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.
Allyson Boyer
Review date 2/2/12
This website is intended for mostly teachers, but parents could also benefit from this site. It is designed for teachers and parents to find fun arts and craft ideas, as well as educational worksheets. The purpose of this site is for teachers to find free, and fun activates for their students to enjoy. There are plenty of subject areas for educators to explore and find ideas to use in their classrooms. I enjoyed this website because it reminded me of when I was in elementary school and teachers would have fun worksheets for different holidays. We still were learning, but it made more interesting having a light hearted worksheet. There is no specific author for this site, there is a section where people can write reviews and all of them were positive, so it seems to be a good resource for educators and parents.
When I was looking over the content of this website I found that most of my evaluations were positive. I did find however, that I did not like the fact that there was no information about the author. I would have liked to be able to read a bit about the author and their views or opinions on the information that they had provided. I also found that there was not a lot of interactivity to increase the value of this website. It would have been nice to be able to experiment a little with the worksheets and pictures, instead of just printing them out. Overall, the rest of the site looked sophisticated and contained good information. The links all worked, the grammar and spelling seemed to be correct, and there was a link to contact the provider of the website. I enjoyed the variety of the worksheets for different subject areas and feel that will be very helpful in the future for my career.
When I first navigated to this site I found that it was not very eye catching. I looked over it carefully to realize that the information would be useful. As I browsed through the website I found that there were not many graphics through
Allyson Boyer
Review date 2/2/12
This website is intended for the general public, teachers, and parents. This site is an online newspaper website and the specific page that I was interested in was a story on a teacher having an outstanding classroom environment. There are a lot of available resources as well as various categories listed on this site that you are able to view. Overall, I think that this site has good information; it is current and has a variety of stories, I would however not necessarily use it for research, but more as an enjoyment site.
When I was looking over the content of this website I had mostly positive reviews. I enjoyed the fact that this website had multiple links concerning education. The site is updated daily with multiple stories, including stories from decorating your classroom to managing your classroom. I found that there were few things that I didn't like about this website, but one thing that bothered me was that there was no information about the author. It said who wrote the story, but it fails to reveal any information about the author. I also thought that the site was a little busy and disorganized. There were links everywhere. The site as I said before is updated daily, but it is not updated about the story I am interested in which is making a classroom environment enjoyable.
When I first navigated to this page I thought that the story looked interesting. There was a wonderful picture displayed that showed the meaning of the story. As I began to read the page I thought it was interesting and wanted to visit the rest of the site. I ventured to the home page and found myself completely lost. There were ads for other products jumping out at me from the side margins, there were multiple tabs that I could click on everywhere, and there was a list of blogs. I kept exploring and found out that not all of the outdated material had been removed. Overall, the site seemed very busy and a little confusing to navigate, but I liked
Stephanie Mecca 2/5/12
Overview:
The purpose of this site is to provide information on different types of art and the artists that work with art. The site includes the Art 21 episodes and short videos that can be seen on the PBS TV channel and includes written blogs about the Art 21 artists that are featured in the episodes. The intended audience is not just for education uses but anybody can enter the site to learn about art. Teachers could use this site to teach students about different artists and about the types of art. There are some links to the PBS site that provides other resources but there are not many other resources.
Content:
From the main page the viewer can see that the site includes information about artists and includes videos and episodes. The intended audience can be seen as art-seeking individuals by just looking at the overall art theme. The site douse include a whole section about the site and the people who work on the site and on the Art 21 episodes. You can read about the sites policies and terms of use, you can also easily email any of the board of trustees. The content of the whole site serves a general art purpose including current and past art. The site is well organized but doesn't clarify the currency of the information, meaning it doesn't include revision dates or updates information.
Design:
The overall design of the site is appealing, with the bright pink color and clear pictures. There is an easy-to-read top menu that you can click on and the copyright is at the bottom of each page. The site is easy to navigate though there are no directions on how to use the site. There some links to the PBS web site but not many other external links. The video files load easily and are clearly seen and heard. There is a lot of information to make it a sufficient site devoted to artists and art. The site uses the same basic format throughout and provides contact information for further information.
Stephanie Mecca 2/5/12
Overview:
The purpose of this site is to help students learn about the Renaissance in a fun and interactive way. The graphics and navigation tools are fun and interesting. The intro to the site is very fun and intriguing. The site includes a lot of information about the people, places, and art of the time. The interactive questionnaires are fun and keep the viewers interested. There are two working links to different websites that serve as other resources, one of which is the Allentown Art Museum which created the website. The intended audience is both students and teachers. Though the site is mostly for students to interact with, there is a tab for teachers which helps with lesson plans.
Content:
Although the content is easily determined and the quality is good, there is a problem with some links. Mostly the links about the authors of the site and the contact information are not working and one pop-up says "under construction". There isn't any place that lets the viewer know when the site was last updated either. The site is very interactive though and keeps the viewers interest and the interactive traits keeps increases the value of the site. The one good thing about the information about the authors is that the link to the Allentown Art Museum is working, so you can look about background information about the website there is needed.
Design:
The biggest problem with the websites design is the broken pop-ups that contain all of the information about the website authors and the contact information. There aren't any direction to using the site but those are not need very much, since the site is pretty user -friendly. The graphics and animations are what make the site interesