URLs
The easiest way to think about URLs is to consider them as the “addresses” for sites on the web (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 216). Much like home or business addresses, each part of the address is a signal for the user as to where they are going. Consider the site, http://www.montevallo.edu/. If we’re searching for a site, we know that we’re on the Internet, but the domain name—montevallo in this case—shows that the site we’re connecting to has something to do with the word Montevallo (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 217). In the case of this site, the domain designator—edu in this case—is our biggest clue to the contents of the website. From this designation we now know that it is the University of Montevallo website. Each URL can be dissected in this way allowing students to better understand the website links they are clicking on.
Search Engines
Now we’ve all typed a simple word or phrase into Google, hoping for specific results only to find that there are far too many “hits” or search results that are not relevant to your needs (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 219). One tip for students and teachers alike is to employ Boolean search terms—“”, +, -, and, or, etc.—when using search engines. Though Roblyer and Doering do not touch on this important element of web searching, there are multitudes of online resources about Boolean searching methods.
Tapestry
Tapestry is a fantastic site that allows users to create “tap essays” or single click PowerPoint like presentations on any topic imaginable. The creation platform is much more limited than PowerPoint allowing for simplicity to reign. Each slide can contain pictures, text, or gifs. Overall it is a very interactive in that, once published, students can view their peers’ work as well as the work of other tapestry users. Roblyer and Doering claim that this interactive element increases the value of a given site (2013, p. 256).
Owl Online Writing Lab
This is a website that I frequented often in my undergraduate writing career, but it is not limited to college students. Teachers can use the Owl site as a reference point for their students’ at home writing assignments in every stage of the writing process. It is also a valuable resource because it is updated frequently in accordance to the ever changing MLA and APA style manuals (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 256).
Website Evaluation Video
Reference
Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall.
I have also used the OWL countless times in college for various subjects. I specifically saved it as a favorite on my laptop because of how easy it is to quickly find exactly what I need. Roblyer & Doering highlight an excellent point when they emphasize the importance of a website's structure and organization (p. 255).
ReplyDeleteGreat description of URLs! I like the example you gave as well; doing that made it easier to understand what exactly Roblyer and Doering were talking about.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing up Boolean search terms! These terms are other great ways to narrow down your results, and are generally faster to use than the advanced search. I was actually somewhat surprised that Roybler and Doering did not bring them up.
Tapestry is a nice website! I'd not heard of it before, so it was fun to explore how people used it. It certainly has good design, as "it is easy for a user to experience the features of the website" (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 255). I may have to start using it! :)
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ReplyDeleteI really liked your analysis. In addition to the points that you made, one thing I like about the owl online writing lab is the organization of the website. "Ultimately, it should be very clear how a user can find the content they are looking for"(Roblyer and Doering, 2013, pg. 255). There are several links to resources on the main page. There is also a link to a site map if one can not find the resourse they are looking for on the title page. There is even a search button if one needs even more help from the web page. All in all, a very organized and helpful site.
ReplyDeleteTapestry sounds and looks really neat. Very much like our Zoho shows, it allows for the content to be accessed from anywhere. I think the wold of education is trending towards e-portfolios such as Live Binder and projects created in Tapestry as well as other online content creation sites fit into these portfolios quite nicely, allowing us to keep "comprehensive, organized collections of assets" (Roblyer & Doering 224).
ReplyDeleteYES for the Boolean search method!! This is a great function that all of our students need to be taught. With all of the papers our students will have to do knowing how to properly search for research materials will be vitally important. According to our text Roblyer and Doering recommend subject index searches as another search method (219). I agree that this can be another great way to access information.
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