2:1 Evaluating an existing website

Activity duration: 40 minutes

It is important that pupils evaluate existing websites in order to establish general rules for creating their own. This process can help students to realise the importance of such things as navigation, finding information easily, the impact of design, and the ease of downloading information.

The Cable & Wireless Childnet Academy rewards innovative ideas for new and fully developed websites made by young people 18 years and younger. Below are some of the past award winning sites for your pupils to evaluate:

1. Women’s Winning Ways Leaders 4 tomorrow www.ogilvie.tased.edu.au/studact2004/leadership
2. SARS – an open scar Van Truong www.openscar.com
3. Wheel Guide to Life Joanne Evans www.wheelg2life.info
4. Cool kids for a cool climate Sarah Bowler www.coolkidsforacoolclimate.com
5. Kidzdom Andrew Fei www.kidzdom.com/flash5.html

Ask your pupils to review the sites by asking the following questions:

• What did you like about the site?
• Who do you think the audience for this site is?
• What 3 things do you think are really good about the site?
• What doesn’t work so well? Why?
• What would you add? How could the site be improved?

Click here to download a printable copy of the above questions

Ask pupils to create a continuum of ‘best’ to worst’ websites – giving reasons.

Note: If using your own selection of websites it is beneficial to include websites that ‘look’ attractive but are hard to follow and equally ones that look less appealing but are easy to manage.