Evaluation

of
Web Resources
Evaluation
making of a judgment about the amount,
number, or value of something; assessment

Web Resources
Virtual files that are stored in database that
you can retrieve by using different URL
address.


INFORMATIONAL WEB PAGE
is one whose purpose is to present factual
information.

many of these pages are sponsored by educational
institutions or government agencies.

Examples:
.edu .com .info
.gov .org
Evaluated by : AUTHORITY
Is it clear who is responsible for the contents of the page?

Is there a link to a page describing the purpose of the
sponsoring organization?

Is there a way of verifying the legitimacy of the page's
sponsor? That is, is there a phone number or postal address
to contact for more information?

Is it clear who wrote the material and are the author's
qualifications for writing on this topic clearly stated?

If the material is protected by copyright, is the name of the
copyright holder given?

Evaluated by : ACCURACY
Are the sources for any factual information clearly listed so
they can be verified in another source?

Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, and
typographical errors?

Is it clear who has the ultimate responsibility for the
accuracy of the content of the material?

If there are charts or graphs containing statistical data, are
the charts or graphs clearly labeled and easy to read?

Evaluated by : OBJECTIVITY
Is the information provided as a public service?

Is the information free of advertising?

If there is any advertising on the page, is it clearly
differentiated from the informational content?

Are there dates on the page to indicate: When the page was
written? When the page was first placed on the Web? When
the page was last revised?

Are there any other indications that the material is kept
current?

If material is presented in graphs and/or charts, is it clearly
stated when the data was gathered?

If the information is published in different editions, is it clearly
labeled what edition the page is from?

Evaluated by : CURRENCY
Is there an indication that the page has been completed,
and is not still under construction?

If there is a print equivalent to the Web page, is there a
clear indication of whether the entire work is available on
the Web or only parts of it?

If the material is from a work which is out of copyright has
there been an effort to update the material to make it more
current?

Evaluated by : COVERAGE
5 Basic Steps in Collecting and Organizing
Inventory your content: What do you have already? What do you
need?

Establish a hierarchical outline of your content and create a
controlled vocabulary so the major content, site structure, and
navigation elements are always identified consistently;

Chunking: Divide your content into logical units with a consistent
modular structure;

Draw diagrams that show the site structure and rough outlines
of pages with a list of core navigation links; and

Analyze your system by testing the organization interactively
with real users; revise as needed.

Productive Searching Techniques
Boolean Operators
express different and specific relationships between words
and phrases used in the search.

Truncation (*)
You can use truncation on most search engines. That is, you
can use the asterisk (*) operator to end a root word. For
example: searching for teach* will find teacher, teaching, and
teachers. Note: the asterisk can not be the first or second
letter of a root word.

Wildcard (?)
You can find words that share some but not all characters
using the question mark (?) operator. For example: Johns?n
will find Johnson and Johnsen. Note: the ? can not be the first
character in the search.


INFORMATIONAL DATABASE
provides access to commercial on-line
bibliographic and information databases.

Combines the best of both contemporary and
classic.

LibGuides Google
Technorati Ask.Com
Infotopia Infomine





Evaluated by : USEFULNESS
Surfing the web, e.g. Google?

Using the Library catalogue?

Using one of the databases on the Librarys
Databases gateway

Giving facts that you already know are correct?

Coming from a trusted source such as a subject database
that stores peer-reviewed articles aimed at scholars
and researchers?

Covered in appropriate depth or only at a superficial level?

Relevant to your research topic?

Evaluated by :
RELEVANCE & COVERAGE
Evaluated by : AUDIENCE
Is it aimed at a particular age group e.g. children,
teenagers?

Is there an intended bias towards particular belief groups?

Who is the intended audience?
Other academics or scholars
General public

Evaluated by : PURPOSE
Designed to sell a project or service?

Presenting research findings?

Evaluated by : CURRENCY
Is the information up to date?

Do newer editions/revisions exist?
Evaluated by : AUTHOR
Is the author named? Are the authors qualifications
/ credentials / professional affiliations given?

Can you identify an institution, if any, to which the
author belongs?

Is contact information for the author included or
easily accessible?

Has your lecturer mentioned this particular author?

Evaluated by : PUBLISHER
Do you know the publishers reputation?

What type of information does this publisher usually
produce?

Collecting & Organizing Informational
Database
Determine the purpose of your database
This helps prepare you for the remaining steps.

Find and organize the information required
Gather all of the types of information you might want to record in the
database, such as product name and order number.

