HELMERS . MAPS
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The purpose of evaluating websites is to determine if information presented on the sites is accurate and of intrinsic value. The baseline criteria for evaluation is communication, navigability, completeness, and factual accuracy. Knowing the identity and credentials of the author is also important to determine whether the site is credible and designed to promote informed reading and stimulate critical dialogue. Finally, being able to determine whether links have been maintained and updated is essential to assessing the amount of time and care that the web’s creator invested in his or her site. The question is, where can teachers find evaluation guides? As with most web-based information, there are several evaluatory sites on the World Wide Web itself.
A caution is that these sites are comprehensive and somewhat complicated for students. I suggest that teachers use them in their classroom preparation and digest the information for students onto a paper worksheet, perhaps a checklist.
Evaluation of Information Sources, The World-Wide Web Virtual Library
An extraordinarily comprehensive site, Evaluation of Information Sources contains "pointers" (or outlinks) to other sites on the Internet with criteria for evaluating Internet resources. Divided into three categories: General selection criteria, Selection criteria used for specific sources (such as what makes a "cool site"), and Commentary.
A Student's Guide to Research with the WWW
While this is a nicely formatted "tutorial guide" using frames by Craig Branham at St. Louis University, there is more text involved in the production of this site, which students might argue takes longer to navigate. However, by focusing shorter sections on site design, search strategies that yield the best information, and criteria for evaluation, this guide to research is an essential quick and easy reference.
A caution is that evaluatory sites are often highly detailed. Students work best in pairs and from a hard copy of the evaluation questionnaire, especially if that questionnaire is tailored to the particular project they are working on.
Links. Click Here.
Send mail to Marguerite Helmers, helmers@uwosh.edu