INTRODUCTION

COURSE CODE: PRPCOM1

COURSE TITLE: Purposive Communication

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Purposive Communication is about writing, speaking, and presenting

to different audiences and for various purposes. (CMO 20 s2013)
Purposive Communication is a three-unit course that develops students ‘communicative
competence and enhances their cultural and intercultural awareness through multimodal tasks that
provide them opportunities for communicating effectively and appropriately to a multicultural audience
in a local and global context.
It equips students with tools for critical evaluation of a variety of texts and focuses on the power
of language and the impact of images to emphasize the importance of conveying messages
responsibly.
The knowledge, skills and insights that students gain from this course may be used in their
academic endeavors, their chosen disciplines, and their future careers as they compose and produce
relevant oral, written, audio-visual and/or web-based output for various purposes.

Learning Competencies:
1. Describe the nature, elements, and functions of verbal and non-verbal communication in
various and multicultural contexts
2. Explain how cultural and global issues affect communication
3. Determine culturally appropriate terms, expression, and images
4. Evaluate multimodal texts critically to enhance receptive (listening, reading, viewing) skills
5. Summarize the principles of academic text structure
6. Convey messages through oral, audio-visual, and/or web based presentations for different
target audiences in local and global settings using appropriate registers
7. Create clear, coherent, and effective communication materials
8. Present ideas persuasively using appropriate language registers, tone, facial expressions and
gestures
9. Write and present academic papers using appropriate tone, style, conventions, and reference
styles
10. Adopt cultural and intercultural awareness and sensitivity in communication of ideas
11. Appreciate the differences of the varieties of spoken and written language
12. Adopt awareness of audience and context in presenting ideas
13. Appreciate the impact of communication on society and the world

Course Requirements:
 Assessment Tasks
 Advocacy campaign on a topic related to their field of specialization

Course Content
Prelim Midterm Finals
Unit 1: Communication Unit 4: Local, Global and Unit 7: Communication
Processes, Principles, Global Communication for Work Purposes
and Ethics in Multicultural Settings Unit 8: Communication for
Unit 2: Communication and Academic Purposes
Globalization Unit 5: The Receptive Skills
Unit 3: Varieties and Unit 6: Communication Aids and
Registers of Spoken Strategies Using Tools of
and Written Language Technology

UNIT VI: COMMUNICATION AIDS AND STRATEGIES USING TOOLS OF TECHNOLOGY

Objectives:

At the end of the unit, you are expected to:

[Link] a topic following the strategies on effective oral presentation;
[Link] appropriate technology for specific communication contexts; and
[Link] websites based on a list of criteria

Lesson 1: Presentations as Modes of Communication

 The common mode we use in conveying our message or ideas is oral communication.
At school, you engage in numerous speaking activities such as oral presentations. As future
professionals, you must be skilled not only in writing but in presenting ideas orally as well. You need to
plan ahead to prepare your visual aids which include a power point presentation where you apply your
skills on computer technology.
According to Woolever (2007), engineers, scientists, and others who work in business and
industry frequently give presentations at business meetings, seminars, conferences, trade shows,
public hearings, and corporate training sessions.

Types of Presentations

[Link] presentations: explaining complex technology to a group unfamiliar with the

material. For example, a scientist might explain the effects of a new drug to a hospital staff or
to an interested lay audience.

[Link] presentations: describing action taken or project phases completed. For example,
an engineer might describe for the client steps taken in the first phase of an environmental
clean-up project.

[Link] presentations: persuading an audience of the value or safety

of a product, technology, or idea. For example, a marketing manager might need to convince
potential customers to trust—and then to purchase—a newly developed product.

Planning and Researching

When you plan your presentation, you have to consider major factors such as audience,
method of delivery (including the visual aids), and venue. All these will add dimensions to the planning
process. You can organize ideas about your presentation into a planning grid.

Organizing
The structure of an oral presentation can often follow a simple four-part plan:
 Introduction
 Body
 Closing
 Question and answer period

Introduction Strategy
Connect
The introduction is key to connecting with the audience and breaking the ice a bit. Think ahead
about ways you might get your audience's attention. Several questions might give you some ideas:
Why is your topic important to your listeners? How will it benefit them? What are your credentials to
explain the topic to them? How do your interests and theirs connect? Pro
viding answers to these questions at the beginning of your talk will put the audience at ease and
indicate to them that what you say is specifically relevant to them.

