Week 3: Website Evaluation and Internet Workshop Creating
Assignment 3 includes having you use a tool to evaluate a website. Before you can do that, it would be helpful to know what things to look for and how to find them when trying to validate a site. This weeks discussion will give you an introduction on how to be a critical thinker when searching on the Internet.
When researching on the web it is very important that we first evaluate the website to make sure it is a good source of information for either your research paper or when you are trying to discover answers to something you want to know about. Many websites that we may come across isn’t a website that will share a great source of information. Many websites can be bias and can just be a website that only presents one point of view. After watching the youtube video, “Evaluating Web Pages Tutorial,” I learned ways to know if a website is reliable or not and whether or not if the source of information you are researching is a great source of information. The tutorial discusses how there are 4 criteria that can be used to evaluate any site on the internet. The 4 criteria are; authority, accuracy, currency, and objectivity. Authority is who is the authorized that is responsible for the pages content, you can obtain this information by looking for the author’s qualifications. Which will be noticeable and not hard to find. Second, accuracy, accuracy is based on verifiable fact. Third, currency, currency is the date the page was written, placed on the web and last revised. Lastly, objectivity, an objectivity site presents information with a minimum of bias which should be fair balanced and reasonable. According to the youtube video, Evaluating Web Pages, “When using the web for research, it is essential that you consider the source and accuracy of the information that objectivity of the source, the currency and by what authority this information presented following such guidelines will enable you to write and think critically about your research topic” (WolfgramLibrary, 2011).
ReplyDeleteWhen we are evaluating websites we have to use or critical thinking skills, we have to know how to be a critical thinker when searching the internet. Critical thinking is not finding information and trying to memorize it. Critical thinking is asking questions and trying to search the internet to gain the appropriate and great source of reliable information. According to the article, Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts, “As to the cognitive skills here is what the experts include as being at the very core of critical thinking: interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self- regulation” (Facione, 2011). These skills are skills I will use that will help me to choose the right websites for my students as well as sharing those websites to colleagues and families as well. As educators, I believe that it is our responsibility to use our critical thinking skills to take the time to carefully evaluate each website we choose to share with our students, families and colleagues. According to Education Resources for Web Literacy, “In a world of information overload, it is vital for students to be able to find information on the Web, as well as to determine its validity and appropriateness” (NovemberLearning, 2019).
Education Resources for Web Literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators/web-literacy/
WolfgramLibrary. (2011, July 27). Evaluating Web Pages Tutorial. Retrieved from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c
Article: A guide to Critical Thinking About What you See on The Web https://d2l.nl.edu/content/enforced/114579-11126.201910/A%20Guide%20to%20Critical%20Thinking%20About%20What%20You%20See%20On%20The%20Web.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=oQZcRNjNbznRQJ1cvdqWP0WIV
Betty,
DeleteEvaluation of websites is definitely very important. I have learned about finding reliable sources in other classes before, but we didn't go as deep into the information as the sites we reviewed this week did. I thought there were a lot of really good suggestions on how to tell if a website is reliable or not. I feel a lot of people just type keywords into google and then use whatever information comes up first without really considering the fact that the information that they are looking at could be false. It is important for people to remember that just about anyone can post just about anything they want to the internet. One of the sources from this week discussed how there are no fact checkers or editors for the web. So, we need to be the fact checkers by carefully evaluating the websites we are looking at to see if the source is credible/reliable.
I agree that critical thinking skills are an important part of the evaluation. It is much more than memorization, but really taking a deeper look to analyze the websites and the information provided. I absolutely agree with you that educators need to carefully evaluate sources that we choose to share with out students and families. Giving out that information is a reflection on us. If we give them information that is unreliable, it can make us look bad. Furthermore, families rely on us to give them reliable information to help them out. It would be awful if they found out that the information that they were receiving was not good information.
Kaylee
Hi Betty,
DeleteI was wondering how you would help your students to begin developing critical thinking skills. Facione (2011) mentioned that these skills can be taught and learned. What would you do to foster the mastery of these skills and to create a habit of site-checking when doing research for a school paper/assignment?
Jocelyn
Betty,
DeleteI did not learn to evaluate websites until I was in high school and even then, I was never really taught how to do it. Our teachers would just tell us no Wikipedia. Now looking back it would have been so helpful to have teachers actually walk through how to find good and reliable sources when using the web. Like you said, evaluating these websites uses critical thinking skills that need to be developed and worked on. As a teacher, how would you use this information to help your students better prepare and use the web?
Betty,
DeleteI really liked what you had to say about critical thinking skills, and what exactly those mean in terms of looking at a website. I wish that those would have been taught to me in school, but I am glad I know now so I can be more conscious when teaching it to my students, and exactly how they can do that. As a teacher, what are some strategies you would use to instill those critical thinking skills in your students?
Using the internet to do research it is important to find creditable and reliable websites. To evaluate a website on its credibility you should look at the author, purpose, publication, relevance, date if publication, and documentation. (Library Guides, 2019) Three is so much information on the internet, so when researching it can be difficult to find resources that are useful and reliable. "The internet is a great place to find both scholarly and popular sources, but it's especially important to ask questions about authorship and publication when you're evaluating online resources" (Library Guides, 2019). Students should learn the skills of researching. Resources need to be on topic, validated and appropriate to the subject. "In a world of information overload, it is vital for students to be able to find information on the Web, as well as to determine its validity and appropriateness" (November, 2019).
ReplyDeleteA trustworthy website and source will have author(s) who are qualified to speak on they topic the resource is on. It can be hard to figure out the authors authenticity due too many webpages leaving that information out. Another way to check if the information from a source is reliable is the dates. Information from dates too far back can mean the information is no longer valid or up to date on information and resource done in more current years. Every site will be biased but a reliable source will present information with a minimum of bias, is fair, balanced, and reasonable. (WolfgramLibrary, 2011) Overall, we need to use our critical thinking skills to evaluate the information that is in front of us and determine if it is trustworthy and reliable.
Since starting college, I use sources from the college library that we have access to when doing research. It has changed how I do my research for my courses. But of course not everyone gets that perk and has to use their critical thinking and evaluation skills to find reliable sources on their own. I work with very young children but I do help my brother on his English assignments (he is a senior in HS) and I taught him how to look for reliable resources and how to find them.
Library Guides: Evaluating resources: Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/c.php?g=83917&p=539735.
November, A. (n.d.). Education Resources for Web Literacy. Retrieved from https://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators/web-literacy/.
WolfgramLibrary. (2011, July 27). Evaluating Web Pages Tutorial. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c.
Hi Victoria,
DeleteYou quoted WolfgramLibrary (2011), "Every site will be biased but a reliable source will present information with a minimum of bias, is fair, balanced, and reasonable." How could you help students to determine when there is bias that is one-sided and potentially harmful? How to make the distinction between positions and claims that are leaning to one side versus another and those that look at all sides without taking one side over another? I believe that we do need to model that type of thinking for our students and provide tangible examples that they can refer back to when needed. Let me know what you think.
Jocelyn
Victoria,
DeleteI can agree that it can be difficult to find reliable resources. I've done many research papers and have definitely had difficulty before finding reliable resources. I use to always type the keywords into Google to find resources, but like you said, we now have access to the school's library resources. This has definitely been very helpful. One, I know they are reliable and scholarly words. Two, they have the citations for the sites available, which makes siting the sources so much easier! Even though we are lucky to have this resource, it is still important to understand how to evaluate websites. I do still occasionally use Google, so it is nice to have the understanding of what is a reliable resource and what is not.
Kaylee
Reflection:
DeleteI really wish my teachers would have taught me how to efficiently use the web to research and how to find websites that are reliable and trustworthy. I did not learn these skills until late high school, beginning college. The skills of critical thinking and being able to evaluate websites is such a useful skill not only for school but for work and outside use. It is a skill everyone should know the basics of because the internet has so much information out there, that literally anyone can upload. Being able to sort through the information is a must, especially fro children now who are introduced to the internet at such a young age.
