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Website Evaluation Rubric:

	4	3	2	1
Authority	The authors is credible and knowledgeable of the subject he or she is discussing. He or she either meets the qualifications from experience in the field or knowledge obtained through proper institutions. 4 points	The author is credible and knowledgeable by either experience or knowledge through proper institution but not both. 3 points	Although the author does not share where or how he or she obtained the knowledge to be considered credible or only exemplifies knowledge on personal experience. The exception doesn’t make the rule. 2 points	The author does not have the necessary qualifications. 0 points
Accuracy	The accuracy of the information is either peer reviewed or confirmed through similar credible research and lacks any fallacies. 4 points	The accuracy of the information is peer reviewed and confirmed but does contain minimal fallacy. 3 points	The accuracy of the information is greatly out weighed by the fallacy and the information is not confirmed or peer reviewed. 2 points	The accuracy of the information is not peer reviewed or confirmed and is littered with fallacies. 0 points
Objectivity	The website lacks corporate sponsors and advertisers that could potentially taint authors writing with biases. 4 points	The website doesn’t have corporate sponsors but does have advertisements. The authors writing does not seem to be tainted. 3 points	The website has corporate sponsors and advertisements that are mentioned in the information. 2 points	The writers work is completely overtaken by biases and information provided by corporate sponsors and is littered with advertisements. 0 points
Currency	The time stamp of the last update to the page is current and provides reader with the most modern and up to date information provided. There are no broken links to cited websites for information. 4 points	The last time stamp is up to date and the page seems current, but does not have the most up to date information. 3 points	The last update is from too long ago, although some of the information may be applicable. There are broken links to websites that cite the authors research. 2 points	The information is way too outdated to be applicable and all of the cited website links are inactive. 0 points
Coverage	The information that is presented adds value and insight to the topic you are researching. The information goes beyond what is needed to provide in depth information on the topic. 4 points	The information presented is relevant to the topic you are researching but does not have the depth needed to be considered complete coverage. 3 points	The information presented is not very relevant and does not completely cover the topic. 2 points	The information has nothing to do with your topic and has not depth in coverage. 0 points
Ethics	The resource is written ethically, citing all work that is referenced or used in the making of the article. All citations are formatted correctly. 4 points	The resource cites all work that is referenced but does not cite any sources that are not quoted directly. The citations are formatted correctly. 3 points	The source does not cite the information in text but has some works cited at the end. The citations are not all formatted correctly. 2 points.	There are no relevant citations and they are not formatted correctly. 0 points.
Publisher (If Applicable)	The publisher does not influence the writing and does not have corporate sponsors that could incorporate bias into the writing. The publisher has a credible background with current qualifications.  4 points	The publisher is credible and has the necessary qualifications but the writing seems tainted by the sponsors of the publisher.  3 points	The publisher is not very credible and the writing is completely tainted with bias. 1 point.	The publisher has no credibility or qualifications and the writing is completely tainted with bias.  0 points

Website Critique: Education Partners

There are so many important aspects that build upon the quality of a resource used for any type of research. Based on the module and personal experience these aspects include: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage. In addition, I believe the ethics involved with the article as well as the authors publisher is incredibly relevant. The website I chose to critique was educationworld.com and the specific article is “Starting Technology Early in the Classroom is Crucial to the Future”. 

One of the major contributors to an article or websites credibility is the authors authority. In this specific instance the author is very qualified to be discussing technology considering Navindra Persuad’s MBBS, MPH, and PHD which specializes in infectious disease prevention; however, it does not qualify Persuad to discuss how to incorporate technology into a teacher’s classroom. Based on the rubric above I would rank the authority of the author at a three because despite the lack of qualification from an institution, the author does have some experience working with kids in the classroom. Does this mean that he is the person to be teaching and creating lesson plans for the students? No, but it does mean that he has seen some of the effects technology has had on students.

Furthermore, accuracy is also an important puzzle piece in regards to a quality website. In this case, all of the information provided is presented well and with accurate citations of said information. Truly, the article does a great job of explaining and providing examples of how students could use the information they are learning in school and apply to todays technology.  Therefore, based on my rubric, I would rate this website with a four.

Moreover, objectivity is also very important to a website. In this case, the website lacks objectivity. Although I am not aware of any major corporate sponsors, the advertisements featured on the websites would greatly benefit from the addition of this education into the school system. For instance, one of the advertisers is college board who would greatly benefit from this addition because they would be able to create and sell not only new text books but also new standardized tests. As a result, I would rank the website a two out of for in objectivity. 

In addition to the above mentioned, currency is also incredibly important. The website neglected t share a publication of update of the article; however, because of the technology mentioned in the article I can confirm that the information is current. Also, by clicking on the sister article I was able to find a publication date. Because of the difficulty finding a publication date or update I give this category a three. 

Coverage is one of the strongest points of this article. The author touches base with most every situation that could be taken into account. Not only that, but Persuad also provides numerous clear examples of how technology in the classroom is applicable and beneficial to education. For instance, he claims that students could use algebraic equations in order to land a miniature helicopter on a pad in the field and other similar examples. Therefore, I give the article and website a 4 on coverage. 

