How much technology and websites influence us?

Nowadays, thanks to the existence of the internet and the development of several websites, the process of research into different web pages increases significantly. People can find anything and everything whenever they want on the Internet and will get all the information by surfing dozens of websites related to that search. However, there is a tendency to believe in everything that appears on a website. In fact, most people do not care about the security of a site and tend to rely too heavily on the information it provides. Although it does not seem to be a serious issue, actually, it becomes a real concern, especially for those teachers who really take advantage of websites to create their own materials and to access all types of sites that provide different materials and resources useful for their lessons such as books, newspapers, blogs from all over the world. Thus, a good web assessment is essential for us. Furthermore, we consider that integrating technology properly during a lesson is a crucial factor to improve teaching as well as learning.

 First of all, we want to highlight that before using the information that is found on the Internet, it is really important to judge the website according to different criteria (University of Leicester, n.d). Hence, teachers have to analyse the website in terms of its reliability. To do this, they should take into account a certain set of criteria (University of Leicester, n.d) that enables them to know and make sure that such a website provides trustworthy information. In this way, teachers should evaluate the site having in mind if it has titles and a founder or organization well recognized, seems professional in layout, has spelling or grammar mistakes and has been recently updated. Also, a further examination might be required to decide whether or not the website is useful, such as if it has contact information, has been positively reviewed by others and has links that have worked, among others. This will enable teachers to discern and discriminate a fake or a not quite trustworthy website from a reliable one. Here, we share an interesting website evaluation checklist containing all the criteria for a website to be considered appropriate and reliable. 

Taking into account our teaching experience, we can propose to use ESL-kids.com (Ramsay, 2006) since after having done a web assessment, we can affirm that this site is not only reliable, but also it is useful. We recommend using this site as it offers a great variety of materials (see the picture of the website on the right)  such as flashcards, worksheets, games, songs etc. Giving the opportunity for teachers to design and create their own materials. As an instance of this profitableness, we can mention our own experience using materials, in our case flashcards, taken from this extraordinary site. We chose and decided to work with a set of animal flashcards and they enabled us not only to contextualize properly the topic to teach but also to work in a more dynamic way. What is more, we can affirm that these flashcards were captivating and engaging since they immediately attracted pupils’ attention. In addition to this, they added a wide variety and interest to the lesson. 

We cannot avoid the benefits of living in a technological era. Therefore, teachers should consider technology as a teaching tool and integrate it into what they teach and in their manner of teaching to create an effective learning environment. In this case, we want to emphasise what Mishra and Kohler (2006) established as Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (henceforth TPACK) a model which is designed around the idea that content and pedagogy must be the basis for any technology that you plan to use in your classroom to enhance learning. In view of this, teachers should select, first of all, the content which is the learning outcomes. The second step is to consider how learners are going to learn the content, finally, teachers should bear in mind the integration of technology by thinking critically about what type of technology will support and aid the students in their learning. 

For further and detailed explanation of the TPACK model, we strongly recommend you to watch the following video:

To conclude, all of us are really aware of the wide range of materials and resources available on the Internet. But, all teachers must realise that a web assessment is really needed in order to create their own teaching materials using authentic and trustful sources. Last but not least, we strongly believe that an appropriate technology integration considering TPACK is crucial for teachers to enhance their lessons creating a comfortable learning atmosphere.

References

Mishra, P and Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for integrating technology in teachers’ knowledge.

Ramsay, N. 2006."ESL-kids.com" Retrieved from https://esl-kids.com/worksheets/worksheets.html

University of Leicester (n.d)."Evaluating websites" Retrieved from https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/study/eval-web