Group items tagged

Ask Jeeves.com is a website that can give you definitions, images and answer all your questions. This site helps students of all kinds with projects, essays, news, and references. The sites images though have some raciest pictures that make fun of President Obama. These pictures should not be allowed on these sites yet they are. Ask Jeeves is note a good site for pictures showing true photos of a person's real character. The intended audience for this site is anyone needing to find something or asking a question about a certain topic. A lot of college and high school students use this site for problems they may face with a project, paper or definition. The resources for this site contain photos, web findings, news, and videos. The resources are mostly correct, but like Google they have photos that are not accurate. This site is very good overall and the only thing it lacks is its credibility of some of its images. I have used this site for definitions, resources and web findings. My impression of this site is good; I just would just like to see that they ban pictures that show raciest pictures or pictures with no reliability. I would use this site for about anything to help me to complete a paper or project.

Becky Stewart 1/24/11 Average Site Overview: The site http://www.greatschools.org/ is a site designed for parents would be my hypothesis. This site is comparing different schools, and seeing which ones are the best. That is why this site would be good for parents. The parents would be able to compare schools and see which ones they would be okay with their children attending. Young children wouldn't be able to navigate this for themselves, because the site is pretty complicated so they wouldn't be able to follow it like its supposed to be used. Content: At first glance the site is very complicated. There are a lot of links that have to be followed if the right information is to be found. It is easy to identify that this site is for adults who are able to follow the links and different information. There is no easy to get information about the author, however, there is a copyright date. The date says that the site was last updated in 2011 so this is a good recent website that will carry the most recent information. An address and contact are listed however which means that contact is possible, just with some effort. The content is pretty well organized for someone that is interested in following all of it. The only flaw in the content is that if the user is looking for specific information about something than it could be very hard to find because other results may pop up that are unwanted. Overall the website has good content that would just have to be sorted out a little by the user. Design: The homepage took a little time to download, but nothing really above normal. The homepage is attractive with a lot of colors and pictures. However, it seems like there is just too much going on at once. It makes it look very confusing and can turn people off of the site just because its so much to follow. The site is easy to navigate and follow the links. On the other hand, just because the links are easy to use doesn't mean the the exact results the user

Website: http://science.discovery.com/ Content The science channel website has some good information in it. The audience of this website is obvious in the title and the material. It is for those people looking for science related material for basically any age. There are games for the kids and articles for the older crowd. There are a few N's on my evaluation, but there are no perfect websites. They keep the website current. Design The homepage is very appealing. There is very good contrast and images. The text is easy to read. The website cleary states what its intent is, is easily accessible and navigatable. The videos load and are connected to the websites material. I was able to open the website in safari, firefox and Internet explorer. There is a lot of material from articles to videos to games and even a tv manual to what is on the science channel. The website is logical and orderly. The website is current and there is no out dated material that I could find. There are links to other websites that are related to the science channel such as animal planet and military channel. Overview I found that the Science channel website was very resourceful. It is a science website so there is some bias because there are theories and not all material has been proven. I found that I was current and easy to use. The audience is very obvious and there are things to do for fun and learn at the same time. I really enjoyed looking at this website for its purpose and not just scanning over it not noticing how effect it really is. Joey Skalsky Itech 2360 Sec 4

Lyle Wiley September 10, 2011 Overview: The About.com Shakespeare site is a resource site for educators and students dedicated to the Bard. The site is intended for educators and students and would mostly benefit the novice in all things Shakespeare education. The site contains many linked brief articles with Shakespeare information, historical background, lesson plans, teaching tips/ideas, and a frequently updated blog. While the site is housed in a template web page with few interactive media features and little eye appeal, it is well organized and certainly provides some useful information and ideas for educators needing a jump start in Shakespeare studies. Content: The basic content and intended audience for the website is easily discernable. Furthermore, the author of the content along with his credentials and contact information is readily available. The content of the site appears to be frequently updated and the author looks to at least post a blog entry monthly with new or updated site information. The information is well organized and easy to access and understand. While the site is relatively free of bias, there are a number of advertisements which often distort the flow of information but not severely. There are few external links (outside of About.com) on the website and no real media interactivity tied to the information. However, the information on the site looks to be accurate and certainly provides some good information and ideas for educational approaches to the works of Shakespeare. Design: While the homepage downloads quickly and the site navigation (complete with clear indexes of site content on the front page) is easily managed upon entry to the site, the immediate feel of the site is a naked template. This may not be eye catching, but the ease of information dissemination is handy. There is essentially no multimedia in play with this informational site, but the information communicated is worthwhile, succinct, and well organized.

