Best Practices and Evaluation

Section 2: Find and Evaluate a Resource Website

Section 3: Find and Evaluate a Curriculum Website

Section 1:

Evaluating Web Sites

So you finally had your students make web pages- now you have to grade them! Obviously, a web page requires a different grading rubric than just a paper. If you need help, look at Good Sites: a rubric for evaluating student web sites This in-depth web site gives rubrics for grading as well as sound advice about how to help your students construct web pages. This page is most appropriate for middle school and high school teachers.

Another part of web site evaluation is checking to see whether sites you and your students visit are quality sites. There are many web site evaluation tools on the Internet that are appropriate for all levels of learners.

For younger students, I adapted a web site evaluation sheet for some grade school kids I work with at the public library. At the library, middle school students helped grade school students safely surf the web. The form lets the younger buddy evaluate the sites they visit while the back of the form lets the older buddy record their opinion of the site.

For older students, check out Kathy Schrock’s web site evaluation rubric. The yes/no questions will let students quickly answer the questions, but still requires them to think. Since this is a long rubric, you might want to have different students focus on specific parts of the rubric or shorten it for your needs.

Remember that during the course of one class period, your students may visit many sites. It may be useful for them to fill out these formal evaluation forms for the sites where they spend a lot of time or find a lot of information.

Section 2:
Find and Evaluate a Resource Website

To demonstrate how to evaluate a web site, lets take a look at the Lincoln Park Zoo web site.

To see the surfing buddies evaluation for this site, click here.

To see Kathy Shrock’s web site rubric evaluation for this site, click here.

Section 3:
Find and Evaluate a Curriculum Website

The Student Press Law Center is an incredible resource for student journalists- whether they are in legal trouble or just want to know more about their rights and responsibilities. I knew about this site, but had never taken the opportunity to really look at what was here. The Top Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions by High School Journalists covered all the bases very clearly and concisely. In addition to including the texts of important documents (FIA, Constitution, First Amendment, etc) it also explains what they mean and how to use them. I especially liked the letter generator form that will create request letters for journalists to request information under the Freedom of Information Act. Very easy to use! There are also links to other journalism sites as well as news updates on the front page about issues and court cases effecting student’s legal rights.

Hopefully, our publications will never need to use the free legal advice available here. This site will be very useful in our studies of the legal rights and responsibilities that journalists have. I would also like to use the form letters here to give my students a change to look for information using the FIA. That might be a lesson plan best doing AFTER I have tenure though!

Section 4:
Problem Solving

Below is a web site evaluation rubric for high school students. Adapt this rubric for your own needs.

Content:		Yes	No
	The information here is easy to find and understand.
	The information here is helpful.
	A variety of different media forms (images, animations, sound, movies) are available.
Reliability:
	The information here is from a credible source. Source: _____________________________________________
	A bibliography for the information here is current and complete.
	The page is regularly updated and appears current.
Technical:
	All links and graphics are in working order and quickly load.
	All information is easily readable.
	The overall design of this page is pleasing.