Web Site Evaluation
When a teacher chooses a
book to use in their classroom, time is spent to evaluate if it is an
appropriate resource for the classroom.
In the same way, web sites
should be evaluated in order to determine the quality and effectiveness
of it as a resource for the class. This step is often overlooked and
in turn resources that are not appropriate or valid get put in front
of students as if it were a book or other learning tool. In the same
way, students themselves often choose web sites as resources for projects
that lack validity and authority. Web site evaluation is a crucial component
to what is called "information literacy."
There are web site evaluation
criteria that make it easy for both teachers and students to quickly
evaluate a particular web site and determine if it is or isn't an appropriate
resource. With the inundation of infinite information upon us we must
be able to use simple tools to quickly evaluate and rate the information
that is in front of us.
The three main critieria
that one must consider when looking at a web site, especially as a educational
resource, are:
Navigation and Usability
How easy a site is to use
is relative to the effectiveness of the page as a learning resource.
In order for a learner to use a site they must be able to navigate through
it easily and be able to locate the important and relevant information.
Authorship
Web sites should contain
clear information about the creator of the content. Is the person or
group publishing this information an authority on the subject or just
someone who posted their opinions on it? Many times the content and
site is designed in a way to make authors look more professional than
they really are.
Content Validity
Unlike paper books, anyone
can publish onto the web and have a mass audience to read their work
whether it is valid or not. If there is ever a question of the content
validity, refer to the URL of the site to see if it is a commercial
or an educational institution or organization(.com vs. .edu/.org), search
Google to see what else this person or group has published, and check
it against other resources and references. The student also needs to
think and evaluate if the information found is appropriate for the task
they are researching.
In addition to the three
criteria above, add questions that are specific to the content being
used with students:
- How is site contributing
to student learning?
- Can this content be
accessed anywhere else?
- What needs to created/instructed
for student to use this resource successfully?
- How will students access
this resource?
- How is the way the
information is being presented better than in other mediums?
The AT&T/UCLA
21st Century Literacies Homepage is full of lessons and ideas on
how to best prepare yourself and your students to be literate in this
brave new world of information overload.
Kathy
Schrock has developed an excellent resource list for sites and tools
to evaluate web pages.
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