Evaluating Web Sites by Elementary Students

Question: How can elementary students learn to evaluate Web sites used in research?

Answer:

The WWWDOT Framework:

> Who wrote this and what credentials do they have?

 > Why was it written?

> When was it written?

> Does it help meet my needs?

> Organization of the site?

> To-Do list for the future. “The to-do list can include additional websites and other texts to read, and it can also include activities that do not involve further reading, such as asking a librarian a question, sharing what they learned with a family member….”

Quote: “Even our youngest students have unprecedented access to information. Although in large measure this should be viewed as a  positive development, the unfiltered nature of information on the Internet creates a new urgency for teaching students to critically evaluate sources of information.  The WWWDOT framework provides…[an] approach to enhancing students’ awareness of the need to and skill in critically evaluating websites as sources of information. This kind of instruction is essential to helping students make wise use of the riches of our Information Age.” P. 158.

Comment: Good series of ideas to begin checking the legitimacy of Web sites. Might use the same framework in evaluating other sources of information as well. RayS.

Title: “The WWWDOT Approach To Improving Students’ Critical Evaluation of Web Sites.” S Zhang, et al. Reading Teacher (October 2011), 150-158.

NOTE: Taking four-day vacation for Thanksgiving Holiday. RayS.