Websites Evaluation, Search Engines and More
Search Engines & Web Navigation
Search engines are ubiquitous, but still underutilized. Teaching students to use them efficiently is much like teaching students how to navigate a library in the past--while the practice is different, the concept is similar. Since “most search engines allow several kinds of ‘advanced search’ options,” (Robyler, 2016, p. 183) there is no shortage of ways to utilize the nuances of search engines. Once students are able to distinguish between legitimate sources, they can narrow down and focus searches to find specifics in any subject. “Digital literacy, which includes the ability to be critical and ethical producers and consumers of media,” (Robyler, 2016, p. 191) is as important as any use of search engines. Students should be able to sift through bad websites and sources to find the truly useful ones.
Website Evaluation
This video is not long-winded, preachy, or wordy. It illustrates a very common problem people have with identifying sources, and quickly shows how to remedy this problem. Many of the ideas are repeated from the module and its videos, but it is still an effective two minutes, and I would love to implement it in my classroom because examples are the best way to explain a problem, in my opinion. It also ties in the idea of different suffixes in websites, which can mean the difference between a website for our nation’s executive branch of government and a porn site (Robyler, 2016, p.174).
Favorite Professional Websites
I really like Literature Learning Ladders (http://eduscapes.com/ladders/themes/literacy.html), primarily because “appropriate helpful links to other, related sites are provided,” (Robyler, 2016, p. 198). There are many different tools for teaching literature, and various ideas for thinking outside of the box and collaborating between students, especially when reading novels.
Teacher’s Domain (or PBS LearningMedia; http://aptv.pbslearningmedia.org) is also a great tool. I always thought the PBS videos we watched in high school were of high quality and not only does this site have videos, it has videos for specific subjects that change daily/weekly, as well as other resources. This site checks off many of the criteria from the Evaluation Checklist, but most prominently to me is that “graphics, videos and sound are included to help communicate information on the topic,” (Robyler, 2016, p. 198).
Online Safety and Security
Phishing scams are a serious concern to me. These are “emails that claim to be from a legitimate organization... [that]...ask for personal information but[…]actually used for identity theft,” (Robyler, 2016, p. 176). I have almost been fooled by them myself, so it is concerning to me that students could be faced with these type of scams, especially under the guise of a school email. It is very important that students are educated about fraud and phishing scams at a young age, because they will only become more of a problem over time.
Source:
Roblyer M.D. (2016). Integrating technology into teaching (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Justin great job! I must agree with you about how navigating the web is similar to searching for books in a library. Yes teachers must teach the appropriate ways to use it. An effective way of developing new hypermedia products such as Web pages and websites is to look at what others have done. Review other teachers' sites and look for ideas that would work for your own site (Roblyer p. 196). I believe that using the web is faster and a lot more effective than trying to scan through books.
ReplyDeleteJustin, interesting analogy of the internet and looking for a book in a library. Your comments about identifying legitimate website are important for students today. It is easy to get lost on the internet when attempting to find information and this can lead to a lot of wasted time. Once you understand how to find information quickly, efficiently and safely it will allow a student to make the most of their time when utilizing the internet for school work. Roblyer states (2016) "to make a bookmark or favorite, first navigate to the site you would like to visit. Once it is on the screen, go to the bookmarks or favorites menu at the top of the browser frame and select bookmark or favorite" (pg. 181). I like the favorite option because you can very quickly click to your site without even doing a search.
ReplyDeleteJustin, I agree with you that "since most search engines allow several kinds of ‘advanced search’ options,” (Robyler, 2016, p. 183)allows several different ways to utilize the web. Finding the best search engine that works for you is very important. I think this will allow the student to find and evaluate sites more proficiently.
ReplyDelete