Group items tagged

This is about English Language Learners. It defines what English language learners are and things to target in the lessons that can be most useful to these students. I like this site because it asks questions that can help a person identify what it is they are looking for and then it answers them thoroughly. This website is created by Benchmark Education Company. This site is extremely thorough and devoted to English Language Learners and teaching strategies that will help them. It goes into detail about some differences these learners have compared to other and also how to help them. The design of this website is very different from the last one. It is more formal but it still very easy to navigate. At the top of the page it states all the questions for easy searching. When you click on these questions it takes you to a very in depth answer. I really enjoy this page because it has a lot of important information. Amanda Harrenga

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.

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.

Kacee Von Krosigk 1-24-10 Content The National Writing Project states, "…focuses on the knowledge, expertise, and leadership of our nation's educators on sustained efforts to improve writing and learning or all learners". They seem to focus on any forms of writing and they want a future that has each and every person as a successful writer and learner. They are anchored at colleges and universities. Teachers from all levels and all subjects use these ideas. They want to improve the teaching of writing and learning in schools and communities. The page that I focused on was, "30 Ideas for Teaching Writing". It has very interesting and fun ideas to use in the classroom. Design The website is very professionally created. The viewer can tell that this is a qualified website to use. There are no distracting pop ups. The bottom of the page says 2010 National Writing Projects which would make the viewer feel comfortable about using the information. There are many links to very useful pages that any teacher would be happy with. Overview As an inspiring teacher, I would be very happy using this website for projects for my students. There are full length articles and updated information. The purpose of this website is to encourage teachers to be more creative and fun in the classroom by using the ideas given.

Cole Baumann January 24, 2010 This website helps teachers build their lesson plans and assists them to help the students. I could see this being a really good website for new teachers due to all of the lesson plan designs for any category of learning such as history, or mathematics, English, and literature. All subjects have different sections in the website showing how to make a lesson plan. For example, there is a lesson plan for a Kinesthetic, visual, and auditory method to teach students about the U.S. Constitution. I find this site to be very helpful for teachers that do not know how to teach a visual learner or a Kinesthetic or auditory learner. The website is very easy to navigate with a lot of fun little bits everywhere. There is a search bar in this website so that teachers can type in whatever they are looking for and find anything from how the Roman Empire fell to the book The Epic. There is also a whole section in this website devoted to video so if you are not much of a reader you can watch these videos and find new ways to teach in the classroom. This all helps teachers grow and become more successful in the classroom for the students. This website is good for any new teacher to learn how to finally develop lesson plans and be effective to all three ways of learning. Also, it could be good for teachers who want to teach the same thing, but they want to do it in new ways each year which keeps it fun and exciting for the students and the teacher. This website has many educational videos which is also very good for teachers to demonstrate other techniques of teaching.

A website full of interactive games for math, english, science, etc.

Overview: This site is all about interactive and fun games to help enhance learning for elementary school-aged children. You can sing songs, play games in math, language arts and vocab. It is child friendly so you can easily find what it is you want to play. Content: The author is not very clear but at the bottom lest side of the page shows the sponsor which is Time4Learning, a online home educational program for homeschooling, afterschool and summer learning. There are links to all the different activities the site has to offer from fun interactive learning games to free worksheets to online learning. The content is mainly the focus for elementary aged kids. It provides the needs to teach and help children learn new concepts and refresh old ones. The information is consistent and updated frequently. Design: The design is fun and appealing for kids. There are pictures to go along with the links which make it easy to navigate and know exactly were to go. Everything loaded fine and had extra places to visit for extra help.

Overview: This website provides games for young learners to explore even before they reach classroom age and throughout the early elementary years. The website covers several subject areas including but not limited to Health, Spelling, Animals, Science, Math, Art, Geography, and Literature. The games are fun and challenging. Content: There are games for young learners that are both challenging and entertaining in a wide variety of topics. Each topic has sub topics and then a multitude of game options for that sub topic. There are illustrations of cartoons throughout the site. The author is not clearly identified but the sponsor is. The website links to other young children's websites and cartoon television shows. Design: The amount of subjects and then sub-subjects is outstanding. The entire website is geared towards young children which is not only seen through the illustrations but also through the advertisements. The games are easy to get into the first time but after you have gone into one of them it is difficult to get back out to the website's main menu. While it has links for the subjects it doesn't have links such as home, about, contacts that may be helpful additions. A copyright is not readily available. The directions for the games are clear and concise.

