Teacher Portfolio Activity One: Researching Online Information

Topic :  Cells

Web Site Evaluations

Name___Sample_________________Date__ Sample ___Block______

1. What type of connection do you have to the Internet?

• ___ Dial-up connection

• _ x __ Direct connection: ___56K ___DSL __x__Broadband/cable Other:_________

2. What Web browser are you using? Internet Explorer

3. What is the URL of the Web page you are evaluating?

http:// www.cellsalive.com

4. What is the name of the site? Cells Alive

Part 1: Technical and visual aspects of the page As you look at the questions below, put an X in the yes or no column for each.	Yes	No
Does the page take a reasonable time to load?	x
Do any pictures or photographs on the page add to the information?	x
Is the spelling correct on the page?	X
Is the page signed by the author?	X
Is the author's e-mail address included?	x
Is there a date on the page that tells you when it was last updated? • If so, is it current?	x
	x
On supporting pages, is there a link back to the home page?	x
Are there photographs or sound files on the page? • If so, can you be sure that a picture or sound has not been edited? • If you're not sure, should you accept it?	x
	x
		x
Part 2: Content As you look at the questions below, put an X in the yes or no column for each.	Yes	No
Is the title of the page indicative of the content?	x
Is the purpose of the page indicated on the home page?	x
Does it tell when the document created?	x
Does up-to-date information matter for your purpose?	x
Is the author's e-mail address included?	x
Is the information useful for your purpose?	X
Would it have been easier to get the information somewhere else?		x
Did the information lead you to other sources, both print and Web, that were useful??	x
Is a bibliography of print sources included?	x
Does the information appear biased? (One-sided, critical of opposing views, etc.)		x
Is the information linked to the real-world?	x
Do most of the pictures supplement the content of the page?	x

Part 3: Authority As you look at the questions below, put an X in the yes or no column for each..	Yes	No
Does it say who created it?	x
It is associated with an organization?	x
Does it tell when the document created?	x
Does the domain of the page (k12, edu, com, org, gov) influence your evaluation?	x
Are you positive the information is valid and authoritative?	x
Are you satisfied the information useful for your purpose?	x
If you do a search in the newsgroups on the creator of the page, do you find additional information that shows the Web page author is an expert in the field?	x

Total Number of Yes___27______ /Total Number of No_______3____

Rating Scale:

Excellent=30-27 (Yes); Good=24-26(Yes); Average=21-23(Yes); Poor=20-below

What is the websites’ Rating? ______Excellent________

Modified using http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/pdf/evalhigh.pdf

Name___Sample_________________Date__ Sample ___Block______

1. What type of connection do you have to the Internet?

• ___ Dial-up connection

• _ x __ Direct connection: ___56K ___DSL __x__Broadband/cable Other:_________

2. What Web browser are you using? Internet Explorer

3. What is the URL of the Web page you are evaluating?

http:// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(biology)

4. What is the name of the site? Wikipedia

Part 1: Technical and visual aspects of the page As you look at the questions below, put an X in the yes or no column for each.	Yes	No
Does the page take a reasonable time to load?	x
Do any pictures or photographs on the page add to the information?	x
Is the spelling correct on the page?	X
Is the page signed by the author?		X
Is the author's e-mail address included?		X
Is there a date on the page that tells you when it was last updated? • If so, is it current?	x
	x
On supporting pages, is there a link back to the home page?	x
Are there photographs or sound files on the page? • If so, can you be sure that a picture or sound has not been edited? • If you're not sure, should you accept it?		X
		X
		x
Part 2: Content As you look at the questions below, put an X in the yes or no column for each.	Yes	No
Is the title of the page indicative of the content?	x
Is the purpose of the page indicated on the home page?	x
Does it tell when the document created?	x
Does up-to-date information matter for your purpose?	x
Is the author's e-mail address included?		X
Is the information useful for your purpose?		X
Would it have been easier to get the information somewhere else?	X
Did the information lead you to other sources, both print and Web, that were useful??		X
Is a bibliography of print sources included?	x
Does the information appear biased? (One-sided, critical of opposing views, etc.)		x
Is the information linked to the real-world?		X
Do most of the pictures supplement the content of the page?	x

Part 3: Authority As you look at the questions below, put an X in the yes or no column for each..	Yes	No
Does it say who created it?		X
It is associated with an organization?	x
Does it tell when the document created?	x
Does the domain of the page (k12, edu, com, org, gov) influence your evaluation?	x
Are you positive the information is valid and authoritative?		X
Are you satisfied the information useful for your purpose?		X
If you do a search in the newsgroups on the creator of the page, do you find additional information that shows the Web page author is an expert in the field?		X

Total Number of Yes___15______ /Total Number of No_______15____

Rating Scale:

Excellent=30-27 (Yes); Good=24-26(Yes); Average=21-23(Yes); Poor=20-below

What is the websites’ Rating? ______Poor________

Modified using http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/pdf/evalhigh.pdf