Article Reflection 3

Schrock, K. (2002) The ABC’s of Web Site Evaluation: Teaching Media Literacy in the Age of the Internet. Classroom Connect. Retrieved February 22, 2004 from http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/pdf/weval_02.pdf


In reading Kathy Schrock’s, “The ABC’s of Web Site Evaluation: Teaching Media Literacy in the Age of the Internet,” the opening sentence really reflects what I have witnessed over the last few years. As Kathy states, “The online world is quickly becoming a source of primary information for both teachers and students.” The foresight of the article, given that it was written in 2002, could not have been more accurate for today. The internet is often the key resource for students gathering information and unfortunately sometimes misinformation. Though the articles approach is to discuss the 26 criteria to consider in evaluating a website, I felt that the foundation for a website as a resource would be in what Kathy describes as the authority, bias, citations and verifiability. In reality, what good is a website that presents and navigates well, but its “facts” are inaccurate or completely false. I like it when I can navigate a site and easily locate information and its supporting references, but for researching information as Sgt. Friday from Dragnet would say, “Just the Facts.” As Kathy pointed out, students should already have a familiarity with the subject matter they are researching and use the internet to build upon their knowledge base. However, it is easy for students to be lured into using the internet as their only knowledge resource, which can lead to misinformation on a particular subject. This further substantiates the necessity for students to be able to critically evaluate a website for its validity. That is why I am passing this article to my colleagues in the English department whose students are required to write a research paper with the hopes of assisting not only the students but also the teachers in gaining a more critical eye when evaluating a website as valid resource.