Evaluating Websites

Evaluating websites prior to using them in a classroom or in research is extremely important because of the fact that anyone in the world can create a website. There are thousands and thousands of wonderful resources available on the Internet. However, there are quite possibly more websites that are not credible or resourceful at all. As an aspiring teacher, I know that it is one of the most important responsibilities I'll ever have. Students rely on their teachers for a wealth of information and most students, especially in elementary school, will believe anything their teachers say or any resources they are given. False information will be the entrance down a very bad path.
I think that people who are advanced in the world of technology understand that evaluating resources is important. However, there are many "digital immigrants" in our world that don't understand what is actually available on the web. I also believe that many people think about evaluating websites and materials but also brush it off or quickly assume that the website is credible. We like everything to be available to us as quickly as possible, and sometimes no matter what google gives us, we will use it. It is obviously not a hard task to evaluate websites and will save anyone time and effort in the long run.
As for incorporating this into my classroom, I think it is important to give students a reality check. Students need to understand that their five year old sister could create a website on her own, and people could find it through a search engine and use it in their research paper. I love the idea of checklists for students to use when they are researching themselves, or when the class is researching as a group. This lists can be simple at first and eventually contain smaller details for older students. If students can evaluate websites at a young age, they will grow into better researchers when they will truly need this skill.