evaluate the reliability of one film and one website and explain how you would use them to teach the
evaluate the reliability of one film and one website and explain how you would use them to teach the
BEFORE BIDDING MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THE FILM REQUIRED.
When studying a topic, it is important to use reliable sources: sources you trust to provide accurate, unbiased information. In this assignment, you evaluate the reliability of one film and one website and explain how you would use them to teach the subject to a high school or college class.
1. Watch ONE of the following films:
A. “Conquest” (“Guns, Germs, and Steel” episode 2)
B. “Nightmare in Jamestown”
C. “Massacre at Mystic”
2. Read ONE of the following websites:
A. http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/trial/pocahontas/
B. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SALEM.HTM
C.http://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/africanpassageslowcountryadapt/overview
3. For each source (ONE film and ONE website), evaluate its reliability: can you trust what it is saying? Reliability consists of knowledge (do they know what they are talking about) and objectivity (lack of bias or motivation to shade the truth). The elements:
a. Who prepared it: For the film, look at the producer and writer. For the website, the author or authors. Are these people’s credentials given (degrees, experience, other expertise) enough to say they are experts?
b. Who sponsored it: For the film, look at the distributor. For the website, see if it is part of a larger website created by an organization. If so, does the organization’s mission indicate any bias? (The fact that it is a .edu site versus a .com or .org site doesn’t mean anything. It could be a freshman student’s project. The university is not sponsoring the material.)
c. What underlying sources were relied upon: the people who were interviewed, the documents (texts and pictures), the archaeological evidence (bones, bullets, etc.), any other sources such as books and articles. For people interviewed, are their credentials given, enough to concluded that they are experts? Also note if any consultants are listed in the credits and their credentials if given.
d. How recently the film or website was prepared and how recently updated. Newer is not always better but it does help. New research is being conducted all the time even on old events. In addition, new research and new ways of thinking help us understand aspects of historical events. For example, we used to focus on the experiences of rich white men. Now we try to study everyone. Don’t discuss the technological aspects here, just the content.
e. Signs of objectivity or bias (by makers and experts): Note the words used, whether both sides of an issue exist and are presented. For example, if the film or website deals with European-Native American interactions, does the film favor one side or the other or is it neutral? Support your answer with specifics from the film or website.
f. Professionalism: Are they of high quality? High quality does not mean the most technologically advanced but the film should not be of the cell phone variety and the website’s links should all work and the site should use proper English. Again, the film or website does not have to be cutting edge technologically (something can look great but provide made-up content), but it must look professional enough so that you don’t lose confidence in the material presented.
(DO NOT compare the material in the film or website to the textbook, anything else you have learned, or any other source. You are evaluating the source based on its own merits. DO NO RESEARCH.)
4. How would you use the film and website to explain Colonial America to a high school or college class? Be specific. You have one week to cover Colonial America and these are your only two sources (and the textbook for topics not discussed in the film and website). What themes would you focus on? What activities would you have the students engage in? Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the content of the film, website, and textbook in your lesson plan.
5. Minimum 900 words total: approximately 200 words on the film evaluation, 200 words on the website evaluation, and 500 words on the lesson plan — in that order. Maximum 1500 words total. Quotations are not included in the word count.
Work alone, without receiving help from anyone. If you have any quotations, use quotation marks, identify the speaker, and explain the quotation fully in your own words. If you quote from the film or the website or the textbook without using quotation marks and identifying who said it, that’s plagiarism, a form of cheating. Explain everything as if your reader (me) had not seen the film, website, or textbook: write as if explaining things to your mother, sister, or math professor. That way I’ll know that you know what you’re talking about. If you quote but don’t explain in your own words, I’ll have to assume you don’t understand the material.
Use complete sentences and paragraphs. Proofread your answers for correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and use of paragraphs before submitting. Submit as an attachment in one of the following formats: Word (.doc, or docx), Adobe (.pdf) or Read to File (.rtf).