Monique Koller Jan. 24 2010 Cool math games is a website that has games, lessons and interactive ways to learn to enjoy Math. Content: The site has some fun games that I can see the educational value in, but not all of them, nor do I see where Math is a part of all of them. For the most part it seems like a worthwhile site I would allow my kids and maybe students to play on. Design: It looks like a fun site from the get go and I enjoyed exploring it. It is pretty easy to navigate around. There are some good lessons and the games are pretty amusing. I could easily find most of the stuff I needed. Overview: The purpose of this site is to be an aid while a student is learning math. This site is definitely directed towards kids. The authors are also hoping that there is adult supervision so that the kids can interact and get help. The games are good most of the time and have good content I think this could be a valuable site to visit.

Purpose The purpose of Cool Math Games is to help integrate math into a more fun environment. This site is geared for young grade school kids. There are different games that are aimed at tackling different types of skills that are needed in math. There are also different lessons that specialize on other skills. These are targeted at a much higher audience, with lessons like algebra and pre-calculus. This site has a lot of good information that could be used, I am just not sure if it is very helpful to students. Content This site contains a ton of materials. It has games and activities for such a wide range of math skills. The entire site seems to be working, however, it doesn't seem like it all is up to date as it could or should be. The games have good skills to be learned, but they are not up to date with as good of programming as possible. It is also not always apparent who the game or activity is accredited to. It is also not too accessible to contact them with as much ease as I would like. Design The design of the page seems to be a little crammed. They have a lot of link and titles, however, it is not done so in a way that is too pleasing. The color scheme is also very scattered and does not seem to blend well together. The pictures also do not seem to add as much to the page as needed. There also seems to be little order to how the games and activities are put up. This site has a great plan, I do not however feel like they completely got it all correct.

This site is used for elementary students to learn and expand their understanding of math in a more fun way than just the textbook. The intended audience is upper elementary students because a teacher can pick a game that will enforce what they have learned, but it will challenge them to think a little bit harder than they might have doing a word problem. The children also don't see this as boring learning; they see it as a fun game. There are various math games that are specifically targeted for a certain math levels throughout the website. For example, there are games for the upper elementary to work on multiplication, fractions, percentages, and negative numbers. Based on the first two questions that the evaluation for content asks, the answers are: yes, I can identify the purpose of the site, and no, the age group is not explicitly stated, but the intention and vernacular leads us to believe that age of the intended audience. At the bottom of the page it is easy to identify who the creators of this website are and how you can be in contact with them. If the sponsors are the advertisers, then they have clear demonstration of their sponsorship in four distinct locations. We can know that his site was last updated in 2015. We don't know how often it is updated, but we know that everything works according to plan. We know that the intentions of this site is to be a fun learning experience that is organized in a way that children can easily locate anything that they may possibly need. Everything on this site looks professional, but it still appeals to a younger audience. This website provides great opportunities for children to grow in their learning of math as well as play fun games. Everything in terms of logistics measures up to what it should be. The design of the overall lay out is kid friendly, and functions properly as long as the updated version of the flash drive is installed. They have specific animations and sounds that correspond with certain games

Overview: The purpose of this web page is to analyze the significance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's color symbolism in The Great Gatsby. The audience is based around a high school-level English class. No information about the author is given, although it is implied that he is a high school student.Overall, this is a well-written essay that provides a number of insightful points that would be helpful in a classroom setting. Content: The content of this essay is particularly strong. It is well organized, despite the lack of a document map, and a reader is easily able to understand the purpose of the site. The author is identified, although virtually anonymous. The site cannot and does not need to be updated, as the content is timeless. While no specific further information is given, the content can be used to drive discussion and can be traced back to the novel. Design: This site doesn't have a strong design. It is a PDF of an essay. There is no form of ornamentation. This is good in the sense that it doesn't distract a reader from the content of the essay, but is simultaneously bland. However, the design of the page is infinitely less significant than the content, which is the critical piece of the discussion and the purpose of the site.