Hi Victoria,
DeleteI do have to agree with you that the internet is such a big thing and it is easy to push some keys and click enter to search and not give it a second thought of saying is this a creditable website. Students aren't thinking about this but it the responsibility of the teachers to show them how because they will always need to research something on a computer.
Ashley
Victoria-
DeleteI agree that the internet is a very important tool when doing research. There are sites that are just as informative as some certain books you can find in a library. The problem with the internet however, is that a person can search for something in say, Google and they can get information on that topic but how reliable would it be. I have been told to use Google Scholar. It is the same as Google but it uses information such as books and articles from reputable websites such as education or government sites. That is good you are helping your brother while he is still in high school so he knows for college what he can and can not use and what is and is not reputable and/or reliable.
Jensen
Hi Victoria,
DeleteI really beileve too that you have to evaluate the website before allowing chldren to choose that pacific website. The internet is such a big thing and we may may not think it is because we just up and go searching on the interent. As you stated, students should learn the skills of reseraching. This will help students to choose reliable and trustworthy websites. As you stated , "we need to use our critical thinking skills to evaluate the information that is in front of us and determine if it is trustworthy and reliable." Thanks for sharing.
Betty
Victoria,
DeleteI can relate to you because when was at a community college, I remember I would go to the library to get my research done there. It really makes a difference when you know what sources are reliable. It's easy to find the different components needed to do a citation. Have you ever had a problem finding the publisher or copyright to a site and instantly think it might not be a reliable site?
Lili
Do you think every site is biased? I think there is some truth in that as the publisher of every site has their own opinion and it is hard to keep your opinions out of your writing. When I was in school my teachers did a very poor job of providing us with the knowledge of how to find reliable sources. They would tell us to find .edu or .gov websites but that was the only information they gave. Whether they were knowledgeable about how to find reliable resources themselves is a mystery to me. I think it's important for an educator to understand what it means for a website to be reliable and know how to teach that to their children as technology and internet is growing all of the time and that is a skill children today need to know. I think that's great that you are able to help your brother find reliable sources. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteCierra
Victoria,
DeleteI agree with you and definitely wish that I had this information sooner. Up to this point, I have not been properly evaluating Web sites or considering all the key ideas when looking for sources. If all sources are biased, how do we know if the information is trustworthy and reliable? We definitely do have to use our critical thinking skills.
Brandy
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteInitial:
ReplyDeleteWith all the websites out there on the Internet, there has to be a way to evaluate them to make sure it is a reliable source of information. According to the video Evaluating Web Page Tutorial, “A reliable and trustworthy website meets these criteria: Authority, Accuracy, Currency, and Objectivity. An authoritative source makes clear who is responsible for the page content and identifies the authors qualifications. An accurate site presents information that is based on fact, lists sources for presented information, and includes links to outside reputable sources. A website with currency includes the date the page was written, was placed on the web, & was last revised and will have no dead links. An objective site presents information with a minimum of bias and is fair, balanced, and reasonable.”
Critical thinking skills are something that we as educators will have to use and use often. According to the article Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts “We understand critical thinking to be purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based. Critical thinking is essential as a tool of inquiry.” (Facione, 2011, p.26). There are some problems that are solved by using critical thinking. IDEAS is a 5-step problem solving and decision-making process guide. Step 1 Identify the problem and set priorities. Step 2 Deepen understanding and gather relevant information. Step 3 Enumerate options and anticipate consequences. Step 4 Assess situation and make a preliminary decision. Step 5 Scrutinize the process and self-correct as needed. (Think Critically, 2011)
Facione, P. (2011). Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts. Measured Reasons. Retrieved from https://d2l.nl.edu/content/enforced/114579-11126.201910/A Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See On The Web.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=YiUHHdSINEv0IMpyR7sLjJ1nn
WolfgramLibrary. (2011, July). Evaluating Web Pages Tutorial. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c.
Hi Jensen,
DeleteI'm curious as to how you would use IDEAS by Facione (2011) with students. What age or grade would students need to be in to successfully utilize this guide when doing online research? I'm thinking Middle school at least. What do you think?
Jocelyn
Jensen,
DeleteCritical thinking is an important tool as you mentioned. How would you use critical thinking to help you evaluate a website? How does critical thinking play a role in evaluating websites? Thank you for sharing.
Cierra
Jensen,
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. You're absolutely correct critical thinking is an important aspect of life. Not only will students need good critical thinking abilities in school they'll use those skills when they become adults, start working and even when they play sports. In addition, as educators, it's vitally important for us to encourage children research web information to ensure that it's authentic.
Angela
It is important to remember that “not everything on the web may come from a reliable and trustworthy source” (How to Evaluate Information on the Web, 2011). The websites this week discussed the importance of understanding the fact that not all websites are reliable and you need to first evaluate the sites before using them as sources. Without this evaluation, you may have false information, which is not something good when you are using the information to back up a paper you are writing, or anything else you may be using the sources for. The video, How to Evaluate Information on the Web (2011), discussed how there are four important variables to take into consideration when evaluating websites. The first is authority, which is basically checking what kind of qualifications the author has for writing about the particular topic and whether or not that information is verifiable. The second is accuracy, which means that the facts are verifiable and there is a list of sources for the information provided. On the web, there are no editors or fact checkers, so anyone can post just about anything. The third variable is currency, which means to be looking to see if there is a date for when the page was written, a date for when it was placed on the web, and for when it was last revised. Lastly, objectivity, which means that the website presents information with a minimum of bias. It should be fair, balanced, and reasonable (How to Evaluate Information on the Web, 2011). This all makes a lot of sense when thinking about reliability. There are sites like, Wikipedia, that anyone can post to or update. Although some of that information may be true, people are still able to make things up. Sites like that probably should not be used for research because it is difficult to know for sure that the information is reliable. Most of my teachers have made it a requirement that Wikipedia may not be used for research papers because of this reason.
ReplyDeleteFacione (2013) defines evaluation as “meaning to assess the credibility of statements or other representations which are accounts or descriptions of a person’s perception, experience, situation, judgement, belief, or opinion” (p.6). This is exactly what is being done when using the four variables discussed in the video. Furthermore, evaluation of websites also involves critical thinking skills. Facione (2013) discusses how critical thinking “means good thinking, almost the opposite of illogical, irrational, thinking” (p. 2). So, when thinking critically, a person should be able to have a good idea of what a reliable source looks like as opposed to an unreliable one. However, it is still nice to have some guidelines as to what to look for during these evaluations. I found it interesting how the Library Guides website listed variables to look for when evaluating websites as well, but they were a little different than the ones listed in the video. The Library Guides listed these variables as authority, purpose, publication and format, relevance, date of publication, and documentation. What I liked about this list is that it really answers the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how. This is a very good guide to evaluation for websites. I feel this information and the strategies discussed are very useful information. I can use these strategies in my own research, as well as when I need to find appropriate sites for my own students. Furthermore, part of my job as an educator is to provide the parents/families with important information regarding children. During parent/teacher conferences, I look for articles that pertain to child development for the parents to read. I can use these strategies to make sure I am finding websites and articles that are reliable.
References
DeleteLibrary Guides: Evaluating resources: Home. (2019). Retrieved from http://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/evaluating-resources.
Facione, P. (2013). Critical thinking: what it is and why it counts. Retrieved from https://www.nyack.edu/files/CT_What_Why_2013.pdf.
Wolfgram Memorial Library. (2011). How to evaluate information on the web. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c.
Hi Kaylee,
DeleteI too liked the Evaluating resources page by Berkeley. I think it should be part of our resource spreadsheet. I use sites similar to these all the time to help my Middle and High school students with citation. One of the things I have said to these students is that if to many pieces of your citation is missing, you need to re-evaluate the authenticity and validity of that particular source. The UC Berkeley guide for evaluating resources is going into my personal toolbox. May I ask, what resources do you use with your parents regarding child development?