Set the Agenda

Explain to the audience at the outset what you're going to talk about and how you plan to
organize the discussion. If you have organized your talk into three sections, say so. If you plan to
cover several key points, predict them up front. Setting listener expectations in this way relaxes the
audience and gives them a sense that you know exactly where you're going and they can trust you to
take them there. You might also want to suggest at the beginning that you will take questions during
your talk, or that you will field questions and comments at the end of your presentation —or both.

Make Eye Contact

From the first moment, be sure you look directly at your listeners—all of them, not just one
section of the room. Speakers who make frequent eye contact with their audience exude confidence
and keep their listeners' attention much more easily. Try not to stare at your notes, raising your head
only occasionally to punctuate a point.

Presenting the Body

The "meat" of the presentation is the body—the middle section where you present your subject
matter in a clear fashion, where members of your audience are listening, not reading, and therefore do
not have the luxury of rereading or reflecting on the material at their own pace. You thus have to
present the information in ways that allow listeners to understand it without the benefit of studying it.
Here are a few guidelines for presenting the body of your talk effectively:

Emphasize Structure
 Keep listeners oriented to the organization of your material by using cues: first, second, third...
or next, finally ... or for example, in contrast, consequently..., and so forth. These transitional cues give
the audience a sense of direction and allow them to see more clearly how the points you make fit
together.

Summarize Frequently
Every time you shift topics or move to a new component of your presentation, help the listeners
follow you by summarizing briefly what you've just said, and predict what's coming next. For example,
you might say, "As you can see, then, the problems are threefold: cost, availability, and quality. The
next step isto find the best solution.. . ." These summaries act as mental checkpoints for the audience
and permit them to focus on your ideas in clear, concise units.

Use Visual Aids

Because people comprehend material in a variety of ways, it's important to provide visuals to
support the words you're speaking.

Relate Material to Audience's Needs

As is true with any effective communication, you need to continually illustrate why the
information you're presenting is useful for the specific listeners. The more you can tie your points to
something the audience is familiar with, the more interested they will be and the more they will
remember what you have to say.

Use Simple, Direct Language

Remember that the audience is not able to read and reflect on your subject, so you need to
use words they can understand quickly and easily. That doesn't mean you should besimplistic in your
language, but it does mean that you should use only terms that are concise and clear to the majority of
your listeners. Don't use 50-cent words when 25-cent ones will do.

Vary your Sentences

Just as in prose, variety lends drama and creates interest. Convey Your Interest.

Vary your tone and volume to show genuine interest in your material and your audience.

Pace Yourself
Slow down. Speak at a pace that allows your listeners to follow your points without the
frustration of trying to keep up with you. (It's the rare speaker that moves through a presentation too
slowly, but check yourself to make sure you create an effective balance in your delivery between too
slow and too fast.) This is one aspect of your talk where practice is essential. If you can practice in
front of a trial audience, so much the better.

Closing Techniques
The closing is the point in your presentation where you have a chance to leave a lasting
impression. Debate teams are always given the advice to save their "zingers" for the end because that
will impress the audience (and the judges) most. In oral presentations given at companies or
conferences, the technique still works. If you want to improve your chances for memorable closings,
follow these guidelines:

Restate the Main Points

Although summarizing your main points once again may seem redundant to you, it may not
seem so to your audience. This is the only time you have to focus all of your information for t
he audience in a way that they can comprehend easily. The earlier summaries you have included in
the body of your talk have been only partial.
Outline a plan for the next step. How should the audience use the information you've given
them? Answering this question emphasizes the usefulness of your material, and it also gives your
listeners a sense of direction. They are more likely to remember and act on your ideas if you have
suggested ways to do so.

End Strongly and Positively

Finish your presentation with enthusiasm for your material and a strong final statement of its
benefits. Be natural; if you suddenly change your tone to blatant marketing language, the audience will
feel manipulated. Let the strength of the rest of your presentation work for you here. End firmly and
positively without the need for a sales pitch.