Megan Switzer September 11, 2011 Overview: The website Activities for ESL students is one that focuses mainly on the speaking aspect of English. In this sense students are able to quiz themselves on their knowledge of English vocabulary, grammar as well as complete activities such as cross word puzzles that works on these concepts as well. The targeted audience for this website is clearly ESL students although there is a little bit on there that is meant for teachers as well. External links are provided in which students may find other beneficial information, as well as videos/ podcasts that aide in their English learning as well. Overall this website focuses on the mastering of the English language and provides students with the tools to work on their grammar and vocabulary in a multitude of ways. Content: The content of this website is simple and easy to understand. It is well organized and the main ideas remain constant throughout. The links that it provides for resources are relevant and easily accessible. Overall there is one main focus and the website does a great job of remaining constant in it while still providing a variety of ways in which to learn the material. The information providers were not clear for this website, but the information was consistent and similar throughout as well as up to date. I was quite impressed with the material it provides for the students as well as videos in which they feel the children may be able to most relate. Design: The overall design of this website is straight to the point and easy to use. All links and graphics worked and seemed to be up to date. The information was relevant and worthwhile visiting. The audience it was intended for can effectively as well as efficiently use it based on the way in which it is organized. Information such as the currency and author were more confusing to navigate, but the links for helpful resources are truly beneficial. Overall the design of this website is one that is sim

Overview: This website's purpose is to provide practical life vocabulary skill lessons for English as Second Language learners. Teachers create and submit quizzes using every day English Language and students complete the quizzes using their English knowledge skills. When an answer is wrong the site tells you and shows the student what is right and why. There were also instructional videos and other games. Content: This website had an abundance of tests that English as Second Language learners could take to better their classroom English skills. There were also 49 different language options to take a quiz in both the learner's first language and English. The main quizzes were divided into grammar, vocab, and crossword categories and grade level and difficulty level could easily be chosen at the top. There was also a for teachers section that explains how best to use the site. The downfalls to the site were that revision dates and author information were not easily found. Design: This website was easy to use, organized, and had a clean appealing look. I feel that the amount of English on the front page of the site may actually be overwhelming for ESL learners and the teacher would probably have to get the student set up where they need to be in order for the use of the site to work to its potential. The site sponsor and contact information were not easily found and neither were the revision dates. Overall the site's content made it worth coming back to for ESL learners help.

Content: This website is no frills and does not have external advertising. There are not games or a lot of graphics. But, it does serve a purpose to help students practice grammar. Many of the activities come in many different languages and can be switched between English and the other language. The content is free of bias, and the activities are created by teacher volunteers. There are also links to other resources like videos and blogs to help ESL students. Design: It is a very basic design, which makes it easy to navigate and has no distracting advertisements. The graphics that are used in certain activities are useful and serve their purpose, but no additional graphics are used. As far as I can tell all the links are current and work properly. There is a good amount of content and it is split into different areas of expertise, something for beginners all the way through more difficult concepts. Purpose:The quizzes and puzzles are useful for practicing English concepts and also can be used to quiz yourself in foreign languages. For example, someone in a Spanish class could quiz themselves on verbs or some other Spanish vocabulary. Audience: I believe that student from grades 2 on up could make use of this website. Users could be learning English or learning a foreign language. Resources: There are links to podcasts and more interesting things for ESL students. Impression: Overall I like the fact that there is no advertising anywhere on the website, and it is nice that they give you the option to contribute to the activities. Since the quizzes can be made by various people, teachers should choose the appropriate activities for their students.

Matt Goldman October 13, 2014 OVERVIEW: The intended audience for www.khanacademy.org is for all student K-12 and even higher education. It is designed for teachers and parents as well. The purpose of this website is to provide free interactive tutorials/videos on subjects from Math, Science, Economics, Arts and Humanities. CONTENT: Overall, the content on this site is completely accurate; all tutorials break down each subject/topic down to simplest form to help facilitate learning. DESIGN: The site is very well organized and user friendly; users can quickly locate any subject they want to learn about and all tutorials are easy to follow and understand. FEEDBACK: I was thoroughly impressed with this website. This website is for educational purpose only and is completely free of any bias of marketing tricks. To be honest I wish this website was around when I was in high school, this site is a key resource that can be used as either a teaching aide for teachers or a learning resource for self directed learners or learners that need further explanation or extra time to fully the content/material desired to learn.

Brienna Gregor 10/11/12 Overview: This site would work best for students from late elementary to high school levels (5-12). This website is intended to help students and other educators understand the underlying factors of predicting volcanic eruptions. Available resources provided include: Melting Rock, Dynamic Earth, Judging Hazards, Forecasting, Coping with Risk, and more. Initially I predicted that this website wasn't going to do well in the content standards because the design standards were a little bit lacking compared to other sites however, I have come to find that this website is a very handy tool and does well in both content and design standards. Content: This website is very good in that its information is always up to date, the information quality is great, and it provides more information. Some sites lack in giving the viewer options to leave the site and look at links that are provided. This website does lead viewers to learn out of their site in a constructive way while instilling learning on their site as well. Design: This website isn't the most appealing to the eye after following the introductory page. Despite this fact, it is fast, easy to navigate, and uses videos as a media source. It gets the job done in fulfilling its purpose by instilling the idea that natural disasters, such as volcanoes, can be predicted (not stopped) and then can lead to less of a disaster through preparation. Information is what is most important in educational websites and I believe this website is great due to that aspect.