Jocelyn
Good-evening Kaylee,
DeleteGreat post! The details you provided about website guidelines were really good. You're absolutely correct, everything on the web don't come from reliable sources. Example, when viewing the video about Dr. King, there was clear evidence that David Duke's web site didn't have authentic information. But, the site that provided accurate information without dead links.
Angela
When creating an Internet Workshop, educators must objectively evaluate the Web sites being considered, checking for anti-bias, authorship, the reason behind creating the site, and relevance to the topic being discussed.
ReplyDeleteThe importance of authorship is highlighted by Wolfgram Library (2011) and their video comparing two Web sites about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The first site uses has Dr. King’s name in the domain name and describes itself as a good source of information about Dr. King. However, the site had dubious authorship with obvious bias once research had been completed to locate information about the author and sponsors of the site (November, 2019). The second Web site clearly states who has established the site, Coretta Scott King, Dr. King’s widow. The site also provides primary sources in the form of papers written by Dr. King, has a clearly stated mission statement, and links that take you to Stanford University, a reputable resource. Contact information, a copyright date, and the sponsoring organization are all easily identifiable as well (WolfgramLibrary, 2011).
It is the job of educators to help students develop critical thinking skills so that they will not look at a Web site and take it at face value since doing so could cause them to open themselves up to inaccurate and misleading information. Using analytical and inference skills will allow students to better assess whether a site is safe and reliable. They can then use their analytical skills to search for Authority and Authorship; Accuracy, Relevance and Documentation; Currency of Publication; and Objectivity and Purpose (The Regents of the University of California, 2019; WolfgramLibrary, 2011). Then they will be able to infer whether the absence of this specific information means that the site is less reliable than it appears to be. While conducting research, students who learn how to think critically will be able to interpret an author’s purpose for writing a piece, explain why they agree or disagree with the author, evaluate what information they want to include in their report, and be able to reflect on their understanding of and position on a topic and make any changes to their thinking in the form of self-regulation (Facione, 2011, pp. 5 - 7).
As an educator, I would hope to assist my students with developing critical thinking skills via the questions or instructions I ask or give on the Internet Workshop. By utilizing the 5 W’s and How, I could create opportunities for my students to use and master these necessary skills. I would also want offer safe Web directories that students can use for research. The sites used could possibly serve as models of how reliable Web sites should be designed.
References:
Facione, P. A. (2011). Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts. 1 - 28. Millbrae, CA: Measured Reasons and
The California Academic Press. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://d2l.nl.edu/content/enforced/114579-11126.201910/A%20Guide%20to%20Critical%20Thinking%20About%20What%20You%20See%20On%20The%20Web.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=JDxevsQCTK3go2rHXuYLyJQC7
November, A. (2019). Education Resources for Web Literacy. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from November Learning Web site: https://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators/web-literacy/
The Regents of the University of California. (2019, August 26). Evaluating Resources: Home. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from Berkeley Library - University of California: http://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/evaluating-resources
WolfgramLibrary. (2011, July 27). Evaluating Web Pages
Tutorial. [Video file]. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from YouTube Web site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c
Jocelyn,
DeleteI agree that it is educators jobs to prepare our students to be bale to research effectively. We have to be able to teach them the skills to be able to weed out good and bad sources. As teachers teaching students to build their critical thinking skills is a part of our jobs. These skills will help them not only in research but in many aspects of their life later on. I like your idea of offering web directories to your students to help them in research. It would be a tool that can be very helpful to your students.
Hello Jocelyn,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your point of view on how important it is for students to understand how to search for information and to check what they are reading is true. I also agree that teachers have such a big role in educating them on the right way and providing them with good sites to use till they know how to do it on their own. There is so much things that get put up that we believe right away because we may forget that it should get checked first because we aren't aware of how much it is true. Both of Dr. King's sites prove that very fast.
Jocelyn-
DeleteInternet workshops were something that I never had any experience with when I was in school. I do think they are a good idea though. They teach students to be able to check out a website and figure out if it is a reputable, reliable, and relevant source of information. Critical thinking has never been my strong suit. It wasn't something that was really 'taught' when I was in school. I do think it is a good idea for students to learn the skill of critical thinking because it is something that will help them out in the long run. Good information.
Jensen
Victoria and Ashley,
DeleteUnderstanding that the web can be a dangerous place is of great importance for children and teens. We have to foster the knowledge that it is our responsibility to search the Internet with care, looking for the gems of information that we seek while we navigate away from harmful sites. Helping children and teens be able to recognize the difference is part of our job as educators who will inevitably shape the way our students view and use the Web. Thank you both for your replies. I look forward to chatting with you again real soon.
Jocelyn
Jensen,
DeleteI was not introduced to the Internet using the Internet Workshop method either. I remember being in high school and using the computer lab to write papers and going online and just seeing what I could find. We played around with it, exploring and being awed by all the things you could find at the time. Having internet access in the home was still relatively new and my parents were not comfortable with the ease of access to some sites so I could only go online at school until my junior year. Today, we need to be just as vigilant about watching what our children and students are accessing online. I think Internet Workshop is a great way to introduce and teach Internet safety and responsibility.
Jocelyn
When using websites for research, educational purposes, in the classroom, or any other time it's important to know how to determine whether a website is reliable or not. In order to know how reliable a website is one would need to know how to evaluate it and know what to look for. Berkeley Library of the University of California states six things to consider when encountering a website which include authority, purpose, publication & format, relevance, date of publication, and documentation (2019). It's important to go through an entire website and basing the reason why it's reliable or not on information found on the website and not your own opinion.
ReplyDeleteCritical thinking skills are just as important when it comes to finding reliable websites. Unfortunately, anyone can post something on the internet whether it be reliable or not. It's up to us, as educators, that we are providing our children with websites that are reliable meaning they have factual information, links are accurate, the purpose is evident, publication is easy to find, and cited sources. When I was in high school my teachers would tell me to use websites that end in .edu or .gov and stay away from those ending in .com. I am not sure how accurate that information is now because of the information I found on November Learning about why more schools aren't teaching web literacy and how they can start. This article discusses that the domain name doesn't always mean it's a credible source such as northwester.edu. The characters behind the domain name is what should read to figure out things such as whether it's a personal web page or a document of the university (November, 2012). In high school my teachers would also tell us to not reference Wikipedia as a reference as they do not provide reliable information because any one can go in change the information.
I think another important aspect of evaluating websites is to make sure the website is being managed and updated as needed. Laws and statistics change frequently and when I look for reliable sources I like to look and see when the website was either updated or published. I like to find recent articles and information so that I know the information I have found is the most recent and up to date. As an educator, I would want to know how to teach my children how to find reliable resources and the different things to look for.
Berkeley Library University of California. (2019, August 26). Evaluating Resources. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from http://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/evaluating-resources
November, A. (2012, October 18). Why More Schools Aren't Teaching Web Liteacy- and How They Can Start. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from November Learning: https://novemberlearning.com/article/why-more-schools-arent-teaching-web-literacy-and-how-they-can-start/
Hi Cierra,
DeleteIt it such a great pleasure to know that you understand why we should evaluate websites especilly for students. I too believe that critical thinking skills is very important when evaluating a website to determine if a website is realiable or not. I like how you mentioned the fact that evaluating websites is to make sure the website being managed and updated as needed. I really enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for sharing.
Betty
Cierra,
DeleteEvaluating websites is important, and like you mentioned, if we want to teach children how to do it, first we have to know how. It seems like children are starting to use the internet at an earlier age. The sooner they know how to evaluate a website, the better. Once the children start to get older, they will soon start writing papers and doing research. Because of this, it's important for them to know how to evaluate websites. Do you remember who taught you and what age you started to evaluate websites?
