So last week I came across information on internet safety and June being National Internet Safety Month. This week’s discussion involves website evaluation. I have found the following link helpful in identifying and evaluating the key components of a web page/site. http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
The site http://www.martinlutherking.org/ is a strong (and in my opinion unfortunate) example of the importance of being able to effectively evaluate the content of a website. Upon first glance the site appears to be a good hit. After all, it raked sixth when Googling for “Martin Luther King Jr.”. It even claims to be a “True Historical Examination” . It is a dot org… thats a good source right??? … Not always true!
Using the check list above I first looked at the authority. Who wrote the page? I scrolled down to the bottom to find the site is “hosted by Stormfront”. Now, I purposefully chose not to link to Stormfront as I want no affiliation. Stormfront discribes its self as a White Nationalist Community discussion board. It is run by Don Black a former KKK leader.
This site is NOT appropriate for schools especially elementary school children. It displays the F word (semi censored), is derogatory, and links to the stormfront page (which upon research also has a stormfront for kids hosted by Black’s (at the time)12yr old son). Although it could be used as an incidental teaching moment the content and a child’s curiosity could prove hazardous to your teaching career.
By that same token it is of the GREATEST importance that we as teachers educate our students to be critical thinkers. When evaluating a web page read the content. Does it coinside with what you already know about the topic? I thought I had known that MLK Jr. was an eloquent speaker and the site above said something about “Brothas in da hood”. That was my first red flag, it didnt add up. From there I scrolled down to find the author.