Handling the Question and Answer Period

After you have finished your presentation, it is customary to ask if the audience
has any questions. You may have fielded questions earlier in your talk, but it helps to save some time
at the end for people to respond to the entire presentation. If no one has questions, then a simple
"thank you" will serve as a nice ending. But if there are questions, you need to know how to handle
them.

Take Questions from a Variety of People. Don't focus on just one questioner and devote
most of your time there. Let as many people as possible speak.

Indicate When You Don't Know the Answers

If you are asked a question you can't answer, avoid the temptation to fudge a
reply. Instead, simply say that you don't know and turn the question back to the audience. Perhaps
someone else will be able to supply the answer. You may want to
indicate how the questioners can find out the information. Point them in the right
direction. If you can reasonably do so, commit to getting an answer for a questioner at
a later time (and keep the commitment).

Remain Even-Tempered
Occasionally, you may find audience members responding to you with hostility
or goading you to react emotionally. Don't rise to the bait. You will be more impressive if
you keep your cool and answer such hecklers with calmness rather than anger.
Sometimes humor at your own expense deflects such disruptive comments, but be
careful not to direct any humorous remarks at the questioner. Doing so may be interpreted as making
fun of the person.

End the Question Period Appropriately

Keep in mind that some people like to ask a lot of questions. You need to watch
the clock and not let the question period drift to the point where the majority of listeners
become restless. You may be cutting into the time of the next speaker, or into the busy
schedule of your audience who need to get off to their respective activities.

Designing Visuals

Types of Visual Aids

There are two types of visuals used to supplement speeches and presentations:
text visuals and graphic visuals. Good presentations contain a combination of both,
and simplicity is the key to designing them effectively.

1. Text Visuals
Text visuals consist of words or phrases that help the audience follow the flow of ideas. They
can summarize or preview major points or signal major shifts in thought. Many presentations begin
with text visuals. Typically, the first is the equivalent of a title page: it announces the subject and the
speaker. The second lists the three or four major points that will be covered, providing a road map of
what's to come. The remaining ones emphasize the transitions between the main points—somewhat
like the headings in a written report. As a rule, your text visuals will be most effective when they
contain no more than six lines with a maximum of six words per line. Type them in large, clear type,
using uppercase and lowercase
letters (not all uppercase) with extra white space between the lines of type.

2. Graphic Visuals
You can use a variety of graphic visuals in an oral presentation the same way
you use graphics in a written document: from line, pie, bar, and organization charts to
diagrams, maps, drawings, tables, and flowcharts. However, make sure the graphics
you use for your talk are simplified versions of those that appear in written work.
Eliminate anything that is not absolutely essential, because the audience needs to
focus on the main point of the visual, not the decorative or explanatory material. As in
written documents, always label graphics with clear captions, but keep those simple,
too.

Guidelines for Preparing PowerPoint Presentations

Worthington and Jefferson (2018) gave the following guidelines for use with presentation
software such as PowerPoint:
◾Select landscape layout for your slides. It gives you longer lines for your text.
◾Give each slide a title or heading.
◾Select a font that the audience can easily read from a distance, such as Times New Roman
Bold or Arial Black.
◾Use serif fonts to improve readability. Because sans serif fonts present a cleaner, crisper
image, use these fonts for titles of slides.
◾Choose a font size that is readable and that suggests the importance of elements on the slide.
 Generally, these sizes are appropriate:

• Titles: 24–36 points

• Other text: 18–24 points
• Source notes: 14–16 points

◾Capitalize the first letter of important words in titles of slides. Words that are in all uppercase
letters are difficult to read.
◾ In bulleted lists, capitalize only the initial letter of the first word (and, of course, proper nouns
and proper adjectives).
◾Use the Notes section as a reminder of your next point; specific facts, figures, or quotations;
cues when someone else will be advancing the slide; or reminders such as “Make eye
contact.”
◾If you have clip art or an image that supports the text on a slide, place it in the lower right
corner.
◾ Keep slides simple and uncluttered. Use phrases and keywords and limit the number of lines
on a slide to six or fewer.
◾If you use transition effects between slides, make the effect meaningful.
◾ On your speaker’s notes pages, number the slides so you can quickly move to a particular
slide when someone asks a question.
◾Do not preset timings in your slides. If you advance the slides manually, you can pace
yourself.

