Fool your students and check their ability to identify bogus material. Below are a list of some of the more popular fake websites used by teachers. Each has some obvious clues that something isn't right: It may the URL, strange location, obviously incorrect facts, or even the topic itself. Using an evaluation tool will help students formulate questions to ask of each information source they encounter.
Evaluation Tools
Tools to Debunk False Information
- Google, or your preferred search engine: Do a simple search for the website. The top links are generally news articles about how the website or article is a hoax.
- ScamBusters.org: Urban Legends and Hoaxes Resource Center
- Snopes.com
Great Fakes
- Commerce
- Government
- History
- News (most are mature)
- Photography
- About.com Hoax Quiz
- The World Before Photoshop: Fake And Doctored Pictures Throughout History (not a hoax, but a great article related to altered photography throughout history)
- Science & Environment
Additional Reading
- Bradely, Phil. Fake websites or spoof websites. Examples of false sites to aid in evaluating internet resources, Phil Bradley's website, 2012.
- Kirchner, Lauren. Detecting Fake Photos with Digital Forensics, Columbia Journalism Review, March 23 2011.
- Titlow, John Paul. Disgruntled Canadian Developer Behind Internet Explorer IQ "Study" Hoax, ReadWriteWeb, August 3 2011.