Lili
The internet is an amazing tool and quickly expanded to taking over our daily lives. Although it blew up, it's hard to pinpoint when this actually happened. It was rapid in one aspect and feels like it wasn't there one day and then the next day, it was intergated into our lives. On the other hand, I can remember the various stages of using dialup with on phone line to using dialup with two lines and then moving to broadband. Everyone was excited when computers dropped to the price point where the average person could afford one. The internet was at our fingertips. It was slow and unreliable, however, everything was available at the click of a button. It was an exciting time.
ReplyDeleteThe internet rapidly expanded, along with the information it contained. We no longer had to leave the house to go to the library or mail a letter and wait for it to be received. These advancements have put society and therefore schools on the fast track. Students can research information from anywhere and teachers can use it for every lesson with the class. The issue is that with new technology and advancements also come new threats. These threats can be perceived in different ways. One of the biggest threats to academia is false information. The internet does not require validation before information is posted. Any information can be posted and misconstrued for all to see. Therefore it is imperative that we also teach the proper way to sift threw the plethora of information for reliable sources.
The Youtube video, "Evaluate Web Page" provides valuable information regarding why it is important to look for reliable information and guidelines on how to look for a reliable website. The guidelines include a list to ensure that when you search, you are finding a reliable, safe and strong site. They give you four criteria and they are authority, accuracy, currency, objectivity. Listening to the youtube video, it provided good points on how anyone can post information on the internet and we don't know without vetting the site if the information is correct, reliable or objective. They compared two websites about Martin Luther King and when glancing at the first site, you would think that it was a good site. However, when they took a closer look, it was not reliable information. When learning about new things, we want to ensure that the information is fact-based with reliable resources, not just someone's opinion or how someone perceives the information they learned. We need to do a little extra work to find out if what is posted is up to date and accurate.
WolfgramLibrary. (2011, July 27). Evaluating Web Pages Tutorial. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c.
Ashely,
DeleteIt is unfortunate that any and everything can be posted to the website without any sort of requirements, but I feel in the end it's almost a good thing. It forces students, and us, to have to evaluate everything we read. I've found this particularly helpful in my day to day life as people make statements or try to tell me things. I'm always a little skeptical of new information until they can show me where they got it from!
Hi Ashley, I too remeber the dial up to connect to the internet. The internet has expanded so much and has became so popular. However, it is very important for us to evaluate websites for students and to teach and help them to understand the importance of gathering information from the internet. It is also helpful for our children as well. The youtube video definitaly provided some great information that is valuable for teachers.
DeleteBetty
Evaluating Websites
ReplyDeleteLooks can be deceiving whether it’s a person or a website. Yes, a website can look authentic but how would you know for sure? The site has a secure “https” address and the information does pertain to your topic, yet the point of view/objective is bias, one sided. As you continue to review the information on a site and realize the data doesn’t read correctly, statements of facts seem contradictory compared to other information you have previously investigated, now what do you do? Investigate the website, run a check list of who the author/creator is; check for cited sources either listed or stated within the research; review the date / currency when the site was created / published (Evaluating Web Pages). Most of this information should display upon the opening of the page at the top of the website, or on the sides or listed at the bottom of the page. If you can’t verify alternate sources from that site, “don’t” use it as a reference (Web Literacy, Nov. Lrng).
Surprisingly, you have just completed a minor internet website evaluation. When you are required to complete a topic report, normally you would either follow or create a list of information to research. Well, that pattern of research would be considered as using your “critical thinking” skills, an investigation to determine the purpose, to be reflective, then provide judgement of your findings (Critical Thinking). Basically, evaluate the good and the bad from the site, then decide if the site is worth sourcing. There are five critical steps to consider when your determining how to pursue a research paper: 1. Identify a problem; 2. Determine relevant understanding; 3. Enumerate consequences; 4. Assess the situation; 5. Scrutinize the process and self-correct your findings (Critical Thinking, 27). There are common extensions that can verify what type of sites you’re viewing based on the ending of your web address name, listed as either: .net, .com, .gov or .edu., in which can be reputable, but you still validate authority (Nov Lrng, #4). The listed extensions for sites would seem to be resourceful but because anyone can publish on the internet, the site or sources themselves must be investigated.
Still if you’re having trouble with your research, review online your local library or reputable college library website to verify sources listed. Again, run the list of six checklist: look for the authority/author of the site; check the purpose; the relevance; who published the site; the date the site was created or revised; and check for documented cited sources (Evaluation Web Page).
References
Widener Univ. (2011). Evaluating web pages tutorial. Wolfgram Library. https://www.youtube.com/watch:v=T4nmiJLhB5c
California Univ. (2019). Evaluating resources: home. Berkeley Library. guides.lib.berkeley.edu/c.php?g=83917&p=539735
Facione, PA. (2015). Critical thinking: what it is and why it counts. Insight Assessment. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Facione/publication/251303244_Critical_Thinking
November, A. (2012). Web literacy: education resource. November Learning. https://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators/web-literacy/
This week we learned about evaluating a website and looking at every little thing on it. We read some articles on the subject and I learned a lot from the readings. Evaluating a website tells you if it is good or not. There are some websites that put information on there this is intentionally misleading (Wolfgram Library, 2011). After going through the reading I found that there are certain things that reliable and trustworthy sites should have.
ReplyDeleteThere are certain things that the reader should look for. One of those things is the person that has the authority (Evaluating Sources: Home, 2019). The reader should look for the author and look into other things that have been written by them (Evaluating Sources: Home, 2019). Another thing is the purpose of the source and the intended audience for the source (Evaluating Sources: Home, 2019). One should also look at if the website is educational (Evaluating Sources: Home, 2019). A third thing is where, when, and in what medium the source was published in (Evaluating Sources: Home, 2019). Another thing that should be looked at is when the source was last updated (Evaluating Sources: Home, 2019). Another thing that should be looked at is if they cited their sources, who they cited and if they formatted their in-text citations correctly (Evaluating Sources: Home, 2019).
Despite looking for all of the things mentioned, there are times when there still may be problems. There might be times when it is difficult to determine authorship, the author’s qualifications are absent, and the authors contact information might not be listed (Wolfgram Library, 2011). A few other problems are that anyone can publish on the web, the sources are not verified by editors, and the links may not lead to reputable outside sources (Wolfgram Library, 2011). Some other things mentioned are that the site may not display dates, display stake information, and have dead links (Wolfgram Library, 2011). One last set of problems a site could have is that it only presents one point of view and it may not differentiate advocacy vs. fact (Wolfgram Library, 2011). With all these problems being said, one must pay close attention to even the little details when evaluating a site. One must use critical thinking when evaluating a site. One must think about what they are reading before they decide to do anything with it (Facione, 2011). One must think about if the information is good and look at every detail to decide if it serves the purpose they need it for (Facione, 2011)
References
Library Guides: Evaluating resources: Home. (2019, August 26). Retrieved October 4, 2019, from http://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/evaluating-resources.
WolfgramLibrary. (2011, July 27). Evaluating Web Pages
Tutorial. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c.
Facione, P. A. (2011). Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://d2l.nl.edu/content/enforced/114579-11126.201910/A Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See On The Web.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=dcQwY47ZWHK404aYLMUOlkCnD
Hello Kortney,
DeleteRecently, I had to find an article on Google that contain statistical information. The article I chose met the criteria of needing graphs pertaining to stats, but the validity of its cited sources used were not fully reputable. The author of the article, the reference source and the information stated within were verifiable and the reading was non-bias but informative. However, the question was given as to justify if the sources referenced were of accountable? The sources were of a financial advisory reference who stated they were associated with reputable companies. But when I investigated more, those reputable companies’ sites did not refer to that financial company. I mention this because we know our future students will not take the time investigate. At most they are only looking for what they need “which is does the site refers to their topic”. Yes, looks can be deceiving even for a website.