Web Based Presentations

Online presentation software is a cloud-based platform where you can login and create
presentations in the cloud. Unlike PowerPoint and other desktop application, there is no download
required and you work on your presentations right online.

Benefits
Because online presentation software is in the cloud, and an advanced digital technology,
there are many benefits over traditional desktop presentation software:

Unlimited file sizes. There are no storage issues in the cloud. This means you can make a
presentation as large as you’d like with videos, high resolution images, infographics, GIFs and more. If
you’ve ever created a massive PowerPoint deck, gone to save it and had the whole thing crash, you
know what a huge benefit this is. Not to mention the ability to use as much rich multimedia as you
want, to make your presentation more visual and appealing to audiences.

Easy sharing. Because you‘re building your presentation online, you‘re also storing it online, meaning
you don‘t have to send a huge PDF or zip drive file. You can simply send a link when your
presentation is ready to be viewed. Not only is this easy for you to do, but it‘s easy for the recipient to
click on it and instantly view your presentation.
Analytics. As with anything stored in the cloud, online software allows you to see advanced analytics
so you can view when your presentation has been viewed, for how long and on what slides. You also
can receive real-time notifications to know when someone has clicked on your URL to view your
presentation.

Jones, (2020) summarized the software for different online presentation as follows:

Which presentation software works best for...

Presentation Best For... Advantages Disadvantages

Software
PowerPoint, Google Presentation slides Most familiar Oversimplifies a topic,
Slides and KeyNote both in person and format with and limits
(Mac use only) online user and preparation. Key Note
audience, is only for Mac
templates, devices.
embed media

[Link] Quick and easy Templates, Limited amount of

presentation slide library of background
 development images, templates for free
adaptive account
layout design,
can download
to a pdf

Prezi Alternative to Present on Can only use

standard slideshow multiple templates, can cause
due to non-linear and
zooming a dizzy effect with motion
feature, devices, shareable, and zooming
presentation in templates, of slides
person and online embed media

Canva Presentations, Easy to use, Can be time

banners and many custom consuming to design

posters, design

inforgraphics, cards elements

Genially Interactive Easy to use, Best for online

presentations, visual can create presenting because

media, infographics custom media of interactive features

to embed in

websites or

blogs

Adobe Spark Social graphics, Easy to use, Best for online

web pages, videos, web and presenting, video

interactive stories mobile creation limit of 30

seconds

Pikto chart Infographics Easy to use, Can be time

many custom consuming to design

design

elements

HOW TO KEEP YOUR AUDIENCE ENGAGED DURING AN ONLINE PRESENTATION?

When you are presenting online, maintaining your audience ‘s attention presents a unique set
of challenges. What often works in in-person presentations – FASTER, BIGGER, LOUDER! – doesn‘t
always translates to a virtual audience where the name of the game is Engagement.

Understanding how to keep your audience engaged, and working with the challenges of the
medium and the technology, requires some strategic but necessary adjustments in the design and
delivery of your online presentation. Be sure to find the right conference app as well.
Here are ways to ensure your audience keeps their eyes on your web presentation according to
Hansen (2016).

1. Increase your visibility.

The easiest and most effective way to increase your visibility is to use a webcam. If you‘re one of
those camera shy individuals, at least have a simple slide with your photo and credentials on it which
you can show when you open and close, as well as during Q&A. The more you can make yourself
visible -- and not just a disembodied voice -- the more engaged your audience will be.

2. Leverage your voice.

When you remove the physical component from your presentation, your voice carries a much larger
load. A monotone, unclear or hard-to-hear voice is magnified in the virtual world. As your primary
communication tool, you need to make sure you are in your best possible voice.

Start by recording yourself and analyzing your strengths and weaknesses, then get to work. There is
plenty of advice online about how to improve various vocal issues. At the least, do some simple warm-
ups before your presentation. Just like a great vocal artist, your money is where your mouth is, so
don‘t treat it lightly.

