What do you use to evaluate?

How do YOU evaluate a website?

What makes YOU feel good about the information that you get and possibly use from a website?

Do YOU just go with a gut feeling or is there more to it than that?

I got an email from a teacher a few days ago asking for some ideas and resources she could use to work with her 3rd-5th grade students on evaluating website and conducting effective research.

I had a few ideas, so I sent her some links.

Then I asked friends I am connected with on Skype and got more ideas, so I sent her another email ... and then another email ... and then another email

I started looking at some of the suggested resources, found some other resources and ideas ... so I sent her another email!

I know, I know, I know ...

I did not make very good use of email since I should have pulled together everything ... but I got excited and wanted to share with the teacher who had asked! :)

Since I like to share, I thought I would share them here too (this is also a good way for me to put them in a place where I can find them ... a little selfish)!

Research and Media Skills are such a big part of the Common Core that I thought these might be useful so here are some of the things I found:

• Digital Literacy Tour from Google
• Search Engine for Students from Sweet Search
• Resourcing the Curriculum: Evaluating Websites  (from the Department of Education)
• A Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See on the Web from ITHACA College Library
• Teaching Students to Evaluate Websites from Infosearcher
• Web Evaluation from CyberBee

I also found some questions on a Thinkfinity forum about evaluating websites. There are some great resources and ideas in the comments. Here are a few of them:

•  "One of the sites I've used with 4-6th graders is All About Explorers http://allaboutexplorers.com/  This site has several lesson ideas to help students evaluate information as different levels.
• "I've also used the "rule of 3".  I told them that they should find at least 3 other sites that support the information that they will be reporting.  We also talked about verifying a website author"
• There are some lesson plans on ReadWriteThink that take on evaluating online resources. These might be helpful, depending upon the grade level where you teach:

1. Inquiry on the Internet: Evaluating Web Pages for a Class Collection for grades 6-8
2. Research Building Blocks: Examining Electronic Sources for grades 3-8
3. Wading Through the Web: Teaching Internet Research Strategies for grades 6-8

You can find examples and non-examples, checklists, lessons, ideas, links to other sites, and many other things!

Go explore ... come back and share what you found ...

Remember that SHARING is the most important part ... even if it is not with me, but make sure to share with others!

photo credit: Britta Bohlinger via photopin cc