The required readings this week provided information on how to evaluate Web pages. According to the “Evaluating Web Pages Tutorial” a reliable and trustworthy web site will meet the criteria of: authority, accuracy, currency, and objectivity. An authoritative source makes clear who is responsible for page’s content and author’s qualifications. An accurate site presents information that is based on verifiable fact and lists sources for presented information. A Web site with currency includes date the page was written, placed on Web and last revised, and timely information. An objective site presents information with a minimum of bias, and is fair, balanced, and reasonable.
ReplyDeleteThere are key ideas to consider when encountering any kind of source. According to Library Guides these include: authority (Who is the author? What is their point of view?), purpose (Why was the source created? Who is the intended audience?), publication and format (Where was it published?), relevance (How is it relevant to your research?), date of publication (When was it published? Has it been updated?), and documentation (Did they cite their sources? Who did they cite?).
When evaluating sources, we tap into our critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is an important concept. Critical thinking involves the core skills of: interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, and self-regulation. As mentioned by Peter Facione (2011) there are experts; consensus descriptions for each of these skills. Interpretation is “to comprehend and express the meaning or significance of a wide variety of experiences, situations, data, events, judgments, conventions, beliefs, rules, procedures, or criteria” (p. 9). Analysis is “to identify the intended and actual inferential relationships among statements, questions, concepts, descriptions, or other forms of representation intended to express belief, judgment, experiences, reasons, information, or opinions” (p. 9). Inference is “to identify and secure elements needed to draw reasonable conclusions” (p. 9). Evaluation is “to assess the credibility of statements or other representations that are accounts or descriptions of a person’s perception, experience, judgment, belief, or opinion” (p. 9). Explanation is “to state and justify that reasoning in terms of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, and contextual considerations upon which one’s results were based; and to present one’s reasoning in the form of cogent arguments” (p. 9). Self-regulation is “self-consciously to monitor one’s cognitive activities, the elements use in those activities, and the results endued, particularly by applying skills in analysis, and evaluation to one’s own intentional judgments with a view toward questioning, confirming, validating, or correcting either one’s reasoning or one’s results.
The information presented this week is definitely something I will apply in this class. I think it is important to know how to evaluate a Web site and what to consider to find a source that is reliable and trustworthy.
References
Education Resources for Web Literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators/web-literacy/
WolfgramLibrary. (2011, July 27). Evaluating Web Pages Tutorial. Retrieved from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c
Article: A guide to Critical Thinking About What you See on The Web https://d2l.nl.edu/content/enforced/114579-11126.201910/A%20Guide%20to%20Critical%20Thinking%20About%20What%20You%20See%20On%20The%20Web.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=oQZcRNjNbznRQJ1cvdqWP0WIV
Final Reflection
DeleteThe assignment this week allowed me to practice some of the new information I have learned thus far. When creating the Internet Workshop, I found the importance of being very specific with my directions. This will help the students get the most out of the assignment. As a teacher, it not only shows me that they are able to follow directions, but they are developing the intended content knowledge.
Being able to evaluate a Web site, also tapped into some skills I have just learned. I have previously had to find reliable sources, but I have not had to evaluate them to this extent. I remember being told by one of my teachers to not use Web sites that ended in (.com). In my effort to not use sites that ended in (.com), I assumed that all sites that ended in (.org) were credible and reliable. I previously evaluate a site for trustworthiness based on what it ended in. I wish I would have known sooner how to evaluate a Web site and what to consider when looking for sources, but I supposed it is better to know late than never. I now know, a reliable and trustworthy web site will meet the criteria of: authority, accuracy, currency, and objectivity. An authoritative source makes clear who is responsible for page’s content and author’s qualifications. An accurate site presents information that is based on verifiable fact and lists sources for presented information. A Web site with currency includes date the page was written, placed on Web and last revised, and timely information. An objective site presents information with a minimum of bias, and is fair, balanced, and reasonable.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe internet has come a long way in the past years. We find ourselves constantly using the internet to find information. This may be for school related reasons or personal reasons. When using technology in the classroom, we also have to make sure students are using credible sites. In order to find the most credible sources, for ourselves and our students, we have to follow certain criteria in order to determine its credibility.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the YouTube video, Evaluating Web Page Tutorials, a reliable and trustworthy web site will meet all of the following criteria: authority, accuracy, currency, and objectivity. This can be tricky because although some sites might have some of these criteria, we have to be certain that it contains them all. A site has authority if it tells us who the author is and how their qualifications meet the content being written. A site has accuracy if the facts are able to be verified with sources and other links to outside sources. A site has currency if it includes the date it was written, published on the internet, and last revision. It also will not contain any dead links. A site contains objectivity if it has no bias and is fair in all aspects. In order to determine if the site has all of these we would have to do further research on our own.
Furthermore, critical thinking is also crucial in determining the credibility of sites. When working with our students on internet workshops, we have to explain the importance of using critical thinking skills to determine credibility. Critical thinking means that students are interpreting, analyzing, evaluating, inferencing, explaining, and regulating information being presented with purpose. Therefore they are proving a point, interpreting meaning and solving a problem, whether it is collaboratively or alone. (Facione. 4-5)
As educators, it is our responsibility to guide our students in the right direction. Teaching them to think critically is crucial in the internet world. This will help students to be able to effectively use the internet to find information from credible sources. Once students get into the habit of determining credible sites, it will be much easier for them to figure out which are not credible sources. One site that I can think of that many people use is Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a public site that anyone can be allowed to make changes on. Therefore, it is best to stay away from sites like this.
References
Facione, P. A. (2011). Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts. 1 - 28. Millbrae, CA: Measured Reasons and The California Academic Press. Retrieved from https://d2l.nl.edu/content/enforced/114579-11126.201910/A%20Guide%20to%20Critical%20Thinking%20About%20What%20You%20See%20On%20The%20Web.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=JDxevsQCTK3go2rHXuYLyJQC.
WolfgramLibrary. (2011, July 27). Evaluating Web Pages Tutorial. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c.
Laura,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your blog this week. I enjoyed reading what you had to say and seeing how you summarized the articles for this week. I agree with the very first thing you said in your post. The internet has come a long way over the years and has grown. The internet has turned into something big that is on multiple devices and is one of the things that control many things. I also agree that when websites are used in the classroom, the teacher needs to make sure that they are credible. This needs to be done because if it is not credible, the students are getting the wrong information and learning the wrong things. This type of thing will get them nowhere. What would happen if the students get the wrong information? What would happen if they use a site that is not credible? The things you mentioned about the video are the same things that I mentioned. The things you mentioned all have to be looked at. What happens when the site is missing something? Should it still be used if something is missing? I also agree that critical thinking skills are good to have because then one looks at things more closely. What are some of the reasons why critical thinking skills are so important? What do they help with? Are they the most important thing for someone to have? I agree that it is our job, as educators, to guide the students in the right direction. They look at us for which way to go and to know if they are doing something right. We are the ones teaching them the skills they and if we slack on this the children suffer. I like the site that you brought up. That is the one website we could not use in school because anyone can add information. Are there other sites the students would not be able to use? This was a great post.
