Importance of Evaluating Websites Reflection

Reflection of Activity:

I found reviewing a website that is created to be an instructional tool in the classroom to be beneficial. I think it is important for me to know what to look for as good qualities of a website when deciding which websites to use in my classroom with students. With many different websites being out there and available it is important for me to really sit down and look through them to make sure the information is reliable and valid. It is also important for me to look at how functional the website is. I had never thought about if the thinks were correct or not outdated. I can now realize how important this is because going to websites were links do not work properly is frustrating. So teachers need to be aware of this because to send students to these kind of websites will lead to unnecessary frustration. I feel I learned a lot about the different areas to consider when evaluating a website. There is more to it than if the information is correct, there is how it is presented, how accessible it is, if the source is a reliable source, how frequently the source is updated, etc. All of these things are important to consider when evaluating a website for students. I think using these kind of checklists when looking at websites will help ensure I am consistently using effective practices when choosing websites for my students, myself, and even parents.

- Ashlee