The two additions to the rubric consist of ethics and the publisher. To begin, the article and cite also follows basic ethics. Persaud and other contributors are credited when they needed to be and there previous work related to the topic is linked to the article published on education world. Also, educationworld, because it is a .com website is not always the best resource compared to peer reviewed scientific articles, but based on the credibility of the authors, I was able to verify that the quality of work published is decent. Therefore, these categories have received a four in ethics and a three for the publisher.

Overall, education world is a good place to browse for information in the world of education; however, it may not be the best or worst source for a formal research paper. Also, the qualifications needed to verify a website or author and incredibly important. These include authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, coverage, ethics, and publisher. All of these are ways to identify reliable sources and are invaluable.

Works Cited 

Maloy W. Robert, Et. Al. (2007). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Pearson

Persaud Navindra, (2015). Education World. educationworld.com

N.a. n.d.  Management Sciences for Health. MSH

Collaborative Lesson Plan:

LESSON TITLE: Banned Books Debate
Grade Level(s): 9-12 Subject(s): Language Arts Lesson Length: 2 Class Periods Prepared by: Brandon Roshon, Kathryn Diaz, and Meredith Morgan

Overview: To explore the culture significance of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath/ To Kill a Mockingbird, and why these books clashed with the then American cultural that banned it.. And, to create a PowerPoint of what the student feels most resulted in the ban.

Standards: Reading Standards for Literature - Craft and Structure: Adapted from LAFS.910.RL.2.6 – Analyze John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (1939) for the cultural representations that clashed with U.S states and encouraged banning.

Learning Objective: Students will be able to understand the significance of the political views expressed in the novel, and why the cultural representation of American sentiments and areas saw that it be banned. Students will then create a PowerPoint

Materials/Resources Needed: Computer/laptop. Physical or digital copy of The Grapes of Wrath. Microsoft PowerPoint.

Introduction: The instructor will introduce the lesson with a discussion about some of the more popular books in today’s educational practices and how they used to be banned. (Ex. The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Grapes of Wrath)

Lesson Activities: Day One: Direct Instruction: Separate the class into groups and assign each group or let them choose, and allow each group to choose which book they would like to focus on for their debate, the choices being The Grapes of Wrath or To Kill a Mockingbird. Also, have a group prepared to oppose the banning of the book. Allow the students diligent time to research the controversial issue related to the book using academic data bases on their technology. Then allow the students time to discuss how to format a discussion with well thought out reasons the book should or should not be banned in schools. Day Two: Allow the student groups to put together a brief speaking outline of the arguments they have formed on whether or not to ban the books. The students should divide up the outline so that they each have a portion of the debate to participate in. Once the speaking outlines are complete, have enough class time to listen to the debate and decide which group had the best argument. A fun twist would be allowing the peers listening to the discussion to vote on who won the debate. The Students are to have reflected upon the debate based on what they remember from the debate and research in order to create a power point presentation in which they will detail what they learned about why the books were banned culturally and for any other reasons. This allows the students to assert or change their own opinions based on the classes arguments. The powerpoint will be turned into the instructor as a homework assignment and assessment for the lesson to ensure students were grasping the concepts.

Strategies – ESE/ESOL: Because the work is being done in a group, some one who needs extra support will receive it from their fellow group members. By allowing them to work together, the student in need will always have a helping hand. These students will also receive somewhat simplified direction. This lesson plan also allows for multiple methods of evaluation, so even if the student struggles in one area of the lesson, they will be able to bounce back in another.

Strategies – Integrating Technologies: PowerPoint. Any articles or databases that a student wanted to read, so as to not base, but bolster or shape-out an opinion.

Evaluation/Critique of Educational Software/Web-based Resource: [Describe your reasoning in selecting the software/web-based resource you used for this lesson – why was it selected? What makes it enhance the lesson and make it effective?] We chose to use the Academic One File or Gale in order to increase the quality of the discussion by providing students with responsible sources of information This enhances the lesson plan and makes it more effective because the students have to source their information throughout the debate in order to successfully deliver quality information. This prevents students from just googling something and providing the class with an opinionated and non-scholarly reply to the argument at hand. The students will then convey these thoughts through the presentation they submit either using prezi, power point, or another software program. PowerPoint is efficient and effective. It is also a smart application for creating a presentation that summarizes a thought out point.

Summary: The summary of the lesson will come when the students present their final powerpoints and recollections on why the books should or should not be banned based on culture and other various reasons. This allows the students to recap the novels and review their research and arguments.

Assessment – Type: The assessment of the students will come during the debate. The arguments will demonstrate how much effort and knowledge they gained on the subject because they will have to know the topic in order to truly refute an argument. Further assessment occurs when they present their final powerpoint which includes their reflection and opinions on the topic at hand.

Educational Theorist: The learning theory this lesson applies to is cognitivism because the students are actively learning through memory by having to, on the spot, react to arguments in order to counter them. Students are also gaining knowledge through the hands on research they are doing and problem solving in order to ensure that their refutation of the argument is the better by figuring out a way to disprove the opposing sides view points.The students would have to be able to transfer their thoughts from their head, to paper, and then verbally to ensure that they are getting the most out of their experience. There are also possible connections to other content areas such as history, public speaking, and literature.