3. Embrace the pause.

Under the cover of invisibility, online audiences can be a very passive lot. As a result, presenters have
a tendency to go into long monologues that only further discourage participation and encourage tune-
out. Make friends with the pause.

It can be a great tool for giving your audience a chance to process what you‘ve said, ask a question, or
make a comment. There are other strategic uses for the pause as well. A pause before revealing
something important can build anticipation, while one at the end of a sentence can reinforce a key
point.

4. Start on time.

Between connectivity and log-on issues, arrival times are rarely consistent among audience members.
As the host, how do you avoid frustrating the people who are on time without penalizing the
latecomers?

It is suggested that you have two openings. The first opening is a ―soft‖ opening, designed to get
your audience engaged without revealing too much.

For example, a poll that your on-time audience can answer which leads into your topic. Whatever your
soft opening is, make sure that it is a) interesting, b) relevant and c) not vital to your audience‘s
understanding of the topic.

The second opening is your hard opening, reserved for when everyone is in attendance. This double
opening is a bit more work, but pays off big by keeping everyone happy.

5. Plan interaction.

In order to keep your audience engaged, you need to build some interaction into your presentation.
With the average focused attention span of humans hovering around five minutes, sporadic attempts
at interaction are not going to cut it.

Get your audience interacting before they hit the attention free fall by planning some form of
interaction every 4 to 5 minutes. This can take many forms, like a question, a poll, or a white-boarding
session.

Whatever you choose, just make sure you plan and prepare ahead of time so interaction doesn‘t fall
by the wayside with everything else you have to keep track of.

6. Visually reinforce key points.

You can get away with using fewer slides during an in-person presentation because it‘s easier to
gauge your audience‘s comprehension by their expressions or body language.

Places where you would naturally stop often get overlooked as on-line presenters mistake audience
silence for understanding.

To make sure you don‘t leave your audience in the dust of confusion, prepare a summary slide with
key points covered after each section and stop to recap and take questions.

7. Create word pictures.

In a virtual presentation, your words have to work even harder than in a live presentation. Think about
creating pictures with your words.

For instance, when describing something, use words that engage the senses.

(e.g., “it looks like a sunset” or “it feels like a piece of crushed velvet.“) Be specific and avoid broad
generalities. (e.g., “it weighs 510 pounds” as opposed to “it‘s really big.”)

Use personal stories or interesting comparisons. Listen to how your favorite podcasters use their voice
and descriptive words to draw you in.

8. Simplify your slides.

Have you ever decided not to watch a movie on that little airplane screen because it would be too hard
to follow? The same holds true for a web presentation.

Since you have no idea what size screen your audience is viewing your presentation on (or what their
connection is like), design your slides to work well on a smaller screen. Small screens can multiply
already busy graphics. Animations can appear jerky or out of sync with your talk track.

Keep your graphics simple and crisp and limit your animations to simple fades and transitions and you
can avoid alienating any audience members.

9. Use purposeful movement.

There is an area of the brain called the limbic system that is highly sensitive to movement. Purposeful
movement, i.e., changing slides or using your web tools to guide your audience‘s eyes to different
areas on screen works in your favor. Random or chaotic movement, i.e., jerky animations, a racing
mouse, or rapid transitions work against you. Wield the power of movement purposefully and wisely.

10. End the presentation on time.

While this applies to in-person presentations as well, ending on time plays even greater importance in
a web presentation where it‘s easy for people to drop off or tune out. Make it very clear upfront that
you plan to stop at a specific time. When that designated time arrives, deliver your closing and take
any additional questions off-line or schedule another call.

Keeping your virtual audience engaged is no small task. Understanding where and how you are at risk
for tune out and making some adjustments in your presentation will help you achieve your goal and
keep you from talking to yourself.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why should we consider the technology we have to use in presentations?

