Using Website Evaluation

The activity on website evaluation was helpful to me as a student and as a future teacher. When doing research for papers or classes, I can use the evaluation criteria to test whether a site could have accurate or false information. I want my work to be credible; therefore, I need to know I am using credible sources. The guide we used during this assignment taught me the important aspects of good website. During the activity, the site I found is www.thedogisland.com which is a site that advertises a vacation spot for dogs. Since it is an advertisement, I was careful about believing the information from the beginning. After seeing how many criteria of a credible site this one failed, I knew it was most likely a hoax. Then, by looking at the site more deeply, I found a disclaimer that the site was made in jest, and the company does not exist. My suspicions were obviously correct, and this is truly a fake site. Through this evaluation, I learned what to look for before using a site and how some sites can look extremely credible if you do not follow these criteria. 

Most hoax websites are not as obviously fake or have a disclaimer like this site; therefore, as teachers, we should realize the importance of educating our students on using credible sites. You can give a quick tutorial on evaluation or give an activity such as the one we did in class. They use the web to get information for classes, homework, and entertainment, so students need to know how to evaluate a site in order to ensure their knowledge is credible. Also, if we do a web search activity in class, we should check the sites before hand to know that students are looking at appropriate and correct information. With all the information on the web, our computers at school should also have some sort of censoring device to make sure students cannot even access inappropriate information. However, some sites will fall through, thus as teachers, we must monitor their work and check each site cited/used for research.

My Educational Website Evaluation

This is a website I found to help children and others evaluate the websites they use: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/usingweb/g6-8.html

After looking at this site, I see that it is a beneficial site because of its ease of use. The site directs you to a little presentation in a step by step format to finding a site and then lists questions to ask yourself before using the site for research. The facts on this site are reliable because it is a children's education site and contains correct information. Also, I liked this site because it is written in a simple way that children or any new user to the web could understand and see how to find an accurate site for what they need. The site explains why you do each step and what each part of the web means. This information is important for new users because they can learn about the web as they use it. On the last slide of the presentation, it tells you how to bookmark a site so that you can come back and revisit. Bookmarking is necessary for any person doing web research since he will need to have the address of the site for correct citations and quotations. Overall, this site has accurate information and ease of use; therefore, it is a beneficial resource when learning how to evaluate websites.

Reflecting on Wiki

I have been very impressed with all of the tools Wiki has. It seems like something that would be very beneficial to my classroom such as communicating with parents. I could give parents permission to see the site, then we could discuss classroom activities and get more involvement from them since they could collaborate without having to leave home or work. Parents could also use the Wiki as a forum to work out sign ups for volunteering and fundraisers like bake sales. Also, I have an idea to hold group quizzes on the Wiki by creating different pages that only a set group of students could see. The students could go on the Wiki and collaborate on answers to the questions while only being allowed to see only their group's page. Then, I would go on and grade their answers. It might be a fun way for students to get involved with their classmates and make their learning more interactive.

I have found using Wikis are not that complicated; however, I worry that parents and students might have a difficult time on their own. We have been able to use one another and our professor as a source of aid; however, they will not have such an opportunity. Therefore, I would set up some sort of tutorial or instructional video online for them to watch so that Wikis will be more accessible. The only trouble I seemed to have using the Wiki is getting started. Once I learned the tricks and how to organize all the tools, working with a Wiki was quite simple.

In the beginning...

As I look forward at the plans for this course, I feel apprehension and nervousness. I am worried that I will be able to handle the tools needed to accomplish each assignment and remember to complete each one. Also, the calendar looks fairly demanding; therefore, I am worried that I will be able to complete each assignment in the required time to the best of my ability. Because this course is so important to my future classrooms, I want to be able to take as much away with me as possible.

The course does seem exciting because I understand the importance of technology in today's classrooms. I hope to implement many of the tools we use throughout the semester such as blogs and wikis in my teaching. Hence, I will need to learn how to use each application through the assignments to be able to retain as much knowledge about classroom technology as possible. Also, I want to get a more well-rounded education on computers and different techniques in order to be as successful as I can be in my future career/education. The tools we learn throughout this course will not only be useful in our individual classrooms, but we can also educate fellow colleagues and use new techniques in our own classes here at UT. I expect to end this course with a whole new pedagogy of technical tools to use in my continuing education and career even with my beginning apprehensions.

Biography

My name is Katy Tanner. I am from Knoxville, TN and have lived in Knoxville my whole life. I went to Farragut schools primary through high and graduated from a class of 550. I took all honors/AP classes and graduated with a 4.25 GPA. Since I worked so hard in high school, I came to UT with over 30 hours of credit. Therefore, I will be able to graduate from the 5 year Masters program here (in Secondary Math) in 4 years. It was easy to work hard for this goal because I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. Education is something that is very important to me, and I feel that a teacher can change the world.

I am planning to get married in May 2012 and move to California with my new husband, Joseph. He will be working with Boeing and going to UCSB or Stanford while I am teaching. We met in fourth grade and finally began dating our senior year of high school. I am really excited to begin my life in California as a new teacher and wife.

We enjoy doing outdoor activities such as trail running, hiking, and kayaking. He has recently picked up fishing which consumes most of his free time; however, since he is in undergraduate school right now at Purdue, his fishing opportunities are limited. Fishing is something we both have come to love especially when we can catch huge bass. I also enjoy baking and shopping with my girl friends. I am looking forward to incorporating all of these hobbies into math lessons as I begin teaching.