Process - Step 3

Congratulations! You are all Licensed Internet Detectives now. So, this is it! It's your first big case!!! Here is your case --

Your team has been contacted to consult on a very high profile web site. The web address is www.martinlutherking.org. If this address cannot be found, use the Way Back Machine to view a historical record of the web site. Use the latest historical record available. A teacher at your school and the librarian are considering adding this web site to a list of references on the history of the civil rights movement. However, the principal is a little dubious about the web site. It is not quite what it appears to be. You must investigate and advise them whether to add the web site to the reference list and provide reasons why or why not.

The outcome of your consultation will be a PowerPoint presentation explaining the team's findings. One team member will design the PowerPoint presentation. A second team member will enter your detailed findings into your team's electronic detetective notebook. The third team member will be the discussion facilitator and will assist with creation of the presentation. The facilitator's job is to keep team members and the discussion on-topic and on-task. All team members are expected to contribute to the presentation content, including choosing a name for your team. Be sure to enter team member names and roles in your notebook.

Your PowerPoint presentation will consist of a minimum of 5 slides. Slide 1 includes the team name and a list of team members. Slide 2 contains the major findings in your electronic detective notebook about martinlutherking.org. Slide 3 lists the reasons why www.martinlutherking.org should be included on a civil rights reference list. Slide 4 lists the reasons why it should not be included. Slide 5 contains your conclusion based on the information in slides 2, 3, and 4 along with your recommendation for the school. You may add additional slides if you wish. However, your presentation may not exceed 8 slides in length.

Your electronic detective notebook should contain all of your findings and ideas. Be sure to enter your references if you use other web sites. For example, if you use www.whois.net, enter a notation in your notebook like: "According to whois, the owner of the web site, www.martinlutherking.com, is ___________." List names of Internet tools your team used to help answer the questions and what information you found with each tool.

Below are some investigative questions to help your team get started:

Who owns www.martinlutherking.org?

Does the web address suggest the type of organization martinlutherking.org might be?

Are all of the articles in the web site consistent with the theme of celebrating Martin Luther King and the achievements of the Civil Rights movement?

What are the links to and from the web site, if any?

How different has the web site appeared over time?

How many years has the web site been operational?

What is the hidden agenda or purpose of this web site, if any?

Good luck on your first case! (Please notify your teacher when you have solved the mystery of martinlutherking.org.)

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