutally hot classroom, almost fun.  I found it very frustrating when we thought that we had found the correct answer, when in fact, it was incorrect and we had to start our search all over again.  I didn't know that Google had this program before or that Lily Collins was in The Blind Side, which I thought was a great movie.

  

Popsugar. “Do You Like Google’s Themed Logos?”  Picture image.  http://www.popsugar.com/tech/Do-You-Like-Google-Themed-Logos-3085353.  9/3/14.

                Today in class we were asked to define accuracy, authenticity, and reliability.  In my group we defined accuracy as being correct and true, authenticity as real and not copied, and reliability as dependable.  All three of these terms are very important when determining if a website is good or not to use when you are researching a topic.  If a website is accurate, authentic, and reliable, then it is the perfect source to use.  After talking about what makes up a good source, we then went to a website that is not trustworthy.  This website is about the Pacific NorthwestTree Octopus, and although the website seems credible and authentic and filled with detailed, it has completely false information.  The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus is a completely made up creature.  Since this website is false and therefore not reliable, it could not be used as a source in school.