Visiting so many children's sites, I have had to come up with ways of telling the good sites from the bad. As a librarian, I've adapted the criteria traditionally used to evaluate books. The media may be different but the methods and skills involved are similar.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Being able to evaluate Web sites is a useful skill for you to learn too, whether you're looking for fun and games or doing serious homework research. I break down my evaluation criteria into two broad categories - design and content. Here's what I look for.
Design is important because if a site is difficult, or even impossible to use, then it isn't much use. Sometimes sites are so cluttered with animations, sounds, graphics and backgrounds that they give me a headache. Sites can be colorful and fun-looking without being overwhelming. If I find text hard to read, if a site seems confusing or takes forever to load I usually skip it.
Organization allows you to easily see what is on a site and navigate to the different areas. If I have trouble seeing what's included on a site, if I keep getting lost and if navigation buttons and links don't work it is a signal that the site is poorly designed.
It is really annoying and disappointing when I try to use an online coloring book or game and it doesn't work very well. I may be an old and slow grown-up but I am not that uncoordinated! If games and activities don't work for me then I assume that they will make you frustrated too. Sites requiring the latest version of this-and-that software can also be a nuisance to use.
If you are planning to use a Web site to help you with your homework then content becomes very important. After all, you want to use sites that have accurate information. There are lots of clues that a Web site is an unreliable source. If a site has sloppy spelling and grammar then the fact-checking may be sloppy too.
Credible Web sites will include the name of the author or organization responsible for the site, a functioning email address and preferably information about the author. Your chances of finding quality information are better at a well-known organization, like NASA or a museum, than at an individual with unknown credentials. By including the date when the site was created or last updated you can tell how current the information is.
Be aware that some sites contain biased information, or may intentionally be trying to mislead visitors. It is a good idea for you to have done some research ahead of time so you can tell if a site includes false information or only one side of an issue. Check out the Homework Helpers section of Berit's Best Sites for Children for links to encyclopedias where you can do some preliminary research.
For more tips on evaluating Web sites, visit Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators. Kathy, a school technology specialist, has created detailed checklists for children in elementary, middle and secondary schools. These Critical Evaluation Surveys, as well as the magazine articles she has written, show students and teachers how to evaluate Web sites and develop "digital literacy" skills.
GIVE IT A TRY
I believe that the best way for you to learn how to evaluate Web sites is to try it yourself. Despite my tried-and-true methods, evaluating Web sites still involves personal judgement and opinion. Berit's Best Sites for Children gives you the opportunity to write your own reviews for any of the sites in our directory. Let other kids know what you think. Perhaps you disagree with me. Maybe a site that I find really cool is boring to you, or a site that I think is educational was not helpful for your homework.
Here's how you can write your own review:
- pick a topic on Berit's Best Sites for Children
- choose a site that you'd like to review
- visit the Collectors Card for that site by clicking on the title or picture for the site or the small text that says "Collector's Card"
- click on "Review this site" and fill in the form with your opinion
- when you're finished writing click on the "Send Review" button
Note that reviews must be read and approved by a grown-up before they appear on the site. This ensures that they are free of profanity, nasty comments and pure silliness.
I look forward to reading your reviews!
Berit's Browse is where Berit highlights her favorite sites on various themes and discusses her opinions and observations about kids' sites and kids on the Internet. The column is also a great place for to cover topics that you are interested in. Let her know what you'd like to read about!