The need to evaluate websites for use in the classroom

If teachers are going to allow students to do self-exploration and self-learning using the Internet, then they must be diligent in their preparation. I like the way Marc Prensky defines the role of today’s teacher in Educational Technology, The Role of Technology in teaching and the classroom: “The teacher’s role should not be a technological one, but an intellectual one – to provide the students with context, quality assurance, and individualized help”. Teachers need to be flexible and open to new ideas and views that students may discover, but using a list of trusted sites or links to the sites is a way to help minimize the surprises. There are so many resources available, but it’s important that the students know the source of the information. We as teachers can provide a list of sites or use a web page with links that students are expected to site in their work.