Week 5 Reflection

Internet Safety

Why we should or should not use the Internet in education:

I wholeheartedly believe that there is a place for Internet usage in education, as long as educators take the time to properly implement Internet assignments and activities in a way that is safe for their students. I believe that the web can greatly enhance classrooms around the world. It would be unfortunate to ignore or shun this great resource that is available to us.

Why evaluate the sites we use:

It is crucial for educators, parents, and students to learn how to properly evaluate websites. There is so much content on the web today, with a large percentage being inappropriate for students. When students are given a research assignment, they need to have the tools to identify whether a website's information is academically legitimate. Teachers need to guide their students, by providing them with safe, reputable sites and educational resources.

Questions to ask when evaluating a site:
I really like Kathy Schrock's 5 W's of Website Evaluation. She gives five simple things to look for when evaluating a website. Such as; who, what, when, where, and why.

Here are some specific tips she gives:

Who wrote the pages and are they an expert?
What does the author say is the purpose of the site?
When was the site created?
Where does the information come from?
Why is this information useful for my purpose?

Teachers should instruct their students to use questions like these, every time they use a website for homework and various projects.

Ways to keep students safe while surfing:

A good idea for keeping students safe online is to provide them with several websites that have been pre-evaluated by their teacher. I've found uen.org and Pioneer Online Library to provide a wide selection of safe, educational recources for students to use. Students can find reliable search engines for research projects, such as EBSCO Host.

Educators can also help by teaching their students Internet safety guidelines and how to evaluate websites.

Parents should make sure to monitor their child's home computer time as well.