Shaya Wolf - 2/26/2013 Overview This site is intended for teachers who are looking for new ideas for lesson plans. It is meant to be used as a resource for teachers who simply need a good idea to get them going. The lesson plans can be used as is or tweaked to fit the teacher's specific needs or goals. This site, if I were to venture a guess, is probably for new teachers as it gives very specific ideas and makes everything accessible by grade and subject, tools that are nice for everyone, but are specifically for newbies in the field. My overall impression of this site is that it is definitely very useful, designed well, and worth your time to look at and use. Content This site is extremely user friendly. IT it obvious what the basic content is and that the intended audience is teachers. The author and sponsor information is provided in an organized manner, including contact information made accessible through a link at the bottom of the page. This site was last updated in 2008 and considering that these lesson plans won't be outdated for a while, especially considering a teacher's ability to tweak existing plans to fit their needs, I would say that this revision date is appropriate to the materials provided. The purpose of the site as a database of lesson plans is clear from the very beginning. The provided links achieve this purpose in the most effective manner possible. The content is complete, however may be added to, and easy to understand. All of the information is organized utilizing a navigation bar and allows teachers to find information related to a specific need. The information is obviously accurate and there are no spelling or grammar errors. The only downfall on this site is that there are no additional links for further needs or purposes. Design The homepage loads efficiently and quickly. The homepage serves as a main source of organization and contains all of the necessary contacts, as in the author and sponsor of the page. The website

The intended audience appears to be parents of middle school children, and the intended purpose is to try to explain why self confidence in middle school takes a hit. The article was written in 2010, and there is no evidence to suggest that the website has been updated since then. There is no information on the author, but she has written a lot of articles for this website. Unsure what her credentials are. The website provided a lot of good helpful information, but I would be hesitant to use it as an educational site, because there is not enough information about the author, and her expertise on the subject. The content of the article is about why students self esteem takes a hit in middle school. The author explains one way is bullying. She elaborates on the topic of why students are cruel during these years. She gets her information from a book written by an author with a PhD. This author is quoted many times, and the article is entirely based on this book. The problem is explained, then possible solutions for the victim students to stand up against their peers and build self-esteem. The author of the book is well educated, but that is all that is provided, and no information of the author of the article is provided. The website has some eye appeal, using bright colors such as pink to emphasize. The cover of the book the article is based on is provided. There are a lot of ads for other articles written on this website, and links to these articles both in and around the story. There are videos at the bottom of the page, explaining different articles and how-to's. There is also a comment section for readers to rate the page and write comments.

http://www.indianchild.com/know_the_solar_system.htm Revised by: Rhianna Kipper Overview: The intended purpose of this site can be assumed but it isn't clearly laid out exactly what it's meant to do. The audience isn't clearly laid out at all. The resources of the sight are limited to what is written and the author isn't clearly identified so there's no way to tell how credible it is. I didn't get a very good result from visiting this website and I wouldn't suggest it for anyone else. Content: The audience of this webpage isn't clearly identified at all and the basic content is partly outlined but not in a very effective way. The author is not clearly identified and no information about an author of any kind is available. The sponsor isn't available and a contact person or address isn't listed. There is not revision date. The links to other websites are working properly but they appear to be advertisements connected to random words. The purpose is clear and the content is somewhat organized but it isn't laid out in a productive way. It is free of bias but I wouldn't consider this a website to come back to. Design: This page seems to download fairly effectively. It doesn't have much eye appeal and seems very homemade with little effort. You can't really tell where you are and the content is somewhat clear but not as much as the NASA website. There is not site sponsor identified and there are no dates to show any upgrades or revisions. It's fairly easy to move around so directions wouldn't really be needed. Links to other pages are only advertisements which in most cases probably wouldn't be helpful in most cases. There is some sufficient information but it is very short.

