Evaluating Websites For Learners

Evaluating websites for learners ‘ A wise teacher does not lead you into the house of wisdom but the threshold of your own mind ” Kahlil Gibran

Outcomes
Why the need to evaluate?
Criteria educators could use
Criteria for learners to start using
Alternatives: kid safe search engines/directories
Google Custom Search
Teaching website referencing.

A sign of the times

Why do teachers need to evaluate Websites? www.adcet.edu.au/.../web_Design.chpx

Web is like a jumble sale – anybody with internet access can contribute a website, but finding that prize item or website gem is relatively hard work.
Prevent the ‘million hits syndrome’
Steer learners towards educator-evaluated web sources

More reasons to evaluate
Ready list of annotated web sources – focus Information Literacy Skills on synthesis and engagement with the sources
Share resources – bookmark, collect under learning areas e.g. use social bookmarking tools like Delicious, DiggIt
With older learners especially, model web evaluation for learners to mimic

Last but not least …
Teachers - evaluate so that YOU are not hoodwinked!
For example, do you know the difference between the following two websites?

www.whitehouse.gov

www.whitehouse.org

http://whitehouse.georgewbush.org/index.asp

Create a checklist

Criteria for educators
Dozens of Web evaluation tools online.
Many different types of Web sites and no one way to judge them all.
Purpose of a checklist/criteria/form is to guide you through the evaluation process into asking appropriate questions.
After using the forms several times, you will develop an intuitive feeling about which Web sites will be successful with learners.

Where to find Web evaluation examples
On Weblogs - http://philbradley.typepad.com/phil_bradleys_weblog/2006/12/fake_websites_a.html
On Video sites like YouTube; TeacherTube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_qR5lpnXBE
On SlideShare- http://www.slideshare.net/betchaboy/5-factors-for-evaluating-website s
Via Images - www.favors.fit.qut.edu.au

Evaluation Criteria Authority Content Design

Evaluation criterion AUTHORITY

Authority (Individuals)
Do the author’s credentials show experience and expertise on the topic?
How reputable is the author in said field?
Is the information credible and trustworthy?

Authority clues
Author’s contact details
X-check author’s authenticity on other websites
Check if author associated with any reputable organisations or institutions

Authority: Organisations & Institutions
Is the domain - .ac, .edu, .org credible?
How reputable is the organisation?
Is the organisation’s mission statement available?
Are their contact details provided?

Organisation’s clues
Look at the domain - .ac, .edu, .org for credibility
Click on the Home page to find out more about the organisation
Click on “about this site” to read about the organisation’s purpose

Evaluation criterion CONTENT

Content
Accuracy/ Correctness
Scope/Coverage
Relevancy
Currency

Content: Accuracy/Correctness
What is the intention of this site?
Is this site for entertainment or education or is it persuading me to buy something?
Is the information error free and reliable?

Accuracy clues
Read the “about us” for intention
Typos, spelling and language errors indicate poor editing
X-check factual information with other sites

Content: Scope
How in depth is the coverage?
How unique is the content?

Scope clues:
A webpage of information with mostly hyperlinks to other articles won’t satisfy depth of coverage
A student’s essay or personal rant about a topic is not usually original or worthwhile citing

Content: relevancy
Who is the audience for this site?
Is the content at the right level for the audience?
Does the content assist in answering the question?

Content: Currency
How up to date is the page?
Does the information require constant updates or is it not time-bound?
Are the links still working?

Evaluation criterion DESIGN

Design
Is the site designed with ease of use and
is it aesthetically pleasing?

Design clues
Site does not take long to load
Colour & graphics enhance content
Navigation is easy
Site map is evident
Links are clearly visible
Activity pages are printable
Games are playable
Limited “bells & whistles”
Site is disability friendly

Web Evaluation Checklists for teachers

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

Learner Web evaluation checklists/forms
Kathy Schrock’s Critical evaluation of a website for Senior phase learners http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/evalelem.html
For Intermediate Phase learners try http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/rtrieger/rubric2-3.htm

Alternatives to evaluating websites yourself …use specialised search engines

Search Engines for learners
Yahoo for kids (http://kids.yahoo.com/) for IP & SP learners
Kidsclick database compiled by librarians. Over 6 400 sites. Search a subject directory or by key word. Can limit search by reading level!
Ask Jeeves for Kids (www.askkids.com)the natural language search tool
Awesome Library over 30 000 reviewed resources with ‘doors’ for kids, teens, teachers, librarians, or parents

More search engines for kids
Kids.Net.Au an Australian search engine for kids
Berit’s best sites for children (http://www.beritsbest.com/) directory of selected, rated sites for children 14 and under
Barbara Feldman’s Surfing the Net with Kids Archive http://www.surfnetkids.com/

Creating a customized search engine
Google allows us to create our own search engine which can be added to our Weblog, Website or customized Homepage
As the creator, you can decide whether or not you want outside contributors
So, you can create a child appropriate search engine with selections of your choice

Referencing websites
Why?
Learn to acknowledge Web source
Learn difference between a search engine and a website
Learn to scrutinize a website

Referencing a website
How?
Author/s or organisation – if available
Date on which the site created
Title of webpage
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) including the ‘http://’ part
Date when you, the user, accessed the site

For example
Foods Standards Agency (2003). What is BSE? [Online]. Available http:// www.foodstandards.gov.uk/bse [Accessed 4 April 2006]

Thank You! Questions? Contact: [email_address]

http://www.freetech4teachers.com	3540
http://mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot.com	67
http://elearning4globalcitizenship.wikispaces.com	44
http://www.slideshare.net	23
http://fluency3.pbworks.com	19
http://saschoollibraries.wordpress.com	15
http://homec-tters.blogspot.com	11
http://tlcsd76.wikispaces.com	9
http://edgewebpageeval.blogspot.com	9
http://computer6grade.wikispaces.com	8
http://fluency3spring11.pbworks.com	8
url_unknown	4
https://lms.redlands.qld.edu.au	4
http://www.google.com	4
http://melissaenderle.wikispaces.com	3
http://updatingtrendsoftechnology.blogspot.com	1
http://www.google.co.uk	1
http://cybersmartcurriculum.org	1
http://www.google.ie	1
http://mail.rcs.k12.tn.us	1
http://search.yahoo.com	1
http://fronter.com	1
http://jujo00obo2o234ungd3t8qjfcjrs3o6k-a-sites-opensocial.googleusercontent.com	1
http://bclearningcoach.pbworks.com	1
http://mail.north-cedar.k12.ia.us	1
http://www.blogger.com	1
http://www.google.ca	1

Evaluating Websites For Learners

by Maggie Verster on Jun 04, 2009

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