6c+Sandra

 With so much information in cyber world, I think it is very important that educators do some prescreening before they tell their students to go online for research. I would prefer to do some research first, compile a list of sites in which students can find the material they will need, and then hand them a list. Age group is an important consideration for me: if I am working with a group of adults, I can tell them to go online, do their own research, and check with me if these sites are reliable. My concern in this case would only be the ability of the students to discern what is reliable information and what is not. With younger students, I would be much more concerned about them encountering information which is not appropriate for their age group. A friend of mine once had her daughter do a research about horses online for a third grade project. A couple of websites which popped up initially were completely inappropriate. So with children I would make sure not to give them an open "go online and researc h x, y or z" assignment.

 In my work in the Jewish world, my concern has always been to explain to my students where the website stands philosophically speaking. I want them to know that in most cases the material you find online is framed in accordance to a specific theology and that you have to take that into consideration. Take organ donation, for example. Different movements will have different opinions, and I want my students to know where the answer is coming from.

 More than this, I need to make su re the information they are accessing is being given by someone with the necessary knowledge. With all the wonderful collaboration possibilities that are available today, one must know if the author(s) of a certain website is sharing knowledge or his/her own opinions. Wikipedia, for example, is accurate in some things, and inaccurate in others. It is one of the first places our students will land when researching online. So we must have some parameters to offer our students.

What follows below is a list of questions one would ahve to ask in order to assess different sites. It was adapted from an original list published by Paul Gorski in 1999 (Multicultural Perspectives, Volume 2, Number 3).

Content questions: 1. Is the site's content relevant to your needs? 2. Is the target age group clearly indicated and consistent with the age range of your students? 3. Are the mission and the scope of the site clearly indicated and relevant to your purposes? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">4. Are graphic images appropriate for your students' age group? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">5. Is the content timely and updated reasonably often?6. Is the author's experience in the content area sufficient? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">7. Is there evidence of quality control? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">8. Does the site include a statement about the author or sponsoring organization that helps identify potential bias? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">9. Does the site include forums for users to discuss its content and present divergent perspectives? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">10. Does the site contain obvious content errors or omissions? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">11. If information on the site is time-sensitive, is it routinely updated to incorporate new and follow-up information?

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Access questions: <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">1. Does the site load reasonably fast? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">2. Is the site organization intuitive? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">3. Is the necessity of scrolling kept to a minimum? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">4. Is navigation simple and obvious? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">5. Does the site use a variety of media and styles to effectively engage students with varying learning styles? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">6. Does the site encourage participation among users through intercultural interactive or collaborative opportunities? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">7. Does the site provide voice to other perspectives through links or other connections?