Group items tagged

Sam Burns, 9/20/2009 "German Online Interactive Learning" is very similar to the last site I reviewed. It provides links to other sites for specific problems in the German language, both for learning and teaching German. Content: This site once again has hundreds of likes to hundreds of different German help sites. I clicked on many of the links and not one was the same as the links on the other site. This site has links for games and grammar once again but it also provides many useful PowerPoint's. The PowerPoint's are available to download to your computer and they actually provide accurate and helpful information. Once again I must say that I believe this site is aimed toward beginning German. There are not a lot of helpful links for advanced German studies. Design: This site is free and not hard at all to navigate. It provides a search engine as well as links for other sites. It is pretty well laid out and easy to find the information you are searching for, even if it is not of value. It is very colorful and is updated weekly. The current and new information is easy to interpret and to find. Overall this site is well organized and useful.

Sam Burns, 9/20/2009 The "German Teaching" page is a website full of links for all things related to German. From teaching help, to verb flashcards, and to advanced readings, the site has a lot of helpful information. I think it is more useful for beginning German learners but the site still has a lot of value. Content: This site is completely free and is actually just a site containing links to other sites. It contains hundreds of links to German sites for almost every problem a student, or teacher, might have. Links to German games, flashcards, and even some lesson plans are available through this site. The range of skill level activities provided on this site are also very broad, beginning to "advanced". I feel that the site is a lot more directed at lower level education but is still helpful. Design: The website is fairly easy to navigate but it is not professional looking at all. The layout looks cheap and unreliable. By looking at many of the links, I noticed that some of the information provided was unclear and may be more confusing that helpful to beginning students. However, some of the links are very helpful for specific problems someone might be having.

Mitch Sexton January 19th 2009 Spiegel Online is a form of a major German newspaper printed and distributed throughout Europe. I feel that this could be a very significant learning tool for any German student. The only downside to the site is that to navigate the site you must speak a fair amount of German to be able to eventually translate the site. However, whether you navigate the site in German or English you have access to news feeds, online dictionary, news flashes and even sports updates. This can make for a very fun and educational experience. The German language only really begins to take hold in your mind when you begin to use it and what better way than immersing yourself in what is happening over there right now as we speak? I feel that the advantages of this site strongly outweigh the disadvantages and anyone with access to this site would benefit from reading it and learning about what is happening in their area of study at the very moment.

Sam Burns, 9/20/2009 The Leo Translator site is better than most online translators I have found four many of reasons. First of all it is a German site so it is easier to find the word that you are looking for. Also, the site is made by professionals and is designed to help with finding specific words, not for writing sentences like other translation sites which more often than not, are completely wrong. Content: The Leo Translator is basically just a giant online German to English dictionary. It is in German but has a link to switch the site to English. Leo has a spot to type in any word, German or English, and then it quickly brings results in the opposite language the initial word was typed. My favorite part about Leo is that when a word is typed, it gives many different translations and then it is the user's job to pick the correct one. On most other translation sites the word is just assumed and one translation is given. This can cause mistakes and is also, in my opinion, a waste of time. I think that Leo is more for advanced levels of students because of how in depth the translation results are, but it is a very useful tool. Design: Leo is very easy to navigate and very well planned out. It is easy to find where to type the word that you want translated. Also, the translated words are displayed clearly and in bold font. The website is not too appealing as far as color and pictures go but that is not necessary. The site loads quickly after every word and is very efficient. Another benefit of Leo is that after each search, related links to the word are displayed at the bottom of the page. This can be very helpful when trying to understand a new word.

Mitch Sexton January 20th 2009 The page provided by BBC about German culture and language seems to be a very interesting and educational tool to be used by anyone looking to learn about Germany. With so many different links and fun games it is impossible to search this site without learning at least a little bit about Germany and its culture. I feel that this would be a useful tool as a teacher because not only does it provide the site in German but it also gives you news updates, live television feeds, weather and even quizzes about cultural events. The intended audience is obviously any person that is looking to learn about Germany. But it also provides a more in-depth look with the television feeds and translation into German. I think that this is a wonderful site for anyone but a particularly great site for students that will be in my classroom.