Divide the information into tables
Divide your information items into major entities or subjects, such as
Products or Orders. Each subject then becomes a table.

Turn information items into columns
Decide what information you want to store in each table. Each item
becomes a field, and is displayed as a column in the table. For
example, an Employees table might include fields such as Last Name and Hire
Date.


Collecting & Organizing Informational
Database
Specify primary keys
Choose each tables primary key. The primary key is a column that is used to uniquely
identify each row. An example might be Product ID or Order ID.

Set up the table relationships
Look at each table and decide how the data in one table is related to the data in other
tables. Add fields to tables or create new tables to clarify the relationships, as
necessary.

Refine your design
Analyze your design for errors. Create the tables and add a few records of sample data.
See if you can get the results you want from your tables. Make adjustments to the
design, as needed.

Apply the normalization rules
Apply the data normalization rules to see if your tables are structured correctly. Make
adjustments to the tables, as needed.

Productive Searching Techniques
Who is responsible for the creation and maintenance of the
database?

Are other information and links provided?

Is the site subject to influences over content e.g. a commercial
organization, a political organization?

Are the pages current and updated regularly?

Is the site user-friendly? Is there an index or site map or other
navigation links to the site information?

Is the layout of the site professional or amateurish?

BLOG TECHNOLOGY
refers to a list of journal entries posted on a Web page.

creating an interface where users can simply type a text entry
and hit "publish" to publish their blog.

Mashable Gizmodo
GigaOM ZDNet
How-To Geek Computerworld Blogs
TechCrunch ITBusinessEdge.com
Evaluated by: DEVELOPMENT
Do successive blog posts demonstrate the developing thinking
of the writer? Does his/her main idea take more distinct
shape over time in response to

1) his/her ongoing research; and

2) comments from others? Are blog posts frequent enough to
suggest ongoing, incremental, and interactive development
of ideas?
Evaluated by: FOCUS
Does the overall research blog have a clear focus? Do individual
blog posts keep their focus (like paragraphs within conventional
writing), partly through relevant post titles and tags?

Would blog visitors have any trouble ascertaining, from any post,
the writer's overall research agenda?

Do successive posts restate and sharpen a specific train of thought?
Is the principal research question returned to, deepened, and
clarified?

Does the writer make interim assertions or claims summing up
research to date?
Do the posts relate well to one another (through reference
and interlinks)?

Or do the posts seem "random" (a series of observations or
general commentary not explicitly tied to the research
agenda)?

This relates to the criteria of focus and of development,
above.
Evaluated by: COHESION
Evaluated by: POST VARIETY
Has the writer employed a variety of posts, including some
that are more exploratory in nature and some that are
more expository?

Does the writer narrate and document his/her discovery
process, as well as assert positions based on analyzing and
synthesizing?

Are there some of the types of blog posts?
Evaluated by: PERSONALITY
Does the blog design, blog components, and writing style
together create a clear sense of the writer's personality?

Are there informal and personal elements as well as more
academic or professional qualities to that personality?
Evaluated by: CURRENCY AND HISTORY
Does the writer use blog posts to relate to relevant and
current issues?

Does he/she refer to current online discussions (other
blogs, discussion boards, etc.)?

Does the writer also ground his/her writing within historical
contexts, interpreting the present in terms of longer
patterns and traditions?
Evaluated by: SOURCES
Does the writer make use of outside sources in both
referential and analytical ways? (Does he/she not just link to
sources, but analyze them?).

Are some of these sources more formal, academic, or
authoritative? Are some of these informal or more general?

Is there a variety of sources?

Are some sources quoted?

Are sources appropriately linked to?

Are some sources primary sources and some secondary?

Evaluated by: INTERACTIVITY
Does the writer engage others who are researching similar topics
(as evidenced in part by others commenting on posts, in part by
reference to how the author is participating in private or public
discussions of this topic elsewhere).

Does he/she show an openness to and responsiveness toward
challenges to his/her ideas?

Does he/she respond to comments on posts, or refer to comments
in developing later posts?

Have other bloggers (including classmates, but not exclusively)
written about the writer's blog or quoted/linked back to it?
Evaluated by: COMMUNITY
Does the writer demonstrate making contributions to
communities of learners or researchers (evaluated in part by
the active use of social bookmarks, in part by documenting
participation in social networks or other online communities
focused on the issues he/she is exploring)?

