It probably isn’t news to any educator that students are using the internet more than books today to do their research and for help with their homework. However this form of literacy requires new skills. “You have to teach how to identify source bias, and balance that with other sources – teach how information fits in a larger construct,” says Jacqueline Hess of the Academy for Educational Development in Washington. Teaching children to have a critical eye and helping them to understand what is content and what is advertising are very important lessons. Teaching children to identify bias and be critical readers will help them in all mediums. It is also important to teach children that the internet does not replace books and help students understand the merits of both. A recent study of sources used in 500 random selected student’s assignments found a measly 27% were considered reliable sources of information. The internet puts a wealth of information at students’ fingertips, the trick for teachers is navigating their students through this sea of information that their students are probably more comfortable with than them. There are also many skills that the teacher must learn for themselves, including recognising and dealing with plagiarism. Source: Colhoun, A. (2000, April 25). But I found it on the Internet. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from The Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/2000/0425/p16s1.html

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Websites are often used in education or by students but are often judged on little more than the aesthetic aspects, others are  designed purely as sources of information.  Jose Gomez Galan, in Design of Educational Web Pages warns that many are based on the behaviourist model of teaching and often very pre-programmed and do not allow for creative thought process.  He recommends considering three basic points when assessing the educational value of a webpage

• Accessibility-simple designs which are esay to  which leads to a logical and easy access to the

contents);

• Range of sources and languages
• Level of student interactivity

Overall clever, interactive websites can provide a strong basis for motivating and enriching learning but everyone should be aware of educational pages that are little more than great graphics and bright colours.