This week, I evaluated a website called Funbrain. It's a really cool website where kids can play games using skills such as math and reading. I never really knew about these types of websites. Growing up, I used to play the Jumpstart CD's, so I'm definitely excited to see online spaces that allow kids to be able to learn and play at the same time.
I think that evaluating a website really helped me sharpen my critical thinking skills, as well as just developing a healthy dose of skepticism. I don't think I've ever evaluated a website to this extent before. I remember in high school, our librarian would guide us in choosing credible web sources for our research papers and such. One thing I've taken away from this exercise is that you can never use enough of you good judgment on the web.
Consequently, as a teacher, I would make sure that my students developed these same skills in the classroom. I would want them to not only know how to choose for themselves what websites are good and what websites to look out for, but knowing how to evaluate websites can help them avoid being the subjects of plagiarism.
Another important thing I have learned from this exercise is that currency and accuracy are critical. As a teacher, it would be very important that the web sources I used met those two criteria. If I ever wanted to use a website like Funbrain, I would need websites that were both current and accurate. If I can't find a good website that reflects the material that my students are learning in school then that deters them from being able to use their knowledge outside the classroom. Similarly, if my kids can't relate to content found on a website, it's not a good learning experience for them, nor is it fun.
Furthermore, I've learned that reliability is also an important criteria. If a website is unreliable, there's a pretty good chance that I won't be using it and others will avoid it as well. When I am a teacher, I would make sure that the online information I'm using in my classroom was not only relevant to the classroom topic, but also that it was a credible source for me, my classroom, and any other individuals in the school who might want to access it. I think that some of the teacher's blogs that we've seen in class or just other websites or wikis would be a useful tool for me in my classroom. Thus, I could research the different blogs or wikis that maybe some other teachers or colleagues maintained and I could use their resources for additional exercises or fun activities.
Overall, there have been a lot that I've learned from this evaluation exercise, and I don't think I have enough space to include everything I've learned here. However, it will be a really good skill for me to have and to use and I'll continue to use it not only in my educational career, but throughout the rest of my life.
I think that evaluating a website really helped me sharpen my critical thinking skills, as well as just developing a healthy dose of skepticism. I don't think I've ever evaluated a website to this extent before. I remember in high school, our librarian would guide us in choosing credible web sources for our research papers and such. One thing I've taken away from this exercise is that you can never use enough of you good judgment on the web.
Consequently, as a teacher, I would make sure that my students developed these same skills in the classroom. I would want them to not only know how to choose for themselves what websites are good and what websites to look out for, but knowing how to evaluate websites can help them avoid being the subjects of plagiarism.
Another important thing I have learned from this exercise is that currency and accuracy are critical. As a teacher, it would be very important that the web sources I used met those two criteria. If I ever wanted to use a website like Funbrain, I would need websites that were both current and accurate. If I can't find a good website that reflects the material that my students are learning in school then that deters them from being able to use their knowledge outside the classroom. Similarly, if my kids can't relate to content found on a website, it's not a good learning experience for them, nor is it fun.
Furthermore, I've learned that reliability is also an important criteria. If a website is unreliable, there's a pretty good chance that I won't be using it and others will avoid it as well. When I am a teacher, I would make sure that the online information I'm using in my classroom was not only relevant to the classroom topic, but also that it was a credible source for me, my classroom, and any other individuals in the school who might want to access it. I think that some of the teacher's blogs that we've seen in class or just other websites or wikis would be a useful tool for me in my classroom. Thus, I could research the different blogs or wikis that maybe some other teachers or colleagues maintained and I could use their resources for additional exercises or fun activities.
Overall, there have been a lot that I've learned from this evaluation exercise, and I don't think I have enough space to include everything I've learned here. However, it will be a really good skill for me to have and to use and I'll continue to use it not only in my educational career, but throughout the rest of my life.
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