Does the writer avoid isolated expression or research by
demonstrating connectivity with other researchers and
projects, including those of their peers and those outside of
their normal social circles?
Evaluated by: COLLABORATION
How has the blog author invited contributions of others (such
as guest blog posts, invited comments, reviews of posts)?

What evidence is there of the author joining his or her work
to larger, ongoing projects?

Has the blog become a launching point for creating other
online assets or content valued by specific communities, or
for using collaborative tools online?
Evaluated by: ANALYSIS
Does the writer use posts not just to give general opinions
or commentary, but to analyze texts, events, or media
(including effectively summarizing, appropriately quoting,
and applying criteria of evaluation)?


Has the writer created sufficient content (including blog
posts, ancillary media, and links) to enable visitors to
explore the blog's topic meaningfully?
Evaluated by: QUANTITY
Evaluated by: DESIGN
Does the blog design fit the research topic and the personality of
the author?

Is there an "About Me" segment or profile, with photo?

Are the photos or color scheme appropriate to a research blog (not
overly informal). Does the author include relevant widgets or side
content?

Are the writer's other content streams featured in the side content
(social bookmark stream, photo stream, other blogs, etc.)?

Does the writer avoid too much clutter or distracting media in the
side content?
Evaluated by: LENGTH
Does the writer create focused blog posts that are more likely
to attract readers due to concision and clarity (rather than
long or rambling posts)?

Does the writer break up longer discussions where possible
(to make possible more frequent and specific comments from
readers)?

Are longer posts broken up with appropriate headings?

Does he/she avoid quoting other sources at too great of
length?
Evaluated by: LINKS
Does the writer include links :
1) to appropriate secondary sources for the topic (scholarly or
scientific);

2) to current online content from professional or academic sources;

3) current online content from informal or mainstream media? Are
links effectively embedded with semantically relevant linking text
("...a topic discussed by Dan Cohen in his Digital Humanities
Blog...")?

Are links presented in side content relevant? Does the writer
backlink to his/her prior posts (see cohesion, above)?
Evaluated by: MEDIA
Has the writer used images to complement blog posts and provide
interest and insight (whether produced personally, or found
online)?

If videos are employed, are they relevant to content (not just
entertaining) and either implicitly or explicitly related to blog posts?

Do media enhance readability and design and not clutter or
distract?

Any use of personally produced media?

Are images or media appropriately credited (and obtained through
creative commons)?
5 Basic Steps in Collecting and
Organizing BLOG Technology
1. Create an editorial calendar This doesnt need to be
anything fancy. I just use a standard spreadsheet. At the
beginning of each month type out the days in one column and
then brainstorm ideas for posts listing each one next to a day.

2. Proofread Even though it is a blog and not a formal essay or
business letter, there is value in proofreading your work. It
helps to write your post, step away from the computer for a
few hours and then proofread it.
5 Basic Steps in Collecting and
Organizing Blog Technology
3. Add relevant images Remember when you were a kid and you
gravitated towards the books full of pictures? In many ways, we
still do that Blogs that are all words and no graphics can look
dry. Take a little time to find a graphic or take a photo and add it
to your post.

4. Blog consistently In relation to #1, it is important to blog on a
consistent basis. You dont need to post every single day but
make an effort to be consistent. If you have the time to post
three days a week, plan to do it Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
rather than three posts all shoved into one day.



5. Clutter Try to keep your sidebar and links at the top clutter-
free. Dont add every button you come across online, this
tends to cheapen the aesthetic of your blog. Choose items
that you feel add to your blog, rather than simply fill up space.
What other ideas do you have for maintaining organization on
your blog? Share them in the comments I would love some
more tips!
5 Basic Steps in Collecting and
Organizing BLOG Technology
Productive Searching Techniques
Be balanced: many blog masters spend a considerable time and efforts
on their blog. Show respect for their work by stressing the good
parts just as much as the points to improve

Revitalize your comments: some points you will mention are
objective, some others, especially first impressions and the
graphical presentation, will be subjective. Make a clear distinction
between the two.

Be constructive: dont just point out the problems, but also propose
solutions or alternatives.

Educate as you go along: indicate which tools you use to analyze the
different parts so they can continue working on their blog, where
you left off.
Productive Searching Techniques
Reserve the time to explain: Often you cannot write down all
the different bits and pieces in detail, so take your time to
elaborate and expand on their questions while sitting with
them one-on-one or during a Skype session.