Kortney
This week, we were able to read about the internet and how to evaluate websites. The internet is a great searching tool, but we have to be careful where we get our information on. I remember in school, they would tell us not to use Wikipedia. I didn’t know why until one of my teachers told us. She said that on Wikipedia, anyone can add information to things. Something that might seem real, isn’t. That’s why it’s not a reliable source and it shouldn’t be used. After that, I never used that website anymore, at least not for listing it as a source. I also remember they would tell us that good reliable sources can end in “gov., edu., and net.”. When I would look things up, I would always check and see if they had that. Most of the times I would end up using those sources. After reading the articles this week, I also learned that it’s important to know who the author is and why they are creating the sites. Sometimes this can tell us a lot about a website. If we aren’t finding things such as the publisher, the date, and the purpose of the article, it might not be a reliable source. All those things are important when looking up different sources. Not only will they help us know how reliable it is, but when it comes time to site it, we have that information. Something I else I remember from when I was in school, is when my teachers first talked to us about databases. I think it was in my senior year in high school. We had plenty of class time to go over what databases were, how to access them, and the benefits of them. By using databases, we can be sure that they are reliable and we are getting accurate information. The article that talks about evaluating resources seems like a helpful page. It really makes you think and ask those questions. I think I’m going to bookmark that page, so next time I’m doing research and can go back and look at those questions. By doing so, it will help me know whether or not my sources are reliable. We really have to be careful when doing research. We have to know how to evaluate resources and determine whether they are reliable or not. By evaluating websites, we are making sure we have the most accurate information.
ReplyDeleteLili,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your blog this week. I enjoyed reading what you had to say and seeing how you summarized the articles for this week. I agree with you that the internet is a great searching tool. I do because one can find anything on the internet. One can find information and so much more. I also agree that we have to be careful about where the information comes from because it is not always accurate. What are some other reasons we have to be careful about where information comes from? What happens if one gets the information from just anywhere on the internet? The site you mentioned is a good one. We were always told in school not to use because anyone can add information. What would happen if one was to use it? I like how you brought up the ending to a URL. I do because I got things mixed up when I was doing the website evaluation. After reading your post it rings a bell and it is something I will remember. Would you go beyond just knowing the authors name? How can you check and see if the author is credible? I like that you brought up databases. I like this because they are good to use. What are some examples of some? What if you are not enrolled in school? How would you access them? What happens if we do not look at all the things you mentioned? This was a great post.
Kortney
Hello Lili,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your blog this week on different ways to find a credible source on the internet. I think that you organized your thoughts in a precise details way to understand your point of view in evaluating the trustworthy resource. I also believe that it is vital to know how to assess the different sources of information to have reliable information. I like your idea to make a bookmark for the questions on how to evaluate reliable resource on the internet.
Lili,
DeleteMany of us have shared how we previously were not taught how to evaluate web sites. The required readings this week definitely provided a lot of insight and new information. It can be frustrating to just now be learning such a critical skill, but at the same time it is rewarding. We have a tool that we can teach our students early on, so they are not end the same situation as us once they get to college. As you mentioned, the importance of evaluating sources is to ensure that we have reliable and accurate information.
Brandy
When researching online information, for school or even just personal knowledge, it is important to understand the sources you are reading from and the information you are sharing. Many times I see posts on Facebook that are spreading misinformation under the guise of being fact. For a lot of people, especially on social networking, it is easy to share information without looking into the source or fact checking. But this spread of misinformation can be dangerous and malicious. It is important to always check information.
ReplyDeleteThe best way to do that is to find credible websites that are unbiased and provided clear, ideally peer-reviewed, information. The first thing you should look for is the Author. Who posted it and where do they get their knowledge from? If you can’t find any information on the author, be hesitant to believe it’s validity. It is also important to look into where it was published. Is the domain name an official domain or a blog? If it was posted on a scholarly website, has it been peer reviewed? Who is the intended audience? It’s also important to make sure the information you are looking at is relevant to the information you are trying to present and as current as possible. A paper published in the past 5 years holds a lot more weight than the same paper published 25 years ago. Finally, it’s important to look for sources and the way they quote or reference them. Make sure the quotes are accurate and the sources are valid as well. (Library Guides,2019)
Sometimes, despite your efforts, you run into snags. For example, the author could be missing. This is when critical thinking and analysis comes into play. Analysis is defined as ““to identify the intended and actual inferential relationships among statements, questions, concepts, descriptions, or other forms of representation intended to express belief, judgment, experiences, reasons, information, or opinions.” (Facione, 2011) You have to read through the information and decide for yourself if it is a viable and credible source of information before using it.
Reference:
Facione, P. A. (2011). Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://d2l.nl.edu/content/enforced/114579-11126.201910/A Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See On The Web.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=dcQwY47ZWHK404aYLMUOlkCnD
Library Guides: Evaluating resources: Home. (2019, August 26). Retrieved October 4, 2019, from http://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/evaluating-resources.
Hello Kassandra
DeleteThank you for reading my blog this week on different ways to find a credible source on the internet. I also enjoy reading your blog with your thoughts too. I think that you organized your thoughts in a precise details way to understand your point of view in evaluating the credible resource. I agree with you that there is a lot of information surfing the internet that might not be a trustworthy source. I also think that it is vital to know how to evaluate the different sources of information to have reliable information. Furthermore, I believe, as a teacher, we must learn how to master the skills and strategies to evaluate resources to provide for these skills to the student in our classroom. We also need to provide opportunities for critical thinking skills to enhance their learning experience with the tools required for research and technology.
ReplyDeleteAs we search on different internet web sites, it is vital to know some facts about the source of information gain from various web sites. As a tool to uses for research papers or to gain more knowledge on a subject, topics, or ideas. Therefore, it essential to know how to evaluate different websites to receive accuracy and current information. After watching the YouTube video, “Evaluating Web Pages Tutorial,” The tutorial shares that there are four criteria that support how to find a reliable site for information on the web. Which is the Authority who the person responsible for the page contents is, also identifies the author’s qualifications? Accuracy which provides information that is based on variable facts and shares a list of sources for the information presented and links reputable outside source. Currency shares the date the page was written and the last revised date. The information share is the most recent information, and there are no dead links. Objectively presents information with a minimum of bias. It is fair, balanced, and reasonable. They also demonstrate how to compare different web sites for their authentic through other reliable sites. The second source shares similar information as the video it provide a list questions to ask as a method to find trustworthy and reliable sources of information on the internet. Authority - Who is the author? What is their point of view? Purpose - Why was the source created? Who is the intended audience? Publication & format - Where was it published? In what medium? Relevance - How is it relevant to your research? What is its scope? Date of publication - When was it written? Has it been updated? Documentation - Did they cite their sources? Who did they mention? (WolfgramLibrary, 2011)
These are the questions ask when evaluating a reliable web site to obtain information. These types of questions support student’s critical thinking skills when completing assignments or projects in a different subject to enhance their learning experience. I feel as an educator; it is my responsibility to provide a reliable source. For students to complete various tasks in addition to supporting their educational experience with the tool to access information independently. The third source explains different strategies to apply critical thinking skills to different situations. According to the article, Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts, “As to the cognitive skills here is what the experts include as being at the very core of critical thinking: interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self- regulation” (Facione, 2011). When student use these skills to evaluate web site sources, they can select websites that share the appropriate information to complete different task.
Reference
Evaluate Web Pages Retrieved (October 3, 2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques and Questions to Ask Retrieved (October 3, 2019) http://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/c.php?g=83917&p=3747680
Education Resources for Web Literacy Retrieved (October 3, 2019) https://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators/web-literacy/
A Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See On The Web.pdf
Felisha,
DeleteIt is part of our job as teachers to find credible sources for students. I wonder what the best way to teach students is. This information seems like a lot to throw at them all at once. I have been thinking all week about how I would introduce it to students.
After completing this weeks assignment I feel I could much better assess the validity of a website. Digging through the Copyright Kids was a great example of how I could introduce the lesson of validity and source checking into an older age classroom - my current classroom age is 1 year olds so not something I could use now, but in many of the kindergarten classrooms I see it would be useful to get them thinking about it at an early age so it is just a part of their routine when they search online as they grown!