2. How important is the introduction of your presentation?

3. How can you maintain your audience ‘attention in face to face presentation and online presentation?

Lesson 2: Using Technology to Communicate

We are on the fourth industrial revolution and technology has altered the way we work, live and
relate with one another. As digital learners, you have been exposed to various modes of
communication technologies. The cellular phone allows you to talk to someone, to send and receive e-
mail, to surf the internet and even to download music, videos or movies. Smart phones also allow
online banking and remote control of computers and other devices at work and at home.
 The issue of communicating using technology is one you should be very familiar with by now.
One area of communication that is common to us is communicating with people from around the word.
The Internet, often called the Net, is a system of computer networks that links computers from around
the world in one large network. Internet users can send email messages, chat with one another, post
and read messages on electronic bulletin boards, and gain access to databases and websites in
almost any place in the world.

Instant messaging, or “chat,” is real-time communication via the Internet. Instant messaging can be
used for chat rooms, but it can also allow two people to communicate with one another over the
internet or an online service.

Electronic commerce

One way that technology is transforming the way we communicate with each other around the
world is with the advent of electronic commerce. Electronic commerce (E-commerce) is buying and
selling merchandise and services over the Internet. Many retail establishments have set up websites
to advertise their goods and services and to allow consumers to order these items from the comfort of
their own homes.

Managed Travel

The Internet is a valuable tool for travelers who need to schedule trips and to book
reservations. Instead of relying on travel agents, you can get on the web, use an online booking agent,
and book a plane trip, set up hotel reservations, and reserve a rental car. You can also make
restaurant reservations in larger cities. Similarly, the Internet enables you to order tickets for music
concerts, amusement parks, and sporting events. Before you leave for your trip, you can use the
Internet to research your destination and even create a map of each of the cities you will be visiting.

Technology and Group Communication

Group communication is a key component of any organization. Often it is done by conducting

on-site meetings with project teams, staff members and other groups. But technology has changed the
way group communication occurs. Now, we have software that enables multiple users to access the
same document at the same time and mark it for edits or other changes. You can also use group-
based project-management software to send project assignments to team members, then track the
assignments through completion.

Group or Collaborative Tools

Asynchronous Communication

Asynchronous means sending the communication at one time and the receivers retrieve or
access it at their convenience. Email is an example of an asynchronous communication.

Synchronous Communication

Synchronous communication means at the same time, or real-time. In synchronous distance

education, teachers and learners are connected at the same time and communicate in real time. This
is much like going to class where the teacher and students are physically present.

Teleconferencing

A teleconference is where the participants are at two or more locations and can participate in a
conference without traveling; it is a form of synchronous communication. Teleconference can be an
audioconference or a videoconference. In addition to businesses, medical facilities are using
teleconferencing nowadays.

Teleworking

We are beginning to witness another transformation of the workplace. In the pre-industrial era,
workers lived mostly in isolation. The industrial era brought people together into cities and factories to
work in a structured environment. The information age is returning workers to their homes where they
are physically isolated, yet connected via modern technology to the virtual office.

Within this decade, it is predicted that many changes will occur regarding who is using
technology to get their jobs done. Technology will permeate almost every business practice and drive
enormous strategic and practical progress. Gone will be most secretarial and administrative jobs. Also,
managers will have to focus on measuring efficiency and productivity rather than on tracking a group
of employees and tasks.

Telework means using telecommunications to work wherever you need to in order to satisfy
client needs. This could mean from a home office, a telework center, a satellite office, a client‘s office,
an airport lounge, a hotel room, the local Starbucks, or from your office to a colleague ten floors below
the same building
The Digital Workplace

The digital workplace is widely acknowledged for optimizing workers‘ productivity. The digital
workplace breaks down barriers between people, information, and processes, thereby enabling
workers to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively.

Software Tools Service Provided Workplace Solutions

Business Applications Provides employees Human Resources
access to online Customer Relationship
applications Management
Enterprise Resource
Planning
Help desk
Accounting & Payroll
 Contract Management
Messaging Provides inexpensive and  Instant messaging
fast way to communicate  Mobile messaging
 E-mail
 Blogging
 E-mail Marketing
Communication Provides effective  Portals and Intranet
information sharing  Chat-based
communication
 Video conferencing
 Voice over IP (VOIP)
 Helpdesk
Productivity Reduces time and  Word processing
increase efficiency of  Presentation software
employees  Spreadsheet
 Document management
 Backup storage
 Employee time tracking
 Survey and campaign
monitoring
Collaboration Provides effective Teamwork
collaboration between  Online meeting
employees and customers  Team rooms
 Web conferencing
 File sharing
Workplace Mobility Provides employees Mobile and smart phone
access to tools away from  Laptop and tablet
the office  Home office

Evaluating Websites

Undoubtedly, when you are asked to present in class or in the workplace, you use the internet
as your source of information. With the abundance of information available, you must be discriminating
in your information search. You must examine the reliability of the information you are searching.
Here ‘s a sample comparison of two websites that you may consider.

