A visit to a classroom at Edith Bowen started out the class today. We were able to see first-hand, how technology can and is used in a classroom. This short field trip gave me some great ideas that I want to use in my own classroom someday.

After returning to the computer lab, we completed some evaluation forms for various websites. Of all the forms, the WWW Cyberguide form was the one I liked the most. Some of these forms were hard to fill out because they only asked for an author of the website. Most of the websites I looked at were sponsored by a group or were set up with copyright; they didn't have specific authors. The forms also seemed too general. The websites we had to look up were more specific and so it was hard to decide whether they met the criteria or not.

Because I was filling out the forms, I noticed more about the credibility of the website or who it was created by. I also looked more at the purpose of the website. Rather than just assuming that it was there to provide me with resources and information, I looked to see if I had to sign up for something or purchase some program in order to reap the full benefits of that website or program.

For me, using a website evaluation made me look for important things that I don't normally notice. When using websites for lesson plans and information in teaching, it's vital that the information be valid and updated. It would also be valuable to use an evaluation in determining if a website would be appropriate for my students to have access to and to use. If a website is too distracting from its purpose or if it's difficult to navigate, I don't want my students to have to struggle through it. A website evaluation process is valuable because it helps me pay attention to the validity of the site and its resources or authors.

I wouldn't necessarily fill out an evaluation form for every website that I ever visit. They would be beneficial once in awhile, but I would use the criteria from them for every website I use for information or resources. When using a website for those two reasons, I want to make sure that the information I am gaining from it is correct, valid, and updated.