About the Award
Selection guidelines and information about ENC's Digital Dozen Award.
Digital Dozen is an award given to 12 selected web sites that are
appropriate for K-12 mathematics and science teachers, students, and
classrooms. See this month's Digital Dozen, or visit the Archive.
Digital Dozen Selection Guidelines
Each month, staff from ENC select 12 high quality mathematics and
science web sites to feature on ENC Online. These 12 sites, the
Digital Dozen, are selected by a team with math, science, education,
and web publishing expertise.
In selecting sites, team members must consider not only the
criteria mentioned below but also the entire balance of the 12 sites
selected for the month: to the extent possible, there should be sites
for different subject areas within math and science, for different
grade levels, and for different classroom and professional uses.
To be selected for Digital Dozen, sites must exhibit many of the
qualities listed below. Few sites meet all of the criteria, and some
criteria are not appropriate for some types of sites. In some cases,
perceived or unique strengths of a site may offset deficiencies.
Because web sites change so rapidly, the granting of a Digital
Dozen award is an indication of ENC's assessment of that site as of
the month the award is given. Changes in a site can result in the
removal of the site from the Digital Dozen archives.
Content and Pedagogy
-
Content is accurate, current,
without major omissions.
-
Supportive of national and state
reform efforts.
-
Lack of stereotyping, bias, and
social inequity.
-
Authorship is evident; viewpoint
or perspective of sponsoring organization is obvious.
-
Content is original or unique, with citations to referenced
works and bibliographies or references for further research.
Audience Usefulness and Engagement
-
Saves teachers time by gathering
information in one place or in unique context.
-
Teaching activities or supporting
information assist teachers in using site or referenced materials.
-
Language and visuals on site are
appropriate and attractive for intended audience, whether it is
students of particular ages or educators in particular situations.
-
Provides useful information for
teachers' professional growth.
-
Themes and content of site are appropriate for the time of
year they will be featured.
Functionality and Navigation
-
Most links are working within a
site, particularly internal links.
-
Load time is reasonably fast and
would not hamper site's use by educators.
-
Always accessible.
-
Appears to be maintained and
updated periodically.
-
Well organized with meaningful
labels.
-
Finding features within the site is not difficult.
Use of Web Technology and Design
-
Graphics have purpose and meaning.
-
Interactive or multimedia features
support the content of site.
-
Contents are appropriate presented
through this medium, either because of the way material is presented
or because they would not be easily or widely accessed through other
media.
-
Links to other sites are
purposeful and supportive of content of the site.
-
Encourages collaboration across time and/or space or the use
of real data.
Any questions about the selection of Digital Dozen sites should be
referred to the Digital Dozen team. Contact Gay Gordon, Associate
Director, Publications, .
References:
Roempler, Kimberly S. (1999) Collection Policy,
Third Edition. Columbus, OH: ENC.
Roempler, Kimberly S. (1999) "Becoming a Critical Consumer of the Web," ENC Focus: Integrating Technology in the Classroom. Vol. 6,
No. 3, p. 11-13. Columbus, OH: ENC
|
