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Using a Web
site with your classes
Who
Created the Site?
A web site can be published by anyone. This spans from content experts
to a person that has no idea what they are presenting. It is usually easy
to identify the latter since such sites usually dodge the tough topics,
have a flagrant agenda or ideology that is evident, and have too much
advertising that takes away from any substantive content. You should search
for sites that state facts, not opinions.
Do not assume that every site has reliable and valid content. Compare
it to what you know about the subject. If you don't know much about the
subject, compare the content of a few sites on the same topic. This is
a skill that you should share with students, as it will be a vital work-related
skill in the future, i.e., to evaluate information as accurate. People
who create a web site have a very definite agenda. If you haven't heard
of the site before, look for sections such as "About Us", "Company Information",
or "Profile." These sections will give you the reason for the site and
will sometimes tell you who is responsible for the development of the
site. There are many reasons why sites are developed including profit
motive, promotion, and even passion for a given topic or issue. Sites
created for educational purposes are the sites we are concerned with.
Reliability of the Internet providing access to Web Sites:
One problem with the web is the volatility of every site on the Internet.
In some cases, you cannot be sure that the site you see today will be
there in a week or in the next month. You should try to choose sites that
have a history. In the Internet world, keep in mind that six months can
equate to four years.
In the coming year, you will see a lot of sites specifically designed
for Broadband (high-speed access) users. These sites, in some cases, will
not work on low speed connections (i.e., 56K or lower). Also, certain
sites are made for specifically for certain web browsers and browser plug-ins
(i.e., Netscape 4.5 or Internet Explorer 5.0). Thus, using a browser that
does not support the capacity of some web sites will diminish the quality
of your students' visit. The best idea is to view the sites that you are
considering on the same equipment that your students will be using.
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