Hello everyone! I have recently discovered a very informative interactive website about music education during the website evaluation process we went through in class today. I found a website called The New York Philharmonic Kidzone, which was most impressive. I thought the website evaluation forms were very precise, and I feel the information was laid out in a chronological order. I had never really thought about the many ways in which one can find out if a website is reliable enough to share with other faculty members, students, and parents. This process made me realize that the thought and preparation that goes into creating a website is much more intense than I had previously anticipated.
Prior to this evaluation process I would ordinarily go to a database and only look at the articles or journals that were peer reviewed and reliable because I did not know what to look for in a regular website that would make it worthy of using as a source. I will now venture out into investigating more websites and know whether my site is of any worth or credible based upon the information I can now look for regarding any biased wording or imagery, factual information rather than opinions, whether the author or authors are listed, and other key elements of the evaluation process. I will be conscious of using this evaluation process in my classroom because as a teacher I will not advise my students to go to sites that are not usable. I particularly thought the portion about the design and navigation of the site was pertinent to me because I will have all different levels of functioning in my music class from the learning disabled to the gifted advanced learner, and I want to make sure that all of my students will be treated equally.
I would make sure that all of my students were able to utilize a website, and it would not be difficult for any student to comprehend or learn through any computer game or website based learning. I want to make sure that my students get the best education possible and that all of the information they retain from various computer learning games, quizzes, and assessments are all types of knowledgeable tools I would use myself. I am very ecstatic that I have added yet another neat contribution to my computer illiterate mind and know that I can be successful and provide my students with the most appropriate technological knowledge possible. I now have a process for evaluating websites for reliability and usability. My music education classroom is bound to have a computer lab area, and I hope I can teach my students to use their brains and further their education through the use of technology with structured credible websites.
