In order to select useful material found on the internet, we as teachers must have a clear list of what makes a website worthy of being added to our lessons. In this case, we will follow the framework proposed by Dudeney and Hockly (2008) to evaluate online resources.
What makes a website viable can be measured by four different variables:
Accuracy: It asks teachers to go over the credentials of the author and the reliability of the information found.
Currency: Places importance on the date of publication and if it is kept up to date.
Content: Analizes the look of the content, from visual appeal to ease of use when navigating.
Functionality: Makes sure that the site itself and its external links and features are still working at the time of use.
The following article comes from the United Nations and include some links to other well stablished organizations to support their claims. Despite not having a date of publication on sight, the information displayed is updated up until the year 2024 since it contains data from the ending of 2023. This shows that is a current article overall.
In terms of content, it does contain some techical wording and a small text size that might difficult the reading process but, the paragraphing is well divided and the pictures present are visually appealing. As this site is run by the U.N., itself and every useful link and feature is working as intended.
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The World Meteorological Organization works as a source of data for many other reputable outlets and organizations. The information found in their climate change section is updated regularly as it displays data from 2024 making it accurate and current.
Its content is displayed in a neat way with several links to extra resources. However, the lexis used is extreamely technical at times and some of the information is only useful for the academic community making it not that useful for students to use. In terms of funtionalily, each link and resource works as it should.
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NASA's site uses a diverse array of images and data recollected by their satellites and is regarded as a well stablished scientific organization. The information is extreamely current since it is updated regularly with news that are published each week.
The visual aid present in the site is quite attractive and it helps the reader to understand the scope of the issue of climate change. Students can benefit a lot from the videos and GIFs present. Each link and video works and are changed regularly to display new articles.
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The World Health Organization is a trusted source used globally when dealing with health related topics. This particular article was published in October of 2023 which still displays information useful in 2025.
The content is mainly text based with some spare images as visual aid which can be visually exhausting. The terminology used is complex at times and touches on the health consecuences of climate change.
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The BBC is a news outlet that cover news from each corner of the world. The experts present are experts on their field which makes this podcast quite accurate. It was published at the end of 2023 and it still recieves visits today since it works as an introductory video.
The content is mostly audio with a simple background that shifts between images that enhances the listener's experience and understanding. There are extra chapters on the topic of climate change that can be accesed from the same video or the main channel page making it great in terms of functionality.
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In a similar fashion to the previous podcast, this article comes from a reputable source. The BBC published this article in January of 2025 and it contains links to each source needed to base their findings. We can say that it is successful in being accurate and current.
As it is named a simple guide, the content is not difficult to navigate or understand. Its paragraphs are short and include pictures as visual aid and bullet points to highlight key concepts. Each link present in the article is functional and the page itself is not overwhelming to navigate.
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Collins Dictionary is a known publisher around the world and its digital version is only edited by experts working at Collins and each example that is taken from authentic sources is neatly cited. The definitions found within the site are kept up to date to new uses of the words making it a current site.
Its design is quite simple and to the point in order to help readers to find the information that they are looking for. In terms of appeal, it might not be that attractive since the information is portrayed in text only. However, the site is quite functional with several links to related terms and examples.
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BBC. (2025, January 10). What is climate change? A really simple guide. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24021772
BBC. (2023, November 23) What is climate change? - The Climate Question, BBC World Service. [Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLEenW2UiUw
Dudeney, G. & Hockly, N. (2008). How to teach English with technology. Pearson Education Limited.
NASA. (2025, February 6). Climate change - nasa science. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/
United Nations. (n.d.). What is climate change?. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Climate change. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
World Meteorological Organization. (2025, March 18). Climate change. https://wmo.int/topics/climate-change