Web Sites Educ & Valrie Edwards, Instructor

Evaluating Websites  Not all of the information is placed there by reliable sources  Anyone can create a website to express their personal opinion, ideas, theology and philosophy

Authority  Refers to the credibility of the person or persons who author and create the site  Answer the following:  Is the author clearly identified? If you cannot identify the creator of the webpage, you may wish to avoid this site.  Examine the credentials of the author, creator or website. What evidence is there the author qualifies to publish on this topic?  Has the author listed his/her occupation, years of experience, position, education or other credentials?  

Affiliation  Refers to the professional organization, school, school district, university, company or government office with which a particular web site is associated.  Examine the URL and domain name to identify which type of organization maintains the website  GOV, EDU, COM, MIL, ORG, NET, and INT. GOVEDUCOMMILORGNETINT GOVEDUCOMMILORGNETINT  Country codes -.us,.uk,.ca

Purpose & Objectivity  Purpose is the reason the website was created or intent of the website.  Objectivity is the process of determining or interpreting the intent or purpose of the website and if it is free of bias, such as advertising.

Content  Content is the information the webpage provides.  Consider:  Is the content valid and appropriate?  Does the information on the page relate to your curriculum and instructional standards?  What topics are covered and is it clearly labeled and well organized?  For what level is the information written and how thorough is it?  Do the links add value and assist you in meeting your instructional goals?

Learning Process  When the content engages students to use higher-order thinking skills to go beyond the simple acquisition of knowledge.

Audience & Currency  The audience is the individual or group intended to view the web page  Currency is the measure of how up to date, or timely the content is and how often it is updated.

Design  The design is the way the web site is arranged  The web site design determines the effectiveness by enhancing it or detracting from it.

Web Evaluation Rubric  Web Site Evaluation Form.doc Web Site Evaluation Form.doc Web Site Evaluation Form.doc

Web Sites  Select 2 websites from different content areas to review from the list of sites on the Resource page of the wiki.

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