Overview: This website is a great website for children to explore. This website offers some great games and learning activities. This website is not only for science, but many other subjects. All over the website are characters from the movie Madagascar which Is a smart move for the website as a whole because it grabs the learners attention with the characters that they like to watch on the TV. This is a great website to use as a teacher because it has fun interactive games that students will enjoy doing.  Content: The content on this website is not only for science, but for other subjects as well. There are tabs for games, activities, videos, and mobile devices. The games and activities available are very informational and help teach the different subjects. There are informational videos as well that have the characters that all of the students enjoy to watch as well. There are science lessons, math, English/ writing, and geography lessons available to learn.  Design: The design on this website is very creative. The designer of this website used characters from the movie Madagascar to draw the students attention. This is a smart way to get younger children to go onto your website. The pages of the website are very colorful and welcoming to students. There are no advertisements, but there are links to share this website on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and some others. This would be a website that I would use a teacher because it isn't a boring page with links. This website would keep my students engaged and they would learn as well. 

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.

TeacherTube is an educational resource found at teachertube.com. It is a filtered, child-safe video website based off of the popular video site called YouTube. The site, geared towards teachers and students, was initiated by a superintendent from Texas named Jason Smith and is maintained through uploaded user content. TeacherTube is a fantastic source of videos to supplement lessons of all subjects in an elementary classroom. All content on this educational website is current, and its copyright has been updated as of 2015. All video links are informational and relevant, and some information about the people who uploaded each of the videos is available; however, no contact information is provided for the website. Also, the audience and subject matter of the videos are easily determined. The site's credibility is improved by its associations with the American Institute for History Education, Glogster EDU, NASA Ares, and other highly esteemed educational online resources. Over all, TeacherTube provides reliable, audience-appropriate, educational content to students and teachers alike, making it an excellent tool to use in a flipped-design classroom or to supplement any lesson in an elementary classroom. The website's design allows users to easily navigate TeacherTube's videos. The homepage displays a sample of educational videos and organizes them into rows by audience and then by subject matter: teachers, parents, students, and then math, science, and history. Each video shows appropriate content according to the subject and audience it is labeled. Additionally, users can search video channels or specific usernames of people who upload videos. This simplistic format of the homepage is consistent with all other pages, making navigation easy for users of many ages and ensuring efficient loading on any web browser. Clearly, TeacherTube is a well-designed, user-friendly, educational resource for teachers, parents, and students to find credible and informational

A free community for sharing instructional videos and content for teachers and students. We are an education focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners.

Emily Pariseau The overall point of the website is clear from the opening page that details specifically that this site provides various creative resources for English teachers teaching to second language learners - specifically this site deals with teaching in Japan and the author of the site, Jeffrey, encourages people to share the site among Japanese teachers as well. The site is extremely simplified with just black Arial text on a white background with just one photo of the author at the top. He explains in the about page that he keeps the site simple so that it can be more internationally friendly across every web browser and on mobile websites of varying operating systems. The site is aimed at teaching English for grades 1-6 in Japan and each link to a grade level provides age appropriate in class activities and lesson plans for basic concepts like counting, animal naming, and holiday vocabulary. Every lesson is provided in word doc format and concise but detailed enough that one could use it in their own class, which the author encourages.

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.

Amanda Lamey January 24, 2010 Overview The website is designed for people who are eager to think outside the box and like puzzles. This was a ".com" site allowing me to find a website that had more "no" checkmarks then "yes". This particular page did not list an author or copyright date. It was clearly laid out and easy to read. It had step by step instructions. It had pictures of each move to help individuals who are visual learners complete this task. The point of this website was to help you solve a Rubik's cube, but without the last two steps it makes you think outside the box to solve it. Leaving you stranded like that could make it frustrating or make you mess up your previous steps, leaving your cube unsolved. Evaluation of Design This site was not very appealing to the eye. I think that it could have used a little more color and used more colorful words. It seemed to the point and simple. Although I have tried to solve a Rubik's cube a few times and it's a lot harder than the directions appear. You can move through the website easily and understand the content. There are not directions or any other tabs that allow you to navigate to a related page. The directions are clearly laid out in steps. The last two steps are missing and in order for you to get them you have to purchase them. At the very bottom in small print you can click the contact us tab for further information or questions regarding general information. Content This website was not copyrighted or revised at any time. It is a ".com" meaning that anyone could have added their own spin on things and it was not edited or reviewed by a group of higher individuals. There is no address or frequently asked questions. There is a contact tab that leads you to three different emails. The site is a trademark of Seven Towns Limited. The grammar and spelling was accurate. The site was easy to navigate through and understand. The purpose of the site is to show you how to solve a