ReplyDeleteReflection
ReplyDeleteBase on everything this week I feel that I have a better idea of how important it can be to make sure the sites that I use are credit and up to date with the information. The better I become in checking a website is reliable the more I can pass that on to other students. I can see that there is always a hidden danger in anything we do but as long as our eyes are open to it then we have a better chance in finding it. As teacher we are here to hand our students every tool we can so they can better succeed in life this is just another one. Letting them know to always use the four criteria when they search will benefit them in the long run and they will know that the things they are reading isn't made up.
Final Reflection:
ReplyDeleteCreating an Internet Workshop was not an extremely difficult task. I think I was more frustrated with the Kathy Schrock (© 2006-09) website evaluation assignment which just seemed to take forever. Perhaps this feeling is due to my fighting off a cold and feeling muddled in the head or due to the fact that it took several days of short sessions for me to try to get through it. Either way, I am comforted in knowing that I will not likely ever produce or use such an extensive evaluation with students. I did, however, see the value of asking some pointed questions about the website to determine whether it was reliable. I loved being introduced to the “link: command” that allows you to search out what other sources and experts may be using and referencing the site you are evaluating, lending the site credibility. I believe that will be an extremely valuable tool for me since it introduced me to several other sites that I could use as a cross-reference. The “link: command” is something that I would like to introduce to students during an Internet Workshop so that they can use it to evaluate and cross-reference a site.
Returning to the task of creating an Internet Workshop, I believe that if I were doing this for a real class, I would have based or pulled the questions from a lesson that has already been put together. Given that the document was designed for younger children, I tried to keep my questions simple with the intention of looking at how students synthesize information and whether they can summarize what they learned or took from the books they read. In hindsight, I think that each Community Club member should have had its own page where I could have asked specific questions about the job. The product could then have been used as notes for review by the student. It usually takes a draft and at least one revision before I settle on document that I would want my students to use. So I’ll try to keep that in mind for next time.
Citation:
CRITICAL EVALUATION OF A WEBSITE: WEBSITES FOR USE BY EDUCATORS © 2006-09.
Kathleen Schrock (kathy@kathyschrock.net)
Joceleyn, On a personal level, I agree with you on that head cold. I am fighting it too, and it is killer!
DeleteI too found that assignment extensive and more tedious and time consuming than difficult. Do you think there should be a happy medium with our students?
This week we discussed evaluating websites and why it is important to evaluate websites. The main reason is to determine the reliability of the website, in order to know that you are getting real and true information. For the assignments this week, we had to evaluate a website and create an internet workshop. The evaluation definitely took me a lot of time and there were a few questions I did have a little bit of difficulty with, but I still answered to the best of my ability. The resources we read gave a lot of information on how to evaluate a website, but doing the actual evaluation really taught me really how much goes into the evaluation. It also taught me that, even though a website might not be perfect, it can still be reliable. It may not “pass” every aspect of the evaluation, but as long as it has some of the key factors, it can still be reliable. The copyright kids website was reliable, and a website I would use if I taught 5th-8th graders. The other thing I learned about doing this evaluation was that this is something that must be done before creating an internet workshop. As an educator, you want to be sure you are giving good and true information to your students. Once you have evaluated a website and determined its validity and reliability, you can then create the internet workshop.
ReplyDeleteThe internet workshop took me a bit to create as well. I did my best to write step-by-step directions, but it turns out I still missed a few little steps. It is important, especially for younger students, to create directions that they can follow easily. Developing the questions was a little challenging as well. I think I did okay with some of them because I developed them based on the information in the books. However, I was trying to create some different questions that weren’t all straight from the books, but they turned out to be too open-ended and would have been better questions for the discussion after the internet workshop. I feel I have a better understanding of what is needed to create an internet workshop after completing the assignment. Although mine was not perfect, I still learned from it and now know what kinds of questions are good for the workshop and which are not so good.
This week in the reading, we learned about web pages. I learned a lot of valuable information about web pages. One of the biggest things I took away was the 4 main ways to determine the credibility of a website, via the youtube video.. They are authority, accuracy, currency, and objectivity. Authority means who wrote the site. Do they have the authority to be talking and writing about the topic, and is it easy to find the information for this? Accuracy is harder to track, because background checks are not frequent. Currency is when it was published,and how current is the information. Objectivity is taking a look at the site and looking to see is it one-sided and is the information unbiased and stays objective. I feel that all of this is very important to know, and be able to search out, because as teachers if we look something up, we need to be two hundred percent certain that the information is current, objective, up to date, etc. We are responsible for sharing it with students, so we need to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of the websites we are sharing information from. I am a very visual person, so being able to watch the video, and see exactly where they are looking for information, and what should be on the websites to prove that they have each of the 4 criteria we need is very helpful. It really gives me more to think about when I go to look at a website to use information from. I read a quote from one of the websites that I really enjoyed. It was from Peter Fancione, in the guide to critical thinking. “Teach people to make good decisions and you equip them to improve.” The reason this stood out to me so much, I feel like it is a very powerful statement. If you teach someone to make a good decision, specifically being smart when looking at websites, and they are presented with all the information to make smart decisions, you are giving them a toolbox of knowledge to do better and be better. That is what is most important.
ReplyDeleteRefereneces
Facione, P. A. (2011). Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts. 1 - 28. Millbrae, CA: Measured Reasons and
The California Academic Press. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://d2l.nl.edu/content/enforced/114579-11126.201910/A%20Guide%20to%20Critical%20Thinking%20About%20What%20You%20See%20On%20The%20Web.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=JDxevsQCTK3go2rHXuYLyJQC7
WolfgramLibrary. (2011, July 27). Evaluating Web Pages
Tutorial. [Video file]. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from YouTube Web site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nmiJLhB5c
Final reflection,
ReplyDeleteFor this week we were able to discuss about evaluating websites. I think it's important to be able to do so. This will help us know whether a site is reliable or not. When gathering information we want it to be reliable. Wikipedia is usually known for not being a reliable source. What I learned is that we have to be able to find the copyright, publisher, and a date for when it was last updated. By finding these things it could help us determine whether it is a good website or not. Also this week, we had to do an internet workshop for students. By giving them step by step directions, it will be easier for them to navigate the site. I tried to be really clear and make it easy for them. With the questions I came up with, I made them easy as well. The one thing I did have a problem with was with the second task. It was to evaluate a copyright site and answer some questions. When I clicked on the website evaluation link it didn't open. I don't know if anyone else had that problem but I wasn't able to get it to open. It looked like it was on google docs but that's as much as it showed me. I wish I could have been able to do it. I think it definitely would have helped a lot.
Reflection:
ReplyDeleteThis week we discussed what all goes into evaluating a website and what to look for to determine a website reliable or not. We learned these steps through our assignments which taught me what specific things to look for. I enjoyed both the discussion and the assignments this week because I have never been taught how to find reliable sources and excited to use my new knowledge for research in the future. We also did more work with internet workshops which helped me understand how they work and how to make them myself better. I think the hardest part of the assignments was making the questions regarding the internet workshops. I was trying to keep in mind the age of children I was targeting and wanted to make sure I was making the questions easily understandable. I enjoyed writing out each step because I am that person who needs step by step instructions even as a kid. I would easily get lost and confused and still do as an adult. Having step by step directions helps a child stay on track.
Overall I think my peers understand what it means to do a website evaluation and what things to look for when looking for a reliable source.
Friday, October 4, 2019 Angela Williams
ReplyDeleteWeek 3: Evaluating Websites
Evaluating websites is a vital function for educators and students. When we evaluate sources we should always question where the information came from and who provided that information. Upon reading the material for this week's assignment and viewing the video, I gathered some very good information on getting reliable content from the internet.
