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.

I really like technorati. It makes searching for blogs pretty easy. I especially like that you can choose the “authority” of the post. So for this week’s outside educational technology posting I found one on internet safety.

Thanks to Adam Thierer of The Technology Liberation Front, I learned that the Senate recently passed a resolution naming June National Internet Safety Month. You can check out the resolution here (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:sr205ats.txt.pdf). Although it is a nice idea it doesn’t really do much other than say they (the Senate) support the importance of internet safety for children. Thierer lists in his blog (http://www.techliberation.com/archives/042421.php) several helpful sites in learning/teaching internet safety in relation to children and teens.

A list of five applications I believe every student should learn.

1. Word processors (MS Word)

2. Web Browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer)

3. Graphics Editors (MS Paint, Adobe Photoshop)

4. Presentation Software (ie: PowerPoint)

5. Personal Information Managers (MS Outlook)

Although I have listed these applications in order from most important; I do not feel the importance of these applications is distantly ranked. For example, I have listed word processors first and web browsers second. I am not suggesting that web browsers are a distant second by any means.

I chose the ranking of the applications based on what I feel might be learned and used earliest in a student’s educational career.
The applications listed were chosen based on my “real world” and college experience. I have created most projects using MS Word, Firefox and Adobe Photoshop. My knowledge of MS PowerPoint has been extremely useful in college, as many instructors use this application. I have learned to print PP presentations in outline form; this makes it easier for me to take effective notes. As for the Personal Information Managers, I use Outlook DAILY! Outlook on my pocket PC has replaced my GIANT old day planner. Outlook helps me to keep school work organized, reminds me of upcoming appointments, allows me to communicate on the go(email), holds my contacts and allows me to create to do and bright ideas lists!

It is my opinion that the word processing and web browser applications could be introduced as early in education as First Grade. I would not expect mastery. However, I firmly believe many students could begin to explore these programs with teacher guidance. I believe the graphics editors and presentation software should be introduced around third grade. I worked in a third grade classroom where students were taught how to create intricate PowerPoint presentations which related to the science curriculum (biomes). Finally, I believe mastery and use of the Personal Information Managers should be implemented at middle school age (6th grade). Students could use such software to manage a homework schedule as well as communicate (email) with teachers and peers.

May 20, 2007