July « 2020 « Deborah's reflections

ETL501. Module 2.2. Website evaluation

by debnicklin1

geralt / Pixabay

What have I learned about website evaluation?

Essentially that it is an art more than a science. Harris (2018) espouses a skeptical attitude towards the authenticity of a website and not to be deceived by a professional-looking interface. The acronym CARS

C-credibility

A-Accuracy

R-Reasonableness

S-Support

is useful in guiding TLs in making an informed decision about a website recommendation. In terms of reliability, a trusted source is invaluable. My go to for reliability of educational websites is Scootle. A team of experts from Education Services Australia curate this online resource and are pre-evaluating websites for teachers. Grade levels, curriculum areas, matching outcomes and topics are determined by professionals. Time strapped TLs and teachers should be using Scootle extensively.

Students are well prepared to begin the task of writing responses if they have refined the sites to use. A full understanding of the task, critical analysis of information sources including reliability considerations support students well to succeed.

Reliability criteria questions

Is the URL from a reliable/recognisable site?

Can I learn about the author of a site?

Has the author produced other sites?

Is there a date and is the date recently updated?

Are there links to other sites?

Are there reviews connected with the site?

Is the tone of language professional/neutral or persuasive?

Do other sites show similar views or theories?

What is the reading level of the site?

Harris, R. (2018). Evaluating Internet research sources. Virtual Salt. http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm

ETL501

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ETL501: Bloom’s taxonomy table

by debnicklin1

Adding tools to this table became somewhat tricky. The first few were easy, due to the notion that the tools were familiar. A stumbling block was my use of web 2.0 tools is limited. I have explored quite a few but as far as classroom use goes, I only use a few. Another is familiarity with the topic. There are really only the bare bones of a unit of work here without an outline to direct focus. I have added tools to the table below I have explored as part of this course, however, a more in-depth look at key tools will build confidence in exploring them in a classroom setting. Despite these hurdles, making room for more web 2.0 tools and applying them authentically requires careful thought.

Objective	Question	Resources/Web 2.0 tool
Knowledge	What is an ecosystem?	Dictionary – print or online or basic textbook, eg. Wordnik, Visuword, specialist glossary, …
Knowledge	Define an ecosystem and list the varieties that are found in South Australia.	World Book Online NF texts in library South Australian Govt website Google Earth Google doc or slides (collaborative group task-set up a document/folders to store information gathered/links to websites found) Google slides eduglogster-make a virtual poster Wordle-creates word clouds https://www.mentimeter.com/- also creates instant word clouds using QR code. SA Environmental legislation website to explore laws. Mind map- https://www.canva.com/graphs/mind-maps/
Comprehension	List the different parts of the ecosystem and explain what they do.	Ipad-poplet Word document Google form/slides(collect CC images) World Book Online Mind map tool-mindmeister Comprehension tool to create an online cloze task-https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/04/create-cloze-tests.html (Students could create their own to share.) https://bubbl.us/ (Mind mapping tool)-free
Comprehension	Compare a marine ecosystem with one from another area of our state.	https://www.canva.com/graphs/mind-maps/ https://venngage.com/
Application	Using a diagram, show how the water cycle operates in an ecosystem.	Cardboard (Poster) Draw.io https://venngage.com/
Application	Demonstrate what happens when humans interfere with the water cycle.	Present to another group your findings (peer reviews) https://venngage.com/ Create a Kahoot to be shared with the class.
Analysis	Contrast the natural water cycle with that used by our community.	https://venngage.com/
Analysis	Examine an ecosystem that has been damaged by human interference. Avoided how?	A walk around school grounds or homework activity to photograph local sites/waterways. Describe how the ecosystem has been altered and/or damaged. Then describe how the change could have been avoided.
Synthesis	Identify an unspoilt ecosystem and design a way of preserving it.	Google earth https://www.epa.sa.gov.au/about_us/legislation
Synthesis	How would preserving our local ecosystems enhance our environment?	Build on collaborative google doc/slides. https://venngage.com/
Evaluation	Is it reasonable that people pollute our waterways? Defend your answer.	Debate/discussion Record a mindmap of the discussion https://www.canva.com/graphs/mind-maps/
Evaluation	Assess the impact of pollution in our local waterways.	Create a newspaper article using slides. Create a poster encouraging the community to look after our waterways.

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Fun web 2.0 tools

by debnicklin1

https://venngage.com/

Venngage is a tool for all types of mind maps, reports and posters useful for a number of Bloom’s stages.

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https://www.canva.com/graphs/mind-maps/

Canva is a similar tool to create posters, mind maps, graphs etc

https://www.mentimeter.com/

How fun is this! It’s an interactive word cloud among other things.

ETL501 Web 2.0 tools

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ETL501. Module 2.1 Reflect. On your Thinkspace blog, reflect on Farmer’s ideas about print and digital reference material. Are there other materials you would consider appropriate in an Australian context? What factors may influence the decision on which format (physical or digital, or both) to choose?

by debnicklin1

PDPics / Pixabay

Multiple formats for the most used reference materials are important (Farmer, 2014, p. 66) in a primary school setting. In my short experience in a school library, quick use dictionaries and atlases need to be in physical and online formats. Logging onto a device and searching an online dictionary will take much longer than using a book version unless the device is already open in front of the student. I have also found picture dictionaries useful for younger and second language students. Recent purchases of English-Korean, English-Mandarin and English-Hindi children’s picture dictionaries from Abbey’s bookshop in Sydney have also proved useful for our growing population of second language students in the school.

A factor for purchasing physical books for the multilingual dictionaries was our EALD staff are regularly in small teaching spaces without quick access to technology. They often work within classrooms, meeting rooms in the library and outside. Dictionaries meet the needs of the students and teachers in these circumstances.

An online encyclopedia has been our preferred option for many years now. World Book Online (WBO)has proved to be a wonderful resource across all grades and subject areas for a primary school. Farmer’s list of considerations for online formats of reference materials (2014, pp. 63-67) were all considered in the purchase of the subscription years ago and good support from the company in a variety of ways has meant WBO continues to be our preference for a school-based encyclopedia.

I am yet to find a suitable online magazine for young students that is better than the School Magazine. Our year four teachers subscribe to this very long-running publication and it is much loved by the students and contains a print magazine for the students and online content. I am unaware of additional Australian content available to build a reference library at this stage. I need to explore other options in this area.

Print and online formats are essential in a K-6 library. Updated information is necessary for an encyclopedia and an online format can provide currency. Carefully curated print reference materials, updated periodically according to a guide within the Collection Development Policy of the school, can also provide valuable sources for students and teachers.

Farmer, L. S. J. (2014). Introduction to reference and information services in today’s school library. Rowman & Littlefield.

New South Wales Government. (n.d.). The School Magazine. https://theschoolmagazine.com.au/

World Book Online. (2020). World Book. https://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Login?ed=wb

ETL501

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