Illustrate your comments: When you refer to certain posts or
sections on their blog

Link to that part, and insert a small screenshot of it, in your
evaluation

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
electronic systems used for communication between
individuals or groups.
communication between individuals or groups who are not
physically present at the same location.
Systems such as telephones, telex, fax, radio, television, and
video are included, as well as more recent computer-based
technologies, including electronic data change and e-mail.

Facebook Yahoo mail
G-mail Twitter
Instant Messaging

Evaluated by: ACCURACY
What is the intent of the web page?
Is the information designed to inform/explain/disclose or
persuade or entertain?
Is the information error-free?
Are the topics explored in depth?
Are the conclusions justified and supported by evidence?
Are links to further discussion provided?
Are the links useful or repetitious?
Are references fully cited?
Is the perspective balanced?
Is any bias evident?
Does the author inform or persuade?
Is the language free of emotion?
Are there advertisements?
Beware of third party affiliation or sponsorship.
Evaluated by: OBJECTIVITY
Evaluated by: CURRENCY
Is the site regularly updated? was the site last revised?





Is the resource easy to navigate?
Evaluated by: EASE OF USE
Evaluated by: AUDIENCE
Is the site aimed at a specialized or a general audience?

Was the article written for an educated public or for experts
and scholars?

Is the language too technical?
Evaluated by: SCOPE
How comprehensive is the site?

Is anything obviously omitted?

Are the topics explored in depth?
Evaluated by:
AUTHORITY & CREDENTIALS
Who is the author or producer?
Does the author provide contact information such as an email,
phone or address?
Is the author a qualified source on this subject?
What are the authors credentials?
Is the topic in the authors area of expertise?
Has your instructor mentioned this author?
Have you seen the author mentioned in other
sources?
Collecting & Organizing
Communication Technology
Use an Outline
Ensures that your thoughts are complete, presented in a
logical order, and are easy to understand before you begin to
write

Phone Calls
Before you dial that number, make some notes on a piece of
paper to remind you of the points you wish to address. Dont
write complete sentences, but rather write a bullet list so that
it is easy to refer to while you are talking.

Email
Remember that your words are the only things your audience
will have to help them understand what you are trying to say.
They cannot see your smiling face or hear your sweet voice to
help them understand where you are coming from. Choose
your words wisely.

Read over your message before you hit the send button to
make sure that you havent missed something that might
make your communication confusing or that doesnt
represent the tone you wanted your message to have.


Collecting & Organizing
Communication Technology
Presentations
Know your audience. Consider what they value most and
what they would like to know about your topic before you
begin. Tailor your presentation to the average audience
member, but leave room for the feelings and values of the
others to whom you will be speaking.

Make sure that your notes are written like we talked about
earlier for your phone conversations. Dont write complete
sentences or you will be tempted to read them instead of
refer to them.

Collecting & Organizing
Communication Technology
Productive Searching Techniques
A chart or book of facial expressions and what they
Picture boards
Homemade sign language for simplicity
common vocabulary and shorter sentences.
Braille, Large Print, Cassette, electronic communication
Free Directory Assistance for Visually Impaired
Adapted ASL for Deaf-Blind consumers
Radio Reader
Talking Books
Writing guides and aids (bold line paper, check writing guides, )


VIDEO SHARING
Web site that lets people upload and share their video clips
with the public at large or to invited guest.


Youtube NetFlix
Vimeo Yahoo! Screen
Dailymotion Hulu
Vube Vine
Ustream Break
Evaluated by: REAL-WORLD IMPACT
Does this video demonstrate innovative ideas and/or actions
to build a more ethical world?




To what extent does the video present fresh new ideas or
perspectives?

Does the video illuminate possibilities that otherwise might
have remained invisible to the audience?
Evaluated by: INNOVATION
Evaluated by: CREATIVITY
How creative is the video? Does it employ artistry to tell a
compelling story or to make a persuasive argument?




If particular actions are recommended in the video, to what
extent are they feasible?


Evaluated by: IMPLEMENTATION
Organizing and Collecting Video Files
centralizing your video files (that is, getting them off your
smartphone and video camera),

naming them intelligently and tagging them so you know
what they contain, and

backing up and archiving your final edited files

name Your Files

use Folders, and Add Tags and Keywords

Productive Searching Techniques
Use search engines to search a single website

Use the different websites for video sharing

find reliable sources when you only have text or video

Search for reliable videos

Use keywords and terms

FILE SHARING
the practice of or ability to transmit files from one computer
to another over a network or the Internet.

