Reflection

Lesson  Implementation

Lesson goal: Students will be able to independently evaluate any website for credibility.

Instruction ran from April 3 to May 19 and included 6 40-minute sessions.

Activating background knowledge

Before beginning the actual instruction, we activated background knowledge by answering 3 essentials questions: What is credibility? Why should I assess the credibility of a website? How can I assess the credibility of a website?  The students seemed to enjoy this activity, and it led to meaningful discussion.

Student projects

In order to better understand and remember the elements of website evaluation for credibility, the students chose to either participate in the production of a rap video or create an infographic.
The projects were evaluated with the checklist below.

Assessments

The students took a Google survey about website credibility using a website of choice at the beginning and end of this project. I compared the survey results to see if the students' analyses improved as evidenced by more references to the elements of date (currency), author (authority), purpose and accuracy when assessing web site credibility.

Although all the students received instruction and practiced evaluating their website using the DAPA Website Evaluation form, the results were mixed. Predictably, the students that either narrated the rap or worked on infographics (and thus reviewed more often the elements of date, author, purpose and accuracy) did better than the students who mainly danced, etc., as their part of the video. Also, our instruction was interrupted due to testing which did not aid retention.

Impact of Technology
The students who interacted with technology for their projects retained the most about the four elements of website credibility evaluation. The narrator practiced his script and recorded it many times before the final product was just right. The students who created the infographics with Canva also reviewed the elements and saw them in writing as they worked on their projects. The students who performed for the rap did not see or hear the words repeatedly. However, I plan to use their rap video every time I teach this unit in the future, and their work will help other students retain these elements!

CLC Experience

The best part of this CLC for me was the opportunity to learn from and support my colleagues. I think it was good to have this take place at just one school and to emphasize reading and commenting on other members' blogs. Even though we are in the same building, we come from varying grade levels and areas of specialization. This was a great opportunity to see what our colleagues are doing in their rooms.

Thank you, Mr. Hill, for all your work on filming and producing our rap video! More thanks also go to Thea Delehanty and Eileen Kalbfus for working in Canva with the students who chose to make infographics.

Implementing technology is time-consuming, but taking part in a CLC forces me to focus on a topic and a technology and new lesson plans which can then be used again with future classes.

I think the students were more engaged in the topic because of the technology and choices, and it let them shine in their area of interest and expertise.