Curriculum Web and Technology

A good curriculum web should have all the elements of a traditional classroom project. It should have clear goals and objectives that tie into the academic standards. A curriculum web is an excellent opportunity to design a project that gets students engaged in the material in a way that is relevant to them. What it should not be is an excuse to get students working on computers just for the sake of it. Children today spend enough time on computers as it is.

Evaluating Websites

I'm constantly researching things online, and I almost in a subconscious manner evaluate the credibility of the source. Obiously, if the website is from an establish news source, professional journal, etc. then you can trace the credibility back to that of the provider. With such websites you still have to use the questioning eye that is appropiate to judge traditional media.

In many other cases, however, the author is a private individual, and then you have to scrutinize the content with a more suspicious eye. Firstly, I look at whether or not the person is trying to sell me something or otherwise profit from their website. In the case that they are, everything must be taken with a grain of salt, and I try to look for neutral sources to confirm or deny that which I find to be important. Even when it is a neutral source, I have to evaluate what credentials and expertise that the author has to speak about the topic with any authority. Also I judge if they are someone who is very strongly opionated, and thus might tend to slant the truth.

Wikipedia is of course a great source to find general information about just about anything. The built in process of peer review is very effective, but it is critical to go back to the cited sources for anything that is questionable or controversial.