Content Summary: The content for this site was lower than the other sites I looked at. The authors name is not located on the site nor was the latest revision date. All of the links to other sites were currently working properly and were useful extra information that was helpful for the topic. The purpose of the site was clear right when you first looked at it. There is no grammar or spelling errors throughout all the information on the site. Design Summary: The Science Kids web site is full of information that was organized and easy to navigate around within the site. The home page was very busy but it was broken down in sections like, Projects, Lessons, Quizzes, Games and Experiments and Videos. They had graphics that fit the idea of the page and topic. The site was also easy to navigate around and had useful links on the page that downloaded efficiently. Overview: Science for Kids is a site that provides information about science and technology. The site can not only is used by kids but also by teachers and parents. The site was very well designed, easy to use, and contained useful information. It had a wide rang of useful information and had pictures to go with every subject fro visual learners.

e-learningcentre.co.uk is a site focused around the advancement of technology in learning. Content: This site is extremely advanced and is not a good recommendation for teachers of young learners, however, it is great for upper level teachers and scholars. It allows viewers to search through numerous organizations and articles from many different countries that are working to enhance both technology and learning. Layout: The site is less easily navigated than others. At first glance their mission is unclear, however, once explored, it becomes a descent resource for any and all who are curious. There are no advertisements, and other than the graphics at the top of the page, there is little color or decor to be spoken of. Attribution: This site is good for college level academia. I would rarely recommend this site, for I feel as though it would be only beneficial to a select few. However, I feel it would be pertinent for anyone who is interested in the advancement of higher education with technology to look this site over.

Learning Math: Geometry Overview: The purpose of this site is to help an individual create a lesson plan or simply learn geometry themselves. It provides step by step process to learn geometry. The intended audience is probably a teacher. Any teacher who needs help designing a lesson in geometry can go to this site and learn what to do and in what order, it has a list of each session and what should be covered to move on. The site itself, learner.org, has many options in different lesson plans from geometry to trig to English. This site appears to be free, and contains legit information which is a pretty good deal. Overall, my impression on this site was that is has good information but it all seems boring which is why the audience must be a teacher, its not flattering to the eye. Content: First glance tells you the site is about how to learn geometry or better yet, teach it. About the site including the authors is a click away on a separate page than the home page. The group seems credible and they provide contact information for any further questions. The way this page is laid out makes it very easy to maneuver around, the quality of the information is fulfilling to any math teacher, there is not only basic information for teaching geometry but extra tid bits one could choose to look in to, to teach. Every page you click onto contains links to other lesson plans or different subjects making it very useful for any teacher. In general the content is sufficient to not only a math teacher but any teacher. Design: The homepage and the other pages load up quickly and efficiently. This website doesn't necessarily have strong eye appeal but when targeting teachers as an audience, and giving basic information it isn't a necessity. Everything needed for the page to be legit is included, from the copyright date to site sponsors, etc. It is easy to navigate, with links to each lesson session and to other pages. I would definitely recommend this site to a teacher; it

Megan Switzer September 11, 2011 Overview: ESL Lesson Plans and Resources is a website that does just that provides hyper-links to ESL lesson plans as well as other ESL resources which include activities for ESL learners. The targeted audience for this web site is mainly for teachers, although it could possibly be used by secondary education students in the completion of activities. The whole purpose of this web site is to provide links to web sites with available resources for web sites and pretty much anything else that teacher's may need for ESL. If one needs help with ideas for lesson plans or activities or even games for an ESL classroom, this web site is highly beneficial. Content: The overall content of this web site was helpful in the sense that it provided helpful links to ESL lesson plans, activities, ideas etc. However, the information provider was quite difficult to determine due to the fact that there was no one specific site, it was simply a web site full of other sites. The information currency was also a little difficult to determine as there was no date of when it was last revised. This may be an exception for the website, itself, did not have updates or an author but the links to the other websites may have contained the separate information. Overall the content of the site was well organized and easy to follow, all of the hyperlinks seemed to be in working order and beneficial to the search I had done. Design: The overall design of this website was not the greatest, yet it was still usable. The home page did not have an appeal to my eye upon first glance, however with each hyper link contained a description of what it was. The whole web site had the purpose of giving links to other useful websites which could possibly be why there was no currency information and or information in which to contact the web site developer. Although it is easy to navigate and headers clearly define what each link is used for, there is always room to improv