One that can overwhelm an individual.
A place where you can get lost for hours, days, months, years and not find a “credible” and/or “appropriate” web site to use for work/school work application.
Yet, this knowledge of almost anything you can imagine is accessible. And if it’s not there yet, it will be. Someday.
The use of the Internet has revolutionized the way people communicate.
We email. We instant message.
We blog.
We tweet.
We friend request.
We post comments. We send winks.
We tag each other.
We text.
We google.
We facebook.
We share.
We connect.
Most of the Internet communication scripts mentioned above are ones that the average Internet user is familiar with. They are all simple tasks performed by filling out forms. Writing text into pre-formatted boxes. You write your text in the box. And magic, the communication you desired happens.
In choosing web based resources, it is imperative to choose resources that have the same types of user interfaces as popular websites like www.google.com or www.myspace.com because it is familiar. It gives students confidence as they navigate through resources that are preselected.
In these two popular websites, the reason why they blew up the way that they did is because they are easy to use and they are inclusive of everyone.
Below are a list of things to look for in the overall appearance/user interface of a web resource:
ID
A distinguishable banner or logo that students can identify. This helps because then they know what web site they are using and they can reference it later. The banner and/or logo makes it easier to remember.
Organization
The web site should be organized so that students can readily access information. Use of tabs/hyperlinks on homepage, use of tags, a drop down menu of website archive, et cetera.
Search bar/menu option that can search the entire web site and/or the Internet.
Web 2.0 Tools
Use of Web 2.0 tools. Use of features like buttons to add an RSS feed to your twitter, to add to your social bookmarking page, to share/embed material into another site/blog, et cetera. These
Web 2.0 tools are important because it empowers students to validate the resources that the teacher has already pre-selected for them. Or it can give them authority to challenge the materials.
Credibility
The web materials must be credible. Credibility is a complex formula. You can get it twisted and find a way to make anyone seem credible. But evaluate the web site on a basis of who made the website and why did they make it. The follow are some ideas on what to look for:
the creator of the content
- the domain name of the web site
- the last time it was published
- read the “about section” for some background information about the website content creators
- is it a primary source of information
To our students these ways of communication are part of their daily life. And have slow filtered up from students to their parents. More and more people are using the websites to communicate and keep in touch with friends and family.
ReplyDeleteIn schools we should not make students change the way they communicate. We need to embrace what they do outside of school in their education.
Wonderful post David. People need easy ways to communicate. They also need relevant materials and correct data to discuss. Schools should embrace the types of communication that students use like Elizabeth stated. They need to, especially to see if any "red flags" are waving.
ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteI really like your list about the things we do on-line, they are reality and action verbs and part of daily life.
That said, I really appreciate your nod to the need for appropriate ID and credibility, as I think those are two of the largest issues regarding appropriate use.
So often, our students don't take into account these major issues into their decision-making, which can lead to frustrating and even disastrous results. I think they must fully understand how to be a responsible technology user, first and foremost and then technology can really be a great benefit to their lives.