Lynnsey Patterson
January 23, 2011
Overview:
The purpose of this site is to give artists of all ages and media the opportunity to showcase their work on their very own website. I believe this could be a great site for high school art students in giving them the opportunity to put together a digital portfolio that can be viewed by anyone, anywhere in the world.
Content:
The content of this site is well organized with a header containing all the links one needs including examples of other user's portfolios and an about section. There is also a side bar with information about how many images they currently have displayed as well as portfolios and users.
Design:
At first glance this site looks very unprofessional. The background of the site is contains images of unicorns, clouds, and other fantastical creatures. However, the portfolios the site hosts are very beautiful and professional looking. All the links work very well and the entire site including the portfolios are easy to navigate.
Bryana Wilson
September 21, 2009
Website Review
http://petrarch.petersadlon.com/sonnet.htm
"Francesco Petrarch and Laura deNoves" is a site that goes into great detail about the life and art of Francesco Petrarch. I felt this site did a wonderful job of describing Petrarch's role in creating and perfecting his sonnets. It's a very useful site in researching Petrarchan sonnets and taking a look into the man who perfected them. The site is very well organized, and fairly current.
CONTENT
Petrarch is the subject of this site. It is made up of a variety of a wealth of information on Petrarch, his writings- including the infamous Petrarchan sonnet, as well as information on other things. I particularly enjoyed the quotes on the top of the page. There are links on this site that allow you tips on writing a sonnet and teaching a sonnet- which I found very helpful. There are links to all of the sections in the site on the homepage. These include pictures, writings, books, essays written on Petrarch, and so on. I personally enjoyed the web links section that sends you to a variety of sites concerning Petrarch. The site is most assuredly aimed toward both students and teachers wishing to read and gain insight into Petrarch and his writings. If there are any questions or comments about the site, there is a link to contact Peter Sadlon with any questions or comments concerning his site. Considering all the information was researched by Mr. Sadlon with links to his resources, I believe this site is a great tool. It was last modified in 2007, but I believe the information is applicable to modern day.
DESIGN
This site is clear cut and easy to maneuver around in. I personally found its organization refreshing and aesthetically pleasing. The information is easy to find thanks to the table of contents on the main page that moves to a vertical section on the left-hand side once switched over to a new section. This helps when you are trying to ma
Kidport provides a unique, multi-step program to teach K-8 students thinking and learning skills. Kidport also provides math, science, social studies and language arts interactive education modules and reference materials.
* Jessica A. Wilhelmsen Reviewed September 1, 2010
* Apples4theteacher.com - A Primary Website
Overview
The overall purpose of this site seems to be an interactive learning environment for both teachers and kids. However, neither teachers nor students would enjoy this site as it seems currently incomplete. While the site is labeled it is cluttered with categories and listings. It is also cluttered with advertisements and gives off a feeling of chaos. While the site does give tons of resources an individual would need time to weed through them all to see if it was something they could use.
Content
The content of the website has the latest revision date and author. The site is currently under construction, which may be supplying some of the confusion and lack of graphics. The organization of this site does provide categories and various links associated with it each subject. However, the design and over abundance of activities makes looking at it overwhelming. I think individual and students will utilize other sites over this one due to its lack of structure and ease.
Design
The esthetics of the Apples4teacher.com is very unattractive. The site uses small icons and titles that make it hard to look at. The index for each subject is located just below an advertisement and text boxes border the entire web page. Once you click onto a subject area there is a lack of design, a list of resources to click and more advertisements. There is no flow to the website and the graphics don't add anything to its appeal. I wouldn't bookmark this page unless its updated or I find something in that would work well.
Nathan Wonnacott 9/9/11 Overview: The Smithsonian Institution web page is a way to allow people to access the galleries without visiting the museum and provides insightful ways to teach students as well. The target audience is parents, teachers, and even students. Some of its topics are history, science, art, and technology. I believe this site to be a very useful tool in educating. Content: The first impression of the Smithsonian webpage is a sense of variety. There are pictures of exhibits and links to others not depicted. It doesn't appear childish, but more for anyone interested in American history. Once I explored, I found that the links work successfully and are full of up to date information. The website does leave out links to other sites, which limits resources to the site alone. It also doesn't specify an author, leaving only the sponsor to be contacted. Design: The setup is both fast and easy with organized pull-down menus. The pictures and references to their exhibit are detailed, useful, and attention grabbing. Activities are also available, and help to locate new information. The pages are current, last revised on July 6, 2011. The site is effective and worth visiting.