Title of web page you are Title of web page you are
evaluating: evaluating:
World Factbook-Turkey World Factbook-Turkey
1. Look at the URL:
Personal page or site? U.S. Government Site Travel Site
What type of domain is it? Is it ____.com __X_.com
appropriate for the content? ____.org/.net ____.org/.net
__X_. gov/mil ____. gov/mil

other ____other

Who is the publisher? Does the Publisher or Domain Name: Publisher or Domain Name:
U.S. Central Intelligence
publisher make sense? Does it Agency [Link]—makes
correspond to the name of the (CIA)—makes sense sense
site?
2. Scan the page
Who wrote the page? ______name: CIA staff ____Name: no author listed
______email: ____E-mail:

Is there a date? Date: May 2017 Date: _____

Is it current or old? Current enough? Yes Current enough? _______
Credentials on this Evidence? Evidence?
3. Look for these
indicators of quality
Little documentation on
Are sources well-documented? Good documentation sources
Is the information complete? Seems complete, thorough General information with less
detail. No negative
Is it altered or made up? information.
Links to other Factbook
Are there links to other sources, Links to hotels, car rental,
sources? Do they work? Not other sites tourism sites

Are other viewpoints included? Mostly information, facts Seems like only positive
Is the information biased? information and viewpoints
4. What do others say
about the site?
Who links to this site? Many or few? Many links Many or few? Some
Opinions of it? Seem favorable Opinions of it? No negative
opinions found
Look up the author on a search N/A N/A
engine
5. Does it all add up?
Why was this page put out on ___X_Inform (facts, data) __X_ Inform (facts, data)

Web Page Information—Evaluation

Thinking about the site:

• Who is responsible for the information on the website?

• When was the site last updated?
• When was the information on the site last written?
• Does the information seem current or out or date?
• Has it won any awards? (Is there a link that gives information about the award?)

Thinking about the author of the site:

• Who is the author of the information on this site?

• What information can you find out about the author?
• Does the author seem to have the authority or knowledge to write about this topic?
• Does the site provide a section with information on the author or organization that published the site?

Thinking about the audience for the site:

• Does the site seem to have a specific audience?

• Does the site have advertisements? If so, what kind?
• If there are advertisements, do they tell you something about the intended audience for the site?

Thinking about information found on the site:

• Has the information been published someplace other than the Internet?
• Is the information clear and easy to understand?

• If the information is controversial, is more than one point of view presented?

• Can you tell what information on the site is factual and what is opinion?
• Is quoted information clearly identified and properly cited?

Overall, this site:

__________Would help me a lot with my assignment

__________Links me to other sites that are helpful
__________Looks helpful but the information is too technical or hard to understand
__________Is more an advertisement than information I can use
__________Seems to be just one person‘s or group‘s opinion or may not be reliable

Questions for Discussion

1. With the availability of information in the internet, how would you evaluate the reliability of
information?
2. Which among the collaborative tools do you consider very useful?
3. Do you believe that a digital workplace is effective?

ASSESSMENT 1

You have been set the task to speak about the history of space exploration, including key
individuals and major historic events. Write a short introduction to the topic using the prompts below to
organize your thoughts.

1. Refer to a local event or a recent event in the news

2. Tell a personal story

3. Read a quote

4. Ask a question

5. Refer to something that just happened in class

ASSESSMENT 2

Assume that you need to make travel arrangements for your supervisor. She will be travelling
to South Korea for a sales convention. Using the Internet, find at least three options for air travel, hotel
reservations, and car rental. Remember that you want to be frugal but not cheap. Prepare the
information in a table.

Air Travel Hotel Reservations Car Rental

Airline Price Hotel Price Company Price