Posted by Kelsey Potter on January 24, 2010 Content: The content of the page is clear but the audience is unclear for this webpage. The author is unknown and there is no information on the contact anyone for this site, the sponsor of the site is clear at the top of the page. There is no revision date on the page although the information seems to be kept up to date. The purpose of the page is clear and understandable. The content is well organized and easy to understand. There are a lot of ideas throughout the page and is sufficient to the reader. It is free of bias and consistent throughout the webpage. Design: The webpage opened promptly and was interesting at first site. There is a clear title and captions on the page and the index is clear to directing the reader in the right directions. The sponsor of the site is provided although information on the sponsor is not given. Copyright date is available. There are no directions in the site but they may be needed to guide the reader to what they are looking for. There was only advertisement graphics which did not benefit the webpage's content. The basic format was different throughout the webpage making it hard to browse through and ding information. The links are well organized and easy to use. Summary: This webpage is not a very reliable source although it is only science projects so it does not necessarily need to be. There are several good ideas for science projects for teachers to use in the classroom or for students to perform outside of the classroom. Although clicking onto the homepage is a little overwhelming with different resources for science projects to use as well. There is different ways of searching for science projects and that makes it easier for the reader to find what they are specifically looking for. Overall this web site serves its purpose by exposing fun and interesting science projects to its readers.

Sara Hindman January 24, 2010 Overview I evaluated the Discovery Kids website because of my interest of the Discovery channel. The purpose of this website is to advertise the channel and I know this because of all the emphasis on their characters. Although the website's main purpose is to advertise, another purpose is educational. Most of their games have no educational value whatsoever, but I was did manage to find some that were extremely beneficial. One was the Build a Volcano game in which the student controls the viscosity and gas of a volcano and watches to see what happens when different variables are increased or decreased. Another game was Make a Mummy, which the student learns about the different procedures the body must go through in order to become a mummy. I learned many things I did not know before. The intended audience for this website is ages seven through twelve. I did not find any links to other websites. I find this website to be a waste except for the few games I found to be educational. Content The Discovery Kids website clearly stated its purpose of advertising and the intended audience by pasting most of their television characters on the home page. Like the nobelprize.org, kids.discovery.com failed to state who the author of the website is, although I was able to find when the last revision was (2010.) The information quality is great, there is nothing "under construction" or inaccurate. There is no further information for this website. Overall I would say the content is ok, nothing spectacular. Design The design of this website is good because of its eye-catching pages. I completely understand why children would find this website appealing because it has everything to offer children; their favorite characters and fun games. The speed of this website is fast and it is easy to navigate. All of the multimedia is loaded fast and provided perfect quality. I am not sure if this website is compatible was different browser bec

Regene DePiero 9/5/2011 Overview: This site is geared toward students in math courses.  It provides a number of online calculators to help solve anything from equations to derivatives.  Its layout is a little confusing after in depth exploration.  Some links do not work or content listed is not what is actually provided.  Also calculators do not offer step by step explanation which only helps students get an answer, and not learn anything about the process.  From a teacher's perspective, not an ideal tool for actually learning math. Content: There is no clear author or sponsor listed.  Information appears to be correct but many of the calculators do not return answers for many problems attempted.  There are almost no actual math explanations provided, only tables and answers.   There is no revision date listed, merely a copyright date at the bottom of the page.  There are links to other pages on the site but most are actually ads and not specifically sponsored but the site itself.  Several links are broken, however there is a link to contact for more information.   Design: This site is confusing to navigate.  What appear to be links to other pages on the site are actually ads.  Several links either do not work or bring you back to the page you were on.  The calculators seem like helpful interactive tools until put into use.  They are difficult to use and there is not a good explanation as to how to input the problem so that they are solved properly.  Also several calculators don't even return an appropriate answer.  Links to "courses" and "lessons" actually only bring you to pages with tables of equations.

Tyson Bagley October 13, 2014 The purpose of this resource is to help beginning Spanish learners to better understand how to conjugate regular -AR verbs in the present tense in all forms. There is no introduction and he immediately starts with conjugating example verbs. This is a good resource for beginning learners to learn to conjugate these verbs accurately. The content of this video is great and is very useful. The instructor in the video speaks slow and very clearly and explains the "how" behind each form of conjugation. The instructor was very accurate and presented multiple different examples to help with the repetition of the conjugating. This video is great for a class room to introduce conjugating -AR verbs because it is short and not extremely boring. In the video the instructor not only talks, but also has the words and examples appear on the screen in a format easy to read. He also says every sentence in English and Spanish to help the viewers to understand what he is saying.

