Step One – Search for a quality website on the following topic:
Disaster Recovery – each student should post a website that is unique . You can chose a site that covers short-term recovery, which returns vital life support systems to minimum operating standards, or long-term recovery from a disaster which may go on for years until the entire disaster area is completely redeveloped, either as it was in the past or for entirely new purposes that are less disaster-prone. You can chose a how-to site or chose a website that covers a historical recovery, for example: relocation of portions of a flood-prone town, or an example of turning the area into an open space or parkland. You might want to chose a site that covers recovery planning, which may review ways to avoid future emergencies. Consider evaluating a site that related to an environment health problem or terrorism. How about a website that accounts for cultural differences?
Tip: Web sites should be approached critically. If you were to receive a health newsletter in the mail you would probably ask yourself a few questions before trusting its content and applying what you read to your lifestyle. For example, you would probably look differently at a newsletter from a prestigious medical college than one from a nutritional supplement outlet. It’s equally important to check the credibility and credentials of different web sites.
Step Two – Describe the resource by answering the following questions:
- WHERE is the site from? Is it connected with a college, government, textbook publisher, nonprofit, business group, special interest group or an individual?
- WHAT is the site’s purpose? Is it to provide educational resources, foster communication among scientists, raise money, increase political clout, or generate support for a special interest group? If the site is sponsored by a special interest group, is that made clear from the outset?
- HOW would this site be useful to the field of emergency management and recovery efforts?
- WHO is likely to use the site? Who appears to be the target audience based on vocabulary used, level of education assumed or types of graphics, charts and links supplied?
- WHEN was the site copyrighted and when was it last updated? At the bottom of most web sites, you can find the copyright date and often a note of when it was last updated. This will give a sense of how well the site is maintained, how current the information is and how reliable the links will be.
- Evaluation of the Resource: Here you should be prepared to state your opinion of the site.
