Criteria for the Evaluation of Web-Based Materials

Everyday more and more material is being put up on the web. This information comes in all sorts of styles and flavors; fact, opinions, stories, videos and much more. Some of this information good, but a lot of it bad. So how do we know what is “good” and how do we teach this to our students?

First let’s look at the term: good. Good is a relative term that I use for quality information that is accurate and reliable. Anyone can post on the Internet so as a consumer we have to be careful of what we choose to believe. In the past most of us assumed that the information that we amassed was legitimate. We trusted that the writers were professional that gathered the facts and that there were checks and balances before an article made it into the newspaper or a story was seen on the news. But with the advent of the Internet those checks and balances have disappeared so we as consumers must be more diligent and responsible when it comes to choosing the information that we use.

It all starts with our pre-search. What are we going to be looking for? Are we looking for facts, opinions, statistics, do we want it to entertain or inform? Once we know the purpose then we can have a better idea of where to look for the best information.

The key is to try to find the information from a reliable source. This is where it begins to get a little tricky. What is reliable? Look for a source that is reputable, one that has proven over time that their information is valid and correct. For the students it should be sites such as the Worldbook online, Time for kids, NetTrekker and biography.com to name a few. As teachers we can and should find these web sites before assigning a project. Also when we look at reliability can we check the information that is being presented? Look for multiple sources that support the same information, double check the facts and understand what is opinion.

We also need to know that a site like Wikipedia is very informative but it can be edited and revised by anyone. The term Wiki means that it allows collaborative editing of its content and structure by its users. That doesn’t mean that the information is not valid but as a consumer we need to be able to justify and check the information from other sources too.

We also need to make sure that the information is timely. Information on the web is updated all the time. Is the information that you have the most recent and the most accurate? Just because it is most recent doesn’t always mean it is the most accurate. That is an important distinction that we must address to the students. Just because it is newer doesn’t always make it better. If we are looking for historical information it may not matter when it was authored but if we are researching about today’s economy or scientific gains on cancer then timeliness is important.

Lastly, I think we need to use our common sense. This is hard for our students because they do not have the experience and knowledge that we have. We must rely on what we already know and not be so lazy as to take and trust the first piece of information that we come across. Our students love to use Google and only look at the first listing that appears. If it seems too good to be true then it probably isn’t! We cannot believe everything that we read. We need to be conscientious when it comes to our information.

Remember that anyone can post on the Internet. You don’t need a license or a degree, just a computer. I am living proof of that!