Kylie Marchant August 31, 2010 Overview This website is designed for students and others who want to test their language proficiency on 25 different languages using vocabulary tests and crossword puzzles. A German company called Goethe Verlag operates this website for language learners. Based on content and design evaluations, I think this site is worthwhile for using with my eventual students and even in my own studies. It is well organized, simple to use, and seems accountable and accurate. My impression is that it is a valuable resource to have in my repertoire. Content From the first look, the user can discern that the website is for students and others wanting to test their language skills offered in a variety of languages. The website is governed by the Goethe Verlag but it is a little difficult to identify their actual credentials. There is an area where the company can be contacted though. I could find nothing identifying the currency of the information presented on the site. From my proficiency in German, I took a look at the German exercises and they seem to be interesting and interactive as well as accurate and interesting for students. Further, there are no linked sites for more exploration. All in all, in response to the content of this site, I believe it is worth keeping mind for further usage and reference. Design The home page is the launching site for all of the information on the website indicating the title, contents, overseeing organization, and clear instructions for navigating the website. It is rather simple in design but still aesthetically pleasing. The speed seemed to be reasonable for the pages I visited including the home page. There is minimal usage of multimedia but when present it serves a purpose. The content is worthwhile, clearly organized on the website, and easy to use. Again, there are no distinct dates clarifying currency of the information, although I do not believe the information could ever be outdated.

Kylie Marchant August 31, 2010 Overview This website was created for German language learners and educators. The website lacks credibility as there is no citation for creator or date currency. I believe that some of the content could be considered worthwhile if it was presented in a more user friendly manner and with reference to its credibility. My impression is that there is potential for this to be a good resource but at this time is a poorly engineered website for students and/or teachers. Content From the first look, although the user can determine that this website is designed for German language learners and teachers it is difficult to find the creator and any dates for this website. Several of the links that are provided did not work correctly and are organized so that it is difficult to navigate simply from a link back to the homepage. Some of the information presented seems helpful but other information seems to be inaccurate or out of date. In response to the content of this site, I think it may be too difficult to determine validity to be of practical use. Design The homepage is not organized significantly to make navigation understandable. The website design is very simplistic, bland, and does not generate interest. The speed seemed to be reasonable. I do not think the content is introduced efficiently and due to the lack of dates and citations, there is a lack of credibility. In conclusion, the site is not very well designed and is too difficult to navigate.

Word Reference.com is a language translation site that came highly recommended to me by my Spanish professor. Its sole purpose is to translate English words to and from Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Russian. Content: This is a free site and is a good recommendation for any language translations on the internet. One of its beneficial features is the online forum which helps dictate more traditional or slang words that may not be listed within the sites database as a dictionary. Design: The site is plain and simple. Its intended use is easily accessed and is at the top of the page. There are no flashing advertisements, however an offer is made about an application they provide for iPhone and iPod Touch. Other than that, the site provides a very usable layout with nothing to sidetrack its users from their intended goals. Attribution: The point of this site is to make crossing language boundaries easier. I would actively use this site with my students as a means for them to enhance and better understand a foreign language

Bridget Stein 9/14/11 Overview: This is an excellent source to use, not only for students but teachers as well especially when you are learning or teaching a foreign language. This site has verb conjugation, and many different language dictionaries available for your use. Content: Within this website, there are numerous resources available to use. There are language dictionaries ranging from Spanish all the way to Czech and Polish. Also available is the language forum, where you can search questions and have conversations with people about a question you have, or want to discuss a language with someone on the web. Design: This site has a very simple layout to it. It basically is a dictionary online, so it is very straightforward and easy to see where things are that you will need.

Amanda Lamey January 23, 2010 Overview I chose this site because RosettaStone has seemed to help lots of individuals learn a second or third language. I was impressed when I came to this site. You can choose from a variety of languages, you can purchase packages or just one at a time. With each package it listed the price and a button for you to add it to your cart. They have a toll free number to call. There are videos of people who have used it and learned from it. I think this is a beneficial part in helping someone purchase this item. I know it would help me. I would want to know from experience whether a product is good enough to spend hundreds of dollars on. This website is designed for anyone, but limited to people with credit/debit cards. Any one person can learn a language with assistance and it has been proven that younger children learn quicker and faster than adults. They had a contact button for further information. It also had other available resources like case studies from a classroom, stories of individuals who had used it, videos of people who had purchased and used RosettaStone. It had different options to chose from like; Home school, Schools, Organizations and Personal. The purpose of this site is to let you explore multiple options and not limit you to one thing and one language, its open ended. I think it's a wonderful site and easy to use. I also think RosettaStone's product is expensive which is a downfall because as a college student I have enough bills and money concerns to worry about to where I can't just go spend three hundred dollars to learn a language on my own time. Evaluation of Design The overall evaluation of the design was accurate. It had useful information and sites to attend to gather further information. Instead of reading the material you would have to purchase it, but it showed what levels were for sale and for how much. It even had it available for different schools and organizations. It had a contact us box