When I started the position as Technology Specialist at my school I thought I knew everything there was to know about finding the right websites for my classes. Boy did I have a lot to learn. While doing the research for this blog entry I discovered many methods of research with differing criteria. Some of what I found I was already familiar with and some I was not, yet happy to find.
I found a great site for explaining a most interesting method… the old stand by, who, what, when, where and why. It never occurred to me to apply this method to the internet; at least not all 5www’s and not in this particular way. Some of what I have written about this are my words and some came from this site I found.
Who wrote/published the information on the site? Who is the author and can he/she be contacted? Does the author have good credentials and is any sponsor credible?
What information and resources does the site provide? This is all about the content. What is the purpose of the site and does it realize that purpose? Is there bias in the writing and is it accurate? There is so much more
When the site was created /last updated? Where does the site live? Why should I use this site? Here is the url for this site. It has a ton of interesting information and looks valid to me.
http://www.classzone.com/books/research_guide/page_build.cfm?content=web_eval&state=none
Here is another site I found very helpful. It is a Google directory for website evaluation including a number of hoax sites to be aware of.
http://www.google.com/Top/Reference/Education/Instructional_Technology/Evaluation/Web_Site_Evaluation/
Wikipedia is a good example of a web site that has a bad reputation for inaccuracy as visitors are allowed to make changes to posted information. However, it does have a large staff whose job it is to fix any incorrect additions made. Interesting that this method of updating web-based materials is much faster than reprinting print based materials.
There are so many criteria to keep in mind when evaluating anything on the web…depth, format, accuracy, ease of use, appropriateness, links to other sources, and more. There is so much to know, so much to keep in mind as we teach. After researching for evaluation information regarding web based materials I feel the need to dig further and maybe create a unit for internet research for the higher grades in my school. It would be very helpful for the middle school students who have many large projects that require intense research. I feel inspired to create lessons on this subject for each grade I teach. Students are never too young to learn about internet etiquette, safety and appropriate use.
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Hi Anne~
ReplyDeleteSay the word and I can help you with that! If I have learned nothing else, don't reinvent the wheel. It is already round, out there, and waiting for you to take!
Kathryn
Great points, especially on the importance of teaching internet etiquette, SAFETY, and appropriate use. It's a great point also to recognize the "traditional" W's when looking at and learning from websites. Nice job! -- Todd
ReplyDeleteHey Anne,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your blog posting! You offered some wonderful resources and information that I think we can all find helpful. Using the 5 W's is something that I had never considered, but it makes good sense. I'm sure I will use this format. I also really appreciated the web sites for evaluating web materials. These seem like good things to keep handy. Learning to evaluate web sites is necessary not only for teachers, but also for kids. they need to be able to understand the criteria, and to know how to apply the standards. The information needs to be accessible so that it's user-friendly for students. Great job!
Becky
Anne,
ReplyDeleteI actually did my project on the 5W's in our Instructional Design class. You weren't there for the last day, so you missed my presentation. I thought it was a great way to teach kids how to evaluate websites and was easy to use. It made sense and would be clear to the students.
I also thought it was interesting what you wrote about Wikipedia. It often does get a bad rep. and some of my teaching partners tell the students not to use it because it can be changed. I know that they have people checking for mistakes (as you mentioned), and I think the students should be taught that they can use this site, but that it can't be there only source. It should be more of a jumping off point. Good Blog!
Anne,
ReplyDeleteI have never thought about using the 5w's for the internet either. I have been continually struggling with how to get my kids to think wisely about their research on the Internet and here you have given me something not only to think about but to investigate further on. I greatly appreciate that you added the links for us to check out because it helped me truly understand what you were talking about. I agree with your comments about Wikipedia...lately I have discouraged my students from researching from there period, but maybe I need to reconsider. I was even talking to my cousin, who is in med. school, the other day who said that even many doctors refer to Wikipedia for diagnoses. I had a really hard time hearing that one but I guess it can't be too far off if they are using it and being told that it is ok.
Anne, I share similar views with you in researching the validity of web-based resources. I really like how you used the 5w's to help guide your evaluation, as it makes it easy for students to use as well. There are so many questionable websites on the internet and all do not have a very educational background, so assessing these websites are important to be able to walk away with valid and credible information. I was reading Kristin's comment and I agree that Wikipedia does have some valid information on it. I think in the past, anyone could write anything and put it on Wikipedia; however, I believe that now that it is so widely used, closer monitoring has been done. Like Kristin's cousin, my boyfriend is in his last year of med school to become a surgeon, and he rarely purchased the textbooks for class and relies on the Internet, and often times Wikipedia to help him study. I had a discussion with him about location misinformation on Wikipedia, and he says he uses it a lot and follows the citation links on the bottom to direct him to other websites, which if you used the 5w's would seem to be credible.
ReplyDelete