---

This page is no longer being updated.

Please go to the TEACHER TAP for great, updated resources on this topic.

Like selecting the right thread, web weavers need skills in evaluating, selecting, and integrating Internet resources.

Kathy Schrock's Evaluation Resources
http://www.capecod.net/Wixon/evalmid.htm

All threads must be strong to build an effective web page.

Goal of Site

Is the goal stated?
Is the mission served?
Does the site possess literary, artistic, or social value?
Does the goal match your needs?

Nine Planets
http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/intro.html

Appropriateness of Site

(Depends on level of user)

Is the site focused at an appropriate reading level?
Is the site free of inappropriate language or graphics?
Is any bias/opinion easy for students to identify and discuss?
Does the site foster respect for all people including women, minorites, ethnic groups, disabled, and aged?
Does the site reflect a culturally diverse, pluralistic society?
Does the site reflect global awareness?

UN
http://www.un.org

Accuracy

Is the information credible?
Is the information fact or opinion?
Is supporting material provided?
Are associated links provided? Do links work?
Is a web master listed?
Is the site well-maintained and frequently updated?
Are comments requested?

Elvis Presley Official Site
http://www.elvis-presley.com/

Elvis Presley
http://darwin.clas.virginia.edu/~acs5d/elvislinks.html

Scope & Sequence of Content

Is the content well-organized?
Is the breathe of coverage appropriate?
Is information presented in a logical order?

WormWorld Site
http://www.nj.com/yucky/worm/index.html

Depth of Content

Is the site thorough?
Are links provided for expansion? Are they good?
Is the site complete?
Does the site provide "real-world" applications?

Wall Street Research Net
http://www.wsrn.com

Screen Design

Are elements such as navigation tools consistent?
Are functional areas provided?
Do background and animations contribute rather than distract?
Are the font styles and sizes easy to read?
Are graphics large enough to see?
Are graphics small enough to load fast?

Freezone
http://www.freezone.com/home/index.html

Aesthetics

Is the site easy to use?
Does the site have visual appeal?
Are the graphics worth the wait?
Does the site appeal to the imagination, senses, & intellect?
Is the site interesting, stimulating, and engaging?
Is the site thought provoking?

Living in Toyko
http://cyberfair.gsn.org/smis/contents.html

Technical Aspects

Does the site run without error?
Are directions provided for downloads?
Does loading take a reasonable amount of time?
Do most browsers work with the site?
Is a text-only option provided?

Street Cents
http://www.screen.com/streetsite/foodsafety/lobby.html

Navigation

Is it easy to move between pages?
Could you easily return to previous parts of the site?
Is an easy-to-use table of contents or index provided?
Were links clearly described?
Were page lengths kept short to limit options and confusion?

CMCC Museum
http://www.cmcc.muse.digital.ca

Accessibility

Is the site available and easily loaded?
Is the site restricted through password or subscriptions?

Journey North
http://www.ties.k12.mn.us/~jnorth/reg97/

Real-World Applications

Does it blend theory and practice?
Are there real-world applications?
Is the information relevant?
Is the site fun?

The Virtual Garden
http://pathfinder.com/@@VrXStAQAJhZdP8qT/vg/Welcome/welcome.html

Mediums: Exploring Channels of Communication

Text
Graphics, photos
Maps, charts, tables, timelines
Historical documents
Audio
Video
Animation

Frog
http://george.lbl.gov/ITG/Whole.Frog/frog/label1.jpg

Globes
http://hum.amu.edu.pl/~zbzw/glob/glob43.htm

Egypt
http://www.mordor.com/hany/egypt/egypt.html

Think Practicality

Be realistic and practical.

Do you really need Internet?
Would other resources work faster? better?
Why the Internet?

Froggy
http://www.cs.yale.edu/HTML/YALE/CS/HyPlans/loosemore-sandra/froggy.html

Select Quality Info

If it's not good, don't use it.

Does it fit your curriculum?
Does it meet student needs?
Is it written at the right level?

Solar System
http://www.windows.umich.edu/

Correct Reading Level

If students can't read it, don't use it.

Are students skimming or reading?
Are the illustrations helpful?
What are students doing with the information?

Fictional Story
http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/fl/pcto/april.html

Match Interest Level

Internet should be motivating.

Can Internet make a topic more interesting?
Can you match student interests with Internet resources?

Sports Illustrated for Kids
http://pathfinder.com/SIFK/index.html

Match Maturation Level

Most Internet resources are written for adults.

Is the information written at your level?
Is inappropriate information included?
Is it "over" their heads?

The College Guide
http://www.jayi.com/ACG/

Timely Topics

Use Internet for "one-shot" timely topics

Election
Special Events
Olympics

Election Simulation
http://www.darkhorse.msnbc.com/

Explore Current Issues

Internet is best for current info not available in other formats.

Economy
Weather
Human Conflict

Burundi Information
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/by.html
http://198.76.84.1/HORN/images/horn_mov.gif
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/CIA_Maps/Rwanda_Burundi_19878.gif

Authenticity

Internet provides first-hand information not available elsewhere.

Primary materials
historic documents
real data
personal interviews

Early American Documents
http://earlyamerica.com/index.html

Letters
http://www.signature.pair.com/letters/

Multiple Intelligences

Internet lets you focus on individual needs.