Dropbox Mediafire
4Shared Google Drive
SkyDrive Icloud
Mega Zippyshare
Uploaded Box
Evaluated by: SECURITY
It should go without saying that the security of your data in
either of these applications will be a major evaluation sticking
point. Who will be able to access this data?

How is the data protected during transfer?
Evaluated by: IT MANAGEMENT
CONCERNS
Control is something IT needs to have so user permissions and
audit trails are something to think critically about.




A well thought out user interface is critical to the successful
and effective adoption of any technology.

the tools easiest to use will most likely receive the most
acceptance from end users.

Evaluated by:
FEATURE & EASE OF USE
Organizing and Collecting Files
Organize your office file folders in a basic alphabetical system
if you have a large group of customers or contacts that you
need to maintain. Use standard manila or colored folders to
represent each contact.

Write each contact's last name, a comma, then the first name
on a label and place it on the lip of each folder containing his
information.

Sort all of your folders by last name and first name if you have
two files with the same last name. Insert the alphabetized
folders into each draw of your file cabinet from top to
bottom.
Organizing and Collecting Files
Label the outside of each draw by the first letter of the last
names contained in that drawer for easy reference.

Use folders and have their names.
Productive Searching Techniques
Pick out several of the key words which would identify Internet
posts on the topic.

Type them into a search engine.

On the results list, scan the URLs at the bottom of each entry.

Look for the most reliable source listed.

Search both Google and Yahoo, as they often differ.

At the bottom of the search page, if you find "repeat the search
with the omitted results included," it may be worthwhile to click it
to find more results.

WEB COLLABORATION
provides an organization with the capability to collaborate
with customers or internally via the INTERNET.


Wrike Collaborate CLoud
WebInterpoint Feng Office
Confluence Comidor
SpiraTeam DEskaway
Webplanner Drum

Evaluated by: AUDIENCE
he site is designed to help distance educators and their students to
select appropriate methods of course development and delivery.




It should go without saying that the security of your data in either
of these applications will be a major evaluation sticking point. Who
will be able to access this data?

How is the data protected during transfer?
Evaluated by: SECURITY
Organizing and Collecting
WEB COLLABORATION
Learn how to use your chosen tool before the meeting.

Decide on the subject of the meeting, and communicate it to
participants.

Send invitations ahead of the meeting.

Prepare your meeting material ahead.

Consider interactive tools such as polls or questionnaire

Do a follow up post-meeting
Productive Searching Techniques
determine the focus question

get opinions / ideas etc. onto stickies

affinity sort into groups

name groups

vote on group importance (three votes) 6. rank groups (two by
two)
WEB HOSTING TECHNOLOGY
a type of internet hosting service that allows individuals and
organizations to make their website accessible via the World
Wide WEb

companies that provide space on a server owned or leased for
use by clients, as well as providing Internet connectivity,
typically in a data center

Bluehost register.com
Web.com fatcow green hosting
justhost
Evaluated by : AUTHORITY
Determine the authorship of a website, examine the
page closely for information about the author and to
see if anyone else has contributed to the site

A good website should provide a way to contact the
producers of the site.
Evaluated by : ACCURACY
determine how reliable and free from error the information
contained on a website is, remember to look at who is hosting
the site.

A good website should state its purpose and intended
audience.
Evaluated by : OBJECTIVITY
check if advertising and informational content are
being supplied by the same person or organization.

examine whether there is a bias to the informational
content.
determine the currency of a website, find out when the page
was last updated.

look to see if there are broken links on the site, it could be an
indication of an abandoned page.
Evaluated by : CURRENCY
determine if the information is adequately covered on a
website, compare the information with information found
on other websites.

Does one site provide more information, more references,
more contacts?
Evaluated by : COVERAGE
Organizing and Collecting
WEB HOSTING TECHNOLOGY
Decide what the purpose and scope of the site is to be
Identify what "chunks" of information you have and who,
precisely, owns these content chunks.
Outline several scenarios on how the content may be used.
What tasks will your users do at your website?
Create storyboards for key scenarios.
Revise storyboards based on user feedback.


Productive Searching Techniques
differ depending on the scale of service providers,
the equipment you are using
store data in a central location without depending on a
particular Internet site.
do some research by checking out the features that are
offered by each company you are considering
find reviews that rate the service providers on criteria such as
price, bandwidth, reliability, and customer service.
be able to use a portion of the service for free as a trial before
you sign up
Taking time to evaluate if you choose the right for you saves
the time and money
THANK YOU
=)