Using the Web for Canadian history projects: What will children find?

Three perspectives are used to analyse existing Web pages relevant to Grade 6 students seeking information about Canadian history. They are (a) traditional evaluation criteria, such as the reliability of information, based on its currency, its durability, and the authority and purpose of its source; (b) usability and design issues; and finally, (c) knowledge transfer issues, such as the level of interaction and interpretation. The authors find a significant body of content on Canadian history that young people might find interesting, although the nature of this content is varied and its usefulness will depend on the complexity of the topic under investigation and the pedagogy in use in the classroom.