Tyson Bagley October 13, 2014 The purpose of this resource is to help beginning Spanish learners to better understand how to conjugate regular -AR verbs in the present tense in all forms. There is no introduction and he immediately starts with conjugating example verbs. This is a good resource for beginning learners to learn to conjugate these verbs accurately. The content of this video is great and is very useful. The instructor in the video speaks slow and very clearly and explains the "how" behind each form of conjugation. The instructor was very accurate and presented multiple different examples to help with the repetition of the conjugating. This video is great for a class room to introduce conjugating -AR verbs because it is short and not extremely boring. In the video the instructor not only talks, but also has the words and examples appear on the screen in a format easy to read. He also says every sentence in English and Spanish to help the viewers to understand what he is saying.

Brianna O'Shea October 13, 2014 Overview: The purpose of this article is to tell the two sides of bilingual classes and what both side, whether to keep in schools or get rid of, think about bilingual classes in relation to their children. Some believe that teaching a second language simply hinders teaching and lowers test scores while the other side believes that students should have the right to learn two languages, including their home language. The audience is meant for those debating whether to keep bilingual classes in their children's' schools or not, especially Latino parents. Overall, this article is a good read and presents good reasons on both sides of the argument. Content: The title states both the purpose of the article and the intended audience, yet while the author is provided, information about the author is not available. The sponsor is identified, yet there is not obvious way to contact them. The article is up to date and the content is complete while also achieving its purpose. It is organized and doesn't seem to be biased as it presents both sides. Design: The title is clear and it is visually attractive with small, easy to read paragraphs. The sponsor is clearly identified and the copyright date is easy to find. It is easy to search the site and provides good information to make the site worth visiting. The format is consistent throughout the site and is easy to follow. The date is clearly visible yet no link is provided to contact the author.

Kara Mitchell 1 February 2011 This website is lacking in bright colors and animations, because it is intended for an older audience such as high school students. This site looks into world history as well as history of children, women, the French Revolution as well as a few other specific areas of history. The site provides a wide array of information that could potentially be overwhelming. When choosing one site from the title page the student is then faced with another title page breaking down what the specific section includes. The site is easy to navigate as each sub title page is identical. Content: In each sub section is a listing of the sponsor or professor responsible for the information as well as the copyright and date. However the site is dated for 2006. History will not change because it has already happened but the site should be updated to show it is being maintained and not subject to falsification. The site loads quickly and efficiently, with no grammatical or spelling errors. However, there are no ads or links to other sites that may be beneficial or provide more evidence. Design: The site is easily maneuvered and there are no loopholes to finding information. Every page is the same format and there are no distractions. However, this would not be a good site for younger children because it lacks colors and animations. At the same time, no distractions are available to hinder work. Overview: I would use this website in my high school class because so much information is available. Primary sources are easily accessed as are reviews if a student needs clarification. There is no music or videos that I would find helpful however pictures and images of primary sources are at the students fingertips.

Overview - This site gives pretty good information and i believe that it is suitable for probably upper middle school and high school to college students. It includes information on the histories of dissection and vivisection in regards to animals and educational purposes. Content - I do believe that this site has good content, but it wasn't exact what I was looking for when I searched dissections. This site talks about how animal dissections are used for educational purposes and not really the history of dissection or vivisection as stated in its title. Design - This site, i believe, had the worst design of the 3 that I evaluated. It is very boring all around the page and doesn't do anything to draw there reader into reading it. There is no helpful images or videos, just dull colors and the article.