According to (www.lib.berkeley.edu) when you come across any information six key facts should always be considered:
1. Authority
2. Purpose
3. Publication and format
4. Relevance
5. Date of publication
6. Documentation
In addition, given that everything on the web doesn't come from reliable sources there are certain steps the researcher must do ensure that the site is accurate. Sites that are accurate will provide you with information that is:
• That can be verified by facts
• Provide scholarly sources by experts for the related information
• And links to additional verifiable sources
Moreover, when reviewing and verifying web information, site currency should also be another point of reference such as:
• When the page was written, if there was any revisions
• Do the page have dead links
I would teach my children to ask a lot of questions when evaluating websites. The one question that can be answered would typically imply that the information is valid (www.lib.nmu.edu). studies suggest that a large group of students in the United States tend to be very trusting in regards to the information they get from the internet. Often, they do not verify the information they get from the internet. According to a survey, 4% of students in middle school stated that they checked to see if the information on the internet was accurate and less than 4% of students checked for web accuracy at home (New Literacies Research Team & Internet Reading Research Group, 2006). Furthermore, when children complete science projects and research-based assignments they'll typically check sourced information.
In my opinion, I think children learn better when you give them clear examples. I really enjoyed various parts of this assignment because I got clear examples. it was like painting a picture. And that's what we have to do for our students as well. The information in the video about Dr. Martin Luther King was very interesting. Examples were clear, the fake site from the white nationalist had its agenda and the site with accurate information provided the reader with quality data as well more sources without dead links.
Children will often model behaviors. as educators not only should we encourage our students to ask questions, verify information and make sure they quality sources, we must do what we expect them to do. We should also help students:
• Develop an awareness to properly evaluate the validity of the internet.
• Help students understand the various dimensions of internet information.
• Encourage students too critically think about the credibility of every site given to them.
Sources:
UC Berkeley Library. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/.
Duke, N. K. (2016, August 15). Evaluating Websites as Information Sources. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/evaluating-websites-as-information-sources-nell-k-duke.
Wolfgram Memorial Library, Widener University. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.findglocal.com/US/Chester/169974231802/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library,-Widener-University.
Hello Angela,
DeleteYour precise display of content referenced to each article is clear and the examples pertaining to them provides an idea of what each article topic might be written about. Also, in the way you have narrowed each article, your listings could be arranged into a classroom worksheet for an internet workshop. I often referred to the ‘Youtube’ video to verify and justify the Copyright website. Even with knowing what to look for – dates, authority of author, documentation, etc. - I still second guessed if the site was genuine. The purpose was eventually clear, yet still questionable. I will be using the Copycat website as a classroom reference to learn about how to critically and properly evaluate a site. Thank for narrowing the articles into a table of content example.
I enjoyed doing the blog this week and seeing what others had to say in regards to the prompt. I enjoyed seeing how my fellow classmates summarized the articles and what they took from it. Most of my classmates brought up how one should look for author, publication date, and other information like that. They mentioned that if a site does not have this information, then it I not reliable. I agree with this because it is something we learned about. One website that was brought up was Wikipedia. A couple of my classmates mentioned that this is one to stay away from because anyone can add information. I liked that it was brought up because it is one that no one should use. I am glad that my fellow classmates know this and can pass this one to their own students. One thing that stuck out to me that my classmate mentioned was that, as educators, we have a responsible to lead the students in the right direction. I loved this because of the truth behind it. It is our responsibility, as educators, to help the children learn what they need to learn and learn it in the right way. It is our responsibility, as educators, to teach them how to find the right information and how to find the sites that they can rely on. I say this because, as one of my classmates mentioned, the internet is used for everything today. With this being said, children need to know how to use the internet the right way. I will take everything I learned from the websites and use it in my schooling when looking for information. I will so use it when looking for information in general. One other thing I enjoyed this week is doing the internet workshop. To be honest, when I looked at the assignment I thought it was really complicated. However, when doing it, I found that it was not. It was nice to be able to create one and get those skills just in case I need to create another one in the future. It made me see how simple an internet workshop can be. One last assignment that I gained skills from was the website evaluation. I learned about the details to look at and where I should be looking for them. I learned about the questions that need to be asked when looking at a website. I also learned to dig deeper into a site before deciding if it is reliable and okay to use. This was a great week this week and I look forward to many more.
ReplyDeleteReflection
ReplyDeleteThis assignment has allowed me to gain valuable information and useful strategies educators can utilize to help children with positive project-based learning. These skills will allow students to develop the ability to implement such skills when doing research assignments. In addition, they'll be able to build positive peer relationships when they do group activities.
Angela
Evaluate Internet Websites Reflection
ReplyDeleteI know this is just the beginning of exploring the internet in depth, but this was an intense project week for me. Personally, after creating the Internet Worksheet and completing the Evaluating Worksheet, I became disappointed within myself for doubting what I’d learned about the details of evaluations. I was convinced at first glance into believing the Copyright website as being a valid informative site about “copyrights”. No, I admit I did not thoroughly read the pages at first, (not until the worksheet) but for the captivating introduction paragraph, the sub-topic titles and vaguely viewing the link page, I was misled to believe the purpose of the site. Even when I opened the website, I deemed the homepage as odd in the design of the site, yet it did display some of the criteria’s to be mindful of: authority, currency and its objective. I would still use the Copyright Kids website as an example for young pre-teens to adults to be a critic of how they view and of what they read on the internet as valid information. Also, I would suggest for them to learn and research the pondering questions they might have about the internet and to learn its terminology. Although, I am grateful that I have been provided some terminology about internet literacy, but I also feel overwhelmed with information that I forgot some verbiage to use when I created my classroom Internet Worksheet. The ideas to create the questions came with ease until I reviewed the video that suggested to use navigation instructions as guidance to answer the questions. Again, overlooking the audience and details that not everyone knows how to use or navigate on the internet. And to think, I who work in Special Education should know to observe, analyze and then react with justifiable caution.
As I reflect on this week's assignment, I have learned it essential to know how to evaluate different websites to receive accuracy and current information. Which is the Authority who the person responsible for the page contents is, also identifies the author’s qualifications? Accuracy which provides information that is based on variable facts and shares a list of sources for the information presented and links reputable outside source. Currency shares the date the page was written and the last revised date. The information share is the most recent information, and there are no dead links. Objectively presents information with a minimum of bias. It is fair, balanced, and reasonable. They also demonstrate how to compare different web sites for their authenticity through other reliable sites. I enjoyed creating the internet workshop activity for children with step by step instruction. The process was enjoyable to go through the process then explain the step for children to follow. Now my biggies challenge was the evaluation of the Copywrite web site. I understood how to summarize the strategies. However, using the tools was much harder than I thought. Especially trying to finds the information that was hidden or not present for the material of being known as misleading information or resource.
ReplyDeleteReflection:
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this week’s articles and watching the YouTube video, I feel like being able to determine whether it is a trustworthy and reliable source became much clearer as to the importance of why our students need to know if a website is a valid one to use and for us to check it credibility. I had not done an internet workshop before but was surprised to find out that it is not too difficult. When I was in high school, they did not do any internet workshops. We were told to not use Wikipedia as a source but that was it. The four criteria for credibility are Authority, Accuracy, Currency, and Objectivity. The website credibility assignment was informational but if I was using it for an assignment in my classroom, I would cut the amount of questions at least in half.
Reflection
ReplyDeleteAs I reflect on this week's assignment, I have learned about different search strategies for reliable sources of information. I now have a better understanding of how and why we need to use different approaches to obtain reliable information from various sources of the internet. I enjoyed completing the task worksheet that shared how to use the Google search advance when searching different words, phrases, titles, and URLs to find the result of information. I feel that Google search advance made the search a lot easier to locate the source of information need. I like how I was able to type certain words or phrases to complete my spreadsheet this week. I had added three new math, reading, science, and social studies, children web sites this week assignment. Before I learned about Google search advance, my research use to be dreadful, exhausting, and stressful. Because I would be searching for hours trying to locate reliable information to use. I would become discouraged when I would look through so many different sources of information that didn't have anything to do with my topic. The data only contains some words or phrases in the report. Now I have learned a better strategy to find more reliable sources of information to complete a paper or assignment.