WIT 2003

Types of Educational Sites	Evaluating Sites	Exploring Sites	Using Educational Sites
Evaluation Checklist	Additional Reading	Teaching Guide	Home

Teaching Guide

The Internet provides instant access to a variety of educational sites for online and offline use. Educators need to know about the different types of sites and how to determine if they can be useful. The purpose of this module is to introduce educators to the different types of educational web sites and how to effectively evaluate them

Aim:

The purpose of this module is to familiarize educators with the different types of web resources, and introduce them to ways to effectively evaluate them.

Rationale:

The Internet provides access to a variety of educational resources for online and offline use. Educators need to know about and trust resources available. They need to know the different types of sites and page, and how to effectively evaluate them. Further, educators need to know how to determine if they can be useful to them.

top

Audience and Prerequisites:

This module is for educators who want to identify appropriate resources to support their work as teachers. Keyboard, mouse and web browsing skills needed to use this module.

Goals & Objectives:

This module prepares educators to meet the National Educational Technology Standard for planning and designing learning environments and experiences. Educators identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.

Upon completion of this module, participants will be able:

• Identify different educational sites (enrichments, lessons, tools, references, resources, projects and activities).
• evaluate various web sites.
• select and bookmark/email useful sites.
• use checklist to determine curricular suitability for instructional use.

Subject-matter

The module starts off with a discussion of different types of educational sites. They are enrichments, lessons, tools, references, resources, projects and activities. Coupled with this topic is criteria for evaluating and determining use of educational sites.

Instructional Plan:

After each mentor go through this module and familiarizes her/himself with it, s/he should think about the participants skills and determine how to proceed. Here are some ways in which to guide participants through this module.

Basic and Advanced participants can start with a discussion about searching experiences. Begin a brief talk by asking questions like "How many of you have spent a lot of time searching for something on the Internet?" or "Do you have a favorite web site that you routinely use?"

Introduce the module to Basic participants by clicking through it to show the layout. Point out the "back" button and demonstrate how to move backward and forward. Also, be sure to show how to close new windows that open during the module.

Let participants know how much time they have as they proceed through the module.

Mentors should ask questions about participants actions as they work through the module.

Depending upon the skills of the group, mentors may choose whether to have participants bookmark sites, email them or write them down. A form is provided for evaluating sites.

Take fifteen minutes to demonstrate bookmarking/emailing, if necessary. Allow thirty minutes, at the end, to assist with publishing, evaluation and wrapping up.

Some links on the Evaluating Internet Resources pages may trigger the alarm for CPS filtering.

Participants can print the checklist if necessary, and write site information down or the sites can be bookmarked. This checklist is designed to evaluate one site at a time. Participants may use it as needed. A printed copy of bookmarking and publishing instructions may be necessary for Basic participants.

This module may take up to four hours to complete:

• Introduce module and opening activity - 15 min.
• Reading on Types of Sites - 30 min.
• Types of Sites activity - 15 min.
• Brainstorm activity - 15 min.
• Evaluation article - 15 min.
• Virtual trip exercise - 15 min.
• Exploring more sites - 1 hour
• Using Educ. Sites reading - 30 min.
• Checklist and presentation activity - 30 min.

top|

Materials:

An Internet connection is needed and participants must be able to link to this module’s home page. For group instruction, chart paper, markers and a LCD projector would assist with instruction. Floppy disks for saving bookmarks, paper and pencil and a printer may be necessary, as well.

There is one handout for this module. One to two copies per participant is needed.:

Plan for Assessment and Evaluation:

Participants will respond to reflective questions throughout the module. Mentors will use assess responses to determine whether participants know the different types of web sites and how to evaluate them. Mentors should stop the group and reemphasize important points based on participant reaction. Using WIT's feedback feature, mentors and participants may provide addition responses to this module.

Here are reflective questions included in this module:

Do your students have access to the Internet? How often and where?
Do you use the Internet?
What types of sites do you use and why?
Is there a favorite site that you enjoy using?
What types of sites would you find most useful, and why?
What do you think is most important when looking for appropriate sites? Do you have some additional criteria that is specific to your needs that would apply?

Mentors may observe for the following behaviors as participants work through the module:

Participants should

• view site and linked pages
• talk about characteristics of sites
• discuss during exercises
• ask questions and defend points of view
• bookmark/email sites

top

Appendices:

Read more about evaluating educational sites by visiting the Additional Readings page and clicking on links.

This module include the following sites:

Pages in this module: Home Getting Started Types of Educational Sites Evaluating Educational Sites Evaluation Checklist Exploring Educational Sites Using Educational Sites Additional Readings Teaching Guide Enrichments Lessons Tools References Resources Projects Activities

Links in this module: National Educational Technology Standard Web Institute for Teachers Sorting Strands of the WWW for Educators Evaluating Internet Resources Museum of Science and Industry Understanding by Design NCREL's Lesson Planner email to: E. Fabiyi email to L. Gool

Home

 

Evaluating Existing Educational Sites was created by E. Fabiyi (efabiyi@cuip.net) & L. Gool (lgool@yahoo.com) for the Web Institute for Teachers,
last updated June 6, 2003