Evaluating Websites

While access to technology in the classroom can be extremely beneficial, teachers must caution their students about websites that are unreliable sources of information. Teachers must also be careful to choose websites with reliable authors and information. Tuesday in class, I had to evaluate a website for reliability and usability. I chose to evaluate http://www.webenglishteacher.com/ authored by Carla Beard. This website is an excellent resource for both new and experienced teachers. Carla Beard has been teaching English since 1975 and is a noted speaker for NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English) and is currently partnering with Harvard University speaking at a conference on technology in the English classroom. While the site does have some features and links that students can find useful, this site will mainly serve as a resource for me as I begin my first year teaching, and I highly recommend it. The experience of evaluating a website is one that I would like my students to have, especially when considering potential internet sources for a paper. This activity could help them to become more aware that just because something is on the internet doesn't make it true.