Ryan Magrum Sept 15th, 2011
Overview: The purpose of this site is to teach student about the frog system through a virtual dissection. The dissection lets the user display the organs of the frog in any combination with or without skin and skeleton without the mess of an actual dissection that many of us have done in high school biology class. The site is strait forward with a big frog picture to click on to start the dissection and various links to other information.
Content: The first page has all the bureaucratic business with the contact info, the site creators and developers. There is also a link or two to other pages with more sites like this one and pages with more information. The dissection is a little disappointing. When one highlights an organ or set of organs the organs are sitting there like a real frog on a dissection dish. For a virtual dissection I wanted to see clickable options with descriptions and information (click on the heart and a box with info on the heart of a frog pops up). For a dissection, the pictures accurately depict what an actual frog looks like without the mess of a real dissection. The only other criticism is one can't physically touch the parts of a frog which is one of the benefits of the real life thing that the internet may never have.
Design: The website is plain in nature. There are no fancy pictures or visual effect to draw a person into the site. I believe the site is there purely for educational purposes. The title page is white with black print and blue hyperlinks. There are no advertisements. The interactive frog brings the user to the page where the user can play around with the frog parts and view them and how the parts fit together. The art involved is somewhat primitive but the parts are colored and one can tell what they are. This interactive page is plain as well. There is no commercial aspect in this website - it is obviously for educational purposes.
Nathan Wonnacott
9/9/11
Overview: The Smithsonian Institution web page is a great way to not only allow people, say in Wyoming, to access the galleries on the other side of the US, but also provides insightful ways to teach students as well. This website's audience is target to parents, teachers, and even students alike. It covers many topics, ranging from history, science, art, and technology. I believe this site to be a very useful tool in educating.
Content: At the first glimpse of the Smithsonian webpage, one gets a sense of variety. There are pictures of various exhibits and links are provided to many others not depicted. It does not appear strictly childish, but rather, for all those interested in America and its past experiences. Once I explored the site, I found that not only do all the links work successfully, but that they lead down a path of well-informed knowledge. The information on this site in not just simple facts, but up to date insight to the topics presented. However, the website does leave out links to other sites, which limits one's available resources to just the site alone. It also leaves out the author, leaving only the sponsor to be recognized and contacted.
Design: The setup is both fast and easy to navigate, with organized pull-down menus right from the start. The pictures and references to their exhibit are detailed, useful, and attention grabbing. Activities and games are also available, and help to locate and find new information. The pages are relatively current, last revised on July 6, 2011. Available on multiple browsers, the site is effective and worth visiting.
This website is called Core Knowledge Lesson Plans at coreknowledge.org. Download was quick; without delay. Homepage is attractive and well organized. Critical pieces of information (sponsors, contacts, and copyright) are easy to locate and navigate to. Media is effective and while there is not a lot of it, I believe the lack of it adds significantly to the effectiveness of the site. The worth of visiting this site is high; there is plenty of useful information that can help educators in creating lesson plans with a purpose. The date in which the site was updated clearly viewable at the bottom of the page and is also current within the month. Contact and copyright information are also given here. Overall this site is useful and easy to navigate. It is worth visiting.
Overview: This is a free site that allows users to create and publish their own stories after creating an account. It is intended for all writers, but has specific features for educators and students. Users do not need an email account and there is no minimum age requirement. The site has templates, artwork, and programming for book creation as well as teacher administrative capabilities. This site has excellent design and content and is perfect for the classroom.
Content: Users can quickly tell that the site is for publishing stories and that it is appropriate for all audiences. No authors are identified, but it is clear that storybird is a corporation with many contributors and the content they generate indicates that they are qualified. There is a "contact us" link in the help section and there is an "about" section as well. Last updated information is available on all stories, but not on general site content. All links function. In addition, it is easy to navigate and there is a how to video. Content is complete, organized, easy to understand, and free of bias. The site is almost entirely interactive as it is based on creation. I explored several eBook tools and this one is the best one for teachers. The site does not have any external links, but all content serves its purpose.
Design: The homepage is visually attractive and downloads quickly. Navigation is simple and content is clear. There are many resources to help first time users navigate and use the software. The site sponsor information is available at the blog and at the help section. There is a link to email for assistance. The site is easy to navigate, includes an index at the bottom of the page, and all links are active. Excellent multimedia is used to make the site look good. The website is available on a variety of browsers, including Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. The content of the site is excellent for the classroom. The content is organized, easy to use, and design is consi
Overview:
This website had a large choice of topics to choose from where a student could get quick facts or information on a subject. On the homepage all the different subjects ranging in alphabetical order from Art to Social studies could be researched by students. The site led to other sites that contained the information and all the secondary sites appeared to work fine. This would be a good starter website for teachers to send students to check out because they know for sure information will be correct because the site is operated by the US Government specifically for kids to use. The site was very navigator friendly which works for the benefit for both the student and teacher. No update was listed on the page was the only problem again. The website says on the bottom that it is a service from the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, part of the U.S. General Services Administration
Content: The content provided informational resources for students to use to do their research on a variety of topics. The website made it easy to find the different topics and the next link would take the student to another page that listed more specific content regarding the larger field of study. I focused on the kids part of the site but there was also more information for adults and teenagers. For the kids, they had three choices to pick from starting with learning stuff like information, playing games or watching information videos.
Design: The design of the website was easy to follow. A bright background with slightly darker tabs made the page aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Three different tabs were listed for the kids section with learning stuff, playing games and watching information videos. The design of the site was easy to navigate and easy enough with navigation that kids in elementary school would not have a problem with it.
K-3 SmartBoard Sites created by SmartBoard 1. Click on an Activity 2. Click on Download this Lesson Activity **It will download it to your computer and it will open the lesson on the SmartBoard
Haylee Bolinger
Website evaluation 1
9-2-10
Overview
The website stickworks.net is a promotional tool for Patrick Dougherty. As an artist that is in demand worldwide he must keep a portfolio as accessible as possible. Fans and potential clients are welcome to look through Dougherty's work and his biography. On this website clients can make requests for his large scale installations, while fans are directed to admiring his work though books, videos, calendars, and even full length feature film.
Content
From the introductory page one has the option of continuing into the main site or purchasing a book about Dougherty. Once navigated into the main site you can view every location and date of Dougherty's work and you have the many options to choose from in the main menu. Stick Works contains a thorough biography and video resources that help the viewer better understand how and why Dougherty makes his artwork. This website is being updated on a monthly bases due to the demand for Dougherty's artwork. Present exhibitions are continually photographed and uploaded upon completion or linked to the collector's website while future exhibitions are scheduled and published. A few of the links in this website are incomplete which makes viewing some works difficult. The viewer is also welcome to preview clips from a full-length feature about Dougherty's life and artwork.
Design
The web site Stick Works is visually appealing with a slate background and white font. This sleek background draws attention to the striking pictures of Dougherty's artwork. Navigating is made easy with a menu bar at the top of every page. On this menu one can find out all there is to know about Dougherty: news, biography, installations (past and present), Curriculum vitally, resources, shop, and contact info.
Haylee Bolinger
Website Evaluation 2
9-2-10
Overview
The website www.cremaster.net serves as a portfolio for Matthew Barney and as another medium through which people can view and discover his bizarre artwork.
Content
From the main menu you can pick from one of five Cremaster cycles, which are a combination sculpture, design, and performance. Once you have chosen one of these you can navigate through each cycle choosing from the following list: synopsis, characters, sculpture, trailer, screenings, cycle, menu. Once you have chosen from the list, new lists appear that are rather frustrating because they are not formatted in a western linear tradition. However, streaming videos can be seen of each cycle, which is far more interesting than viewing pictures of them.
Design
The home page of the web site is very minimal white on white with different style fonts for each of the five different crème cycles. Designs or visual descriptions are done using fine black lines. From main menue you can choose from a menu which often leads to more options. It is easy to navigate, however the icon for the main menu should be more prevalent.