Evaluating New Websites

     There are many things that need to be examined in order to determine if a particular website is desirable for students.  When I preview websites to share with my students, I look for appropriate content for my lesson, as well as if that content is age appropriate for my students.  Websites should be free of obscenity (both the content and comments), and inappropriate content or images must not be found.  In addition, the number of advertisements should be limited.  Although, I would rather see no advertising on a website, if there were a few that were not too distracting, I would still consider the website as a resource for my students.  Of course, the type of ad matters.  If it were to appeal to adult audiences, I would steer clear of that website.  Some other things I would look for is the copyright date.  If it is outdated and no longer relevant, I would look for a more current website to suit my students’ needs.  If I were to share a website with my students to read in class or independently, I would not hold them responsible for a website that was over three pages for fear that they would lose interest and stop reading and interacting with the website.  Finally, I would check the website/author to be sure it is credible.

     Websites that would be less desirable would be filled with obscenity and inappropriate content and images.  The advertising would be very distracting, overwhelming, and adult-oriented.  Antiquated websites would be doing a disservice to students, as information would be outdated and irrelevant.  Finally, if websites are created by non-credible sources, they would not hold much value and may not be worth sharing with your students.  All of these less desirable websites should not be permitted in the classroom, as there is an abundance of resources available that can be used instead. 

     Because of these negative aspects introduced by particular websites, it is extremely important to preview all information before it is shown to students.  Not only is it important for educators to look for these specific things in websites, students should be taught to identify positive and negative aspects of the overabundance of websites as well.  Educators and students should be aware of the possible inappropriate content of particular websites and know how to react to them properly.