Evaluating Websites and Web Information
Below is a list of sites that may help you deepen your understanding of the process of evaluating websites and web information. Just as you would not show your class a film you had not seen or hand them a textbook you were not familiar with, you should review any sites that you plan to use with your class.
In addition, if you plan to use the web with your classes, you may want to start by engaging the class in a few lessons about evaluation and help your students explore how they use criteria every day to make choices about where to eat, what to buy, what programs to let their children watch on television, and so on. This may make the whole concept of “selecting” websites a bit more accessible. Your class could then develop its own criteria for favorite websites.
- Internet Tutor: Evaluating Web Resources
An extensive, step-by-step tutorial for evaluating websites. - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Or, Why It’s a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources
A useful resource and some examples to provide guidance when using the web in the classroom - Multicultural Model for Evaluating Educational Web Sites
A guide to assessing educational web sites from a multicultural perspective. Includes questions and criteria on bias, accuracy and inclusion of multiple perspectives. - Evaluating Sources
Basic tips on evaluating web sources from the English Language Institute at Oregon State University. - Evaluating Sources Activity
A follow-up to the previous site on this list, the “evaluating sources activity” provides some interactive exercises on web evaluation. - The Virtual Chase: Evaluating the Quality of Information on the Internet Includes a checklist, on-line teaching tools, etc. It is designed especially for lawyers and legal researchers, but it has some useful information for educators.
- Comparing and Evaluating Web Information Sources
From Jamie McKenzie, author of the educational journal From Now On, an interactive list and glossary of criteria for evaluating web information sources.
p.
September 21, 2001
Compiled by Marguerite Lukes