Finding reputable sources online can be challenging for students and adults. Many of us are so used to finding the information we need immediately we often don't check for the accuracy or relevance before assuming the answer is correct. However, this is dangerous to the advancement of learning that we hope is taking place each and every day.
The United Nations posted 5 criteria for evaluating websites. The first of which is Accuracy - should I trust what this site is saying? One of the important things to look for is who is hosting the site. Is it an advocacy group who would have clear biases? Looking at who the information is coming from is the first and foremost thing students must do to evaluate a website. The next criteria is Authority - who wrote this information. We should check the author for validity of his/her comments as well as references to back up the information that is being shared. The third criteria, Objectivity questions if the site is being fair to all parties involved. The UN encourages users to check the advertising and be sure there would not be a bias in information provided. Next, the UN wants users to be aware of the Currency of the site. Look for a place where the site says "Updated on ___" to be sure the information is not out of date. In the last criteria, Coverage, users are implored to check other sites and see if their information matches what is on the site you are evaluating.
During my web walkabout, I was able to review some common website I have been using a find a few new ones:
1. One of my favorite things to do when I am stuck in traffic or going on a walk is to listen to a podcast. I added the TED website to my Delicious page in the hopes of remembering to incorporate these into my online classroom.
2. Patrick JMT is one of my favorite online "tutors" - he often has a humorous way of sharing math and covers all topics in mathematics from 6th-12th grade.
3. I found this teacher in my research about DLC's. This teacher had a student "scribe" each day of his class and then that student had to upload "that day" to the classroom blog. I thought this was so cool and something I want to incorporate in my classroom.
After students are taught how to evaluate a website they can safely explore the web while adding sites and resources to their online collection.
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