After reading the articles on web evaluation recommended by Chip, and a few I found on my own, I am left with a mixed feelings caused by a number of conflicting thoughts and ideas. Although I found some of the articles to be repetitious, they were quite thought provoking and eye-opening. Web evaluation is a topic that I wrestle with often when addressing the needs of my students and the demands of the curriculum.
As a fifth grade teacher in a mainly self-contained room, I struggle with the introduction and effective use of the Internet with my students in my classroom. My students write many different types of reports throughout the year in all subject areas and are required to research and document information. As the Internet and multimedia resources grow at rapid rates, I’m still faced with the question of: How do I train my fifth graders to be effective users of the Internet and the resources it provides?
Of the many interesting ideas presented, a few surfaced as more relevant to my needs. In the article, "Who Lives Here? Access to and Credibility Within Cyberspace" by Burbules and Callister, "accessibility" was a major topic. According to the article, accessibility goes beyond simply having a computer and Internet access and also encompasses the upgrades and advances in both computer hardware and software. This is definitely a hurdle my district must overcome. My district is constantly upgrading the computers and software, which is wonderful for those of us that are able to use the technology. The truth, however, is that the majority of the staff is unable to utilize these resources, which in turn affects the training of students in the use of these technologies. We have training sessions offered to our staff, and some enroll in the workshops. These workshops are not in-depth looks at the use of the technology, but merely skim the surface. The problem is that this technology is not built into the curriculum and used in classroom instruction. Whether this lack of inclusion is due to the staff’s comfort level with the technology, time constraints, curriculum overload, etc., I cannot say, but it must be addressed. As it is stated in the article by Burbules and Callister, "Addressing these issues…will require a much broader educational commitment than simply buying new equipment or teaching a few workshops to help people learn to use it". Classroom teachers must at least be brought to the level of technology being introduced or offered in school to their students e.g. e-mail, web-surfing, etc.
Another point that was discussed in the article is a problem I directly face within my classroom. All of my students do not have Internet access from home, let alone a computer, and therefore only utilize such resources at school. As a result, the students that do have access outside of school have an advantage over these students. There is a certain familiarity with the workings of the Internet that provides these students with a comfort zone. In this article it is stated, "Navigating the web, or learning the capabilities of new software, requires that a user feel comfortable inhabiting a complex environment" (Burbules and Callister). Since my students have a wide range of experience and comfort with the Internet, a question that arises for me, as their teacher, is in how I make this experience comfortable for all of my students. Simply allowing them to navigate and search on the web will not provide them all with the security of using such resources as it could easily overwhelm some students.
I want to provide an experience for all my students that is positive and supportive, rather than one that might create or deepen their insecurities. One thought is to offer them basic instruction and then let them freely surf the web to gain familiarity. To avoid overwhelming or losing them, do I then only allow them to search the web within specified parameters and sites? Does this limit my students with skills beyond? I believe that allowing students freedom to direct their own learning is a powerful strategy and I don’t want to take away this avenue of learning. But at the same time, I have to monitor their progress and make sure that they are not visiting inappropriate web sites. Giving my students this type of freedom to control their learning is great, but to a point. If I want my students to research the topic of their report, I lose a bit of control if they can go off on tangents from specified sites. Most middle school students do not have enough control and focus to look at a ‘tangent site’ and be able to return to accomplishing the task at hand. In fact, this could get them lost in the vast world of technology.
The feelings of being overwhelmed, insecure, and frustrated can easily be exacerbated when my students are unable to determine what information is useful, believable, and credible. This leads to the awesome task of training my students to effectively utilize the Internet as an information resource. A major road block to achieving this goal lies in their stage of development. Fifth graders cannot easily discern the credibility of information. They are living in a very literal world at this age; everything is black and white, without gray areas. I, as their teacher, can get up in front of the class and make absurd statements and label them as fact. This is accepted by most of my students simply because "their teacher said so". So, my first steps to addressing the validity of web sites, lies in training my students to be critical evaluators of all information.
Once my students have developed
some basic evaluation skills, it is time to apply such skills towards their
work in the Internet. After reading many different views and articles
on web evaluation, I would choose the following topics to train my students
for proper evaluation of web and Internet information. These topics
would include navigation and usability of the site, authorship, and content
validity. As a teacher, an excellent resource is the CARS checklist
for Information Quality, listed in the article ‘Evaluating Internet Research
Sources’ by Robert Harris. As for my students, the CARS checklist
is a bit above their ability level and must be simplified for them to use.
Navigation and Usability
For my students to use a site effectively, I believe it must be easy to navigate and use. It also should display information for all types of learners. This could be accomplished perhaps through the design of the site. Allowing the site to be read in sequential order, providing links to other parts, or including maps or tables might address this issue.
Authorship
The site must easily provide
information about the author, their job, what their credentials they have
to be writing on the topic, and how to get in touch with them to ask for
further information. An e-mail address would not be considered to
be adequate information. The site must also be updated regularly.
Content Validity
This is one of the most important
areas to consider in evaluation is the content of the site. My students
must be able to recognize if the information is promoting commercial products,
is an opinion, or simply an informational source. My students must
also be able to identify if the information is appropriate what their intended
use is. The information in the source should be able to be verified
through some other source. Finally, the site should be updated regularly.
Although there are many different views regarding evaluating the Internet and appropriate use of the web, one thing remains clear. If students are to interact on and utilize the Internet, they must be trained to do so. This is a process that should start as soon as students are developmentally able to handle critical analysis of information. We, as educators, must make a firm commitment to teaching our students all the skills necessary to succeed in a continually developing and changing technological world.