Verbal/Linguistic
Visual/Spatial
Musical
Logical/Mathematical
Bodily/Kinesthetic
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal

Light
http://curry.edschool.Virginia.EDU/murray/Light/How_Light_Works.html
http://www.nbn.com/youcan/glasses/eyeglasses.html
http://owl.qut.edu.au/common-cgi-bin/oz-projects/NET-GIG-TEACHERS/
http://www.geom.umn.edu/education/calc-init/rainbow/rainbow.cgi
http://sunsite.anu.edu.au/Questacon/colourcontrast.html
http://www2.islandnet.com/~bedford/penpal-k.html

Monitor Topics

Guide students through the selection of an appropriate topic.

List of topics
Age appropriateness
Content availability
Require research questions

Church of Satan
http://webpages.marshall.edu/~allen12/cos.html

Narrow Choices

The Internet is overwhelming, help students narrow their topic.

Provide a starting site
Help students brainstorm

Idea Central
http://epn.org/idea/

Good Road Maps

Help students focus on relevant information.

Provide
evaluation tools
lists of sample sites
keywords
questions

Hawthorne
http://www.tiac.net/users/eldred/nh/hawthorne.html

Focus on One Page

Internet can be overwhelming.

Direct attention to a single site
Provide students with a limited number of choices

Ant Antics
http://www.ionet.net/~rdavis/antics.shtml

Provide Guides

Provide a handouts or web page with specific guidelines.

Directions
Questions
Links

Democracy Project
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/democracy/debtquest.html
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
http://www.thirdmil.org/debt/debt.cgi
http://garnet.berkeley.edu:3333/budget/budget.html

Get students involved with applying Internet resources.

Allow Exploration

Let students explore sites that have lots of focused options.

Animals
Countries
Social Issues
Careers

Future Scan
http://www.futurescan.com/

High Level Questions

Go beyond the basics, address higher level skills.

Brainstorm questions
Focus on creative projects

Donner Party Project
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/donner/
http://www.tahoenet.com/tdhs/tpdonner.html

Print Out Activities

Even without a classroom computer, you can use Internet

Print and laminate
Print and put in notebooks

Chemisty Lesson
http://www.lapeer.lib.mi.us/ChemCom/Unit1/Density.html

Ink Lesson
http://cissus.mobot.org/MBGnet/simple/ink.html

Build Skills

Use the Internet for remediation and challenge.

Practice software
Simulations

Educational Testing Service
http://www.ets.org/

Test Preparation
http://www.testprep.com/wwmain.sat.html

Concrete Products

Apply Internet information to specific end products.

Papers
Posters
Brochures
Skills
Debate

Online Writery
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/edfirst/OnLine_Outline/OnLine_Outline.html

Puppetry
HTTP://www-leland.stanford.edu/~rosesage/puppetry/puppetry.html#defs.plays

Focus on Involvement

Ask students to "do it"

Create
Write
Discuss
Debate
Formulate

Adventure Stories
http://www.execpc.com/adventure/

Focus on Discussions

Use Internet to share beyond the classroom.

Identify discussion groups
Live or delayed?
Provide initial discussion threads
Don't interrupt, but keep it on track

Discussion List List
http://www.liszt.com/

Focus on Email

Use Internet to link students with other students.

Provide netiquette
Develop specific projects
Develop timelines

KeyPals
http://www.reedbooks.com.au/heinemann/global/global1.html

Travel Buddies
http://owl.qut.edu.au/common-cgi-bin/oz-projects/TRAVEL-BUDDIES/

Active Participation

Involve students in hands-on projects

Tree Rings
Write a diary
Count the rings
Draw a wall poster of tree rings
Act out history
Invent a way to judge age
Write a song about rings

WhyFiles
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/021climate/index.html

Join Projects

Don't try to build everything from scratch, join projects.

Kid projects
Virtual field trips
Online email projects

Slash Magazine
http://www.splash.com/april/graphic/spltgal.htm

Online Class
http://www.usinternet.com/onlineclass/

Manage Teams

Encourage collaborative projects using Internet resources.

One team, one day
One team, one week
One person from team

Thomas Web
http://thomas.loc.gov/

Bring Learning to Life

Focus on ways that Internet can bring learning alive.

Study history through exploration of the park system
Study geography through adventures to historic sites

National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/

Insist on Citations

Ask students to be accountable for their work.

Webs
Notes
Journals
Bibliographies

Classroom Connect Citations
http://www.classroom.net/classroom/CitingNetResources.html

Design Lessons

Springboard
Use Internet to motivate and draw interest

React Magazine
http://www.react.com/

Information Exploration
Present information in an interesting and meaningful way.

Safety
http://www.friend.ly.net/scoop
http://legal.firn.edu/kids/kids.html

Science
http://www.comet.chv.va.us/quill/pen.htm

Active Involvement
Active Participation is essential to learning.

http://www.wln.com/~deltapac/hocm.html

Closure/Transition
Enhance retention and transfer

Gardening
http://www.olympus.net/gardens/home.htm

Internet Groupings

Large Group
Small Group/Learning Centers
Groups of Three
Pairs
Individuals

Mad Scientist
http://pharmdec.wustl.edu/YSP/MAD.SCI/MAD.SCI.html#submit

Interdisciplinary Approaches

The Great Outdoors

GORP
http://www.gorp.com/default.htm

Rainforests

Rainforest Action Network
www.ran.org/ran/info_center

The Impact of Disasters

Earthquake Information
http://www.injersey.com/Media/IonSci/features/quakes/quakes.html

Earthquake Impact
http://www.kobe-cufs.ac.jp/kobe-city/school/fukiai/opinion.html

Anticipate Problems

Inappropriate sites
Technical problems
Classroom management concerns

Plan Each Lesson

Carefully evaluate each site
Pick only the sites that you need
Provide opportunities for guided exporation