Kate McDonnell October 13, 2014 From the get go a reader can tell that the purpose is to inform. It's obvious what the reader will be informed about; cyberbullying. Many different components of this topic are available to the reader, ranging from laws of cyberbullying, risks, and actual cases of cyberbullying. The intended audience of this website seems to be anyone doing research on this topic; particularly students. It isn't very advanced in wording and layout as a whole, so it might be good for junior high all the way through college students. Overall, it has very strong parts and very weak parts, though I don't think I'd recommend it because there isn't a way to verify important details. Content: When it comes to information providers, this website is weak. The authors and sponsors aren't listed anywhere, therefore the credentials of whoever created this website aren't accessible. The latest revision isn't stated anywhere on the website, so the reader has no way of knowing if the latest revision date is appropriate for this information. The only thing that might lead a reader to believe the information is current is that specific recent cases of cyberbullying are listed, so the information has to be somewhat recent. The purpose of this website is clear, and the content achieves the purpose of it; informing. The content is complete as well as well-organized and easy to understand, making it clear and convenient for the reader. It appears to be free as bias as well. This website also provides links to other reliable websites, which is another strong point. Design: The website downloads affectively and quickly. The homepage doesn't necessarily have strong eye appeal, it is bland and boring. That could be a good thing though, because it isn't overwhelming. A reader always can tell where they are in the website, because an index at the top of the website is provided and clearly labeled. All of the links worked and there aren��

The purpose of this resource is to help intermediate Spanish learners to learn the irregular verbs ser and ir and how to conjugate them in the present tense. There is a slight introduction and it is a very short video with lots of information. This is a great video to learn or review how to conjugate these irregular verbs. The content is short but well used. The instructor isn't shown in the video but her voice is very clear and she speaks slow enough to understand. There is no English in the video which could be difficult for some but its good listening practice. There are different examples and it is a good video to make the students think. It is a great video for a high school classroom and it is very accurate with the forms of conjugating of the verbs she uses. The spelling is correct and all the examples are correct and well used. This video contains examples that are both written and explained orally giving the students opportunities to answer the questions on their own before the instructor gives the answers. The name of the instructor doesn't appear but it is clear to know that she is a native Spanish speaker.

Lauren John 1/30/2011 Jumpstart.com Overview: This site was created to help children learn to read through online games set in a fantasy land. It is focusing on making reading enjoyable and imaginative for those students who may have shorter attention spans or read at lower levels than other students. It offers incentives for completing lessons and practice of more school skills than just reading. The audience not only includes those with attention deficits, but also very young children who would be drawn in by the cartoon images and colorful designs. Although cute, the web design was not the easiest to get around. They offered directions verbally on what each place had in store for the child and how to maneuver in each game, but I had to figure out for myself how to move the person and what the buttons meant. Overall it was well designed though and the content was related. The biggest difficulty I ran into was that the player must be a member to take part in almost every one of the games. Content: The content of this website was fairly desirable. It was clearly stated in an upfront manner who and what they site were intended for. Although there is no author information or way to reach them, the sponsors are clearly identified and they are jointed with several other reputable sites. There is no revision date, but the materials are copyrighted through 2010, and I have actually seen the children I babysit play this game, so I know it is trusted by teachers in my school system. This site has many ways to get around it, but I could see how students would have a difficult time at the beginning because there are not clear labels. The site claims to have many ways to learn math, science, and reading, but in the time I spent there, it seemed like only the members were able to access the games that involved those. That made it so I was stonewalled enough times that I got bored with the site and gave up. I would consider using it in my classroom if there weren't

Lacey Boyles April 15, 2015 This website is for parents and children, there is a section for each. There is also a section for teachers. The website is easy to navigate. It focuses on children from ages birth to elementary grades. It seems that you can access this website on computers and also smart phones, iOS and androids for example. From what I looked through this would be a good site to not only visit again but also show to my children. Again this was a very well set up web site. It was easy to get around and they have the parent, children, and teacher sections separate. There are a few things I do not like about this site. There is a lot of adds for games that could draw attention to students if they were to get on here. When clicking on games you have to sign up and possibly pay to play. There is an index which gives you an idea of where you are going. The purpose of this site I would say is not 100% clear as there is information for parents, teachers, and children. The content on this page is really good. It has lots of ideas on activities, which it separates in to categories such as topic subject, age, and grade. There is a contact us page that you could go to if you needed help. I didn't need help so I am not sure how well or quick it works. Over all I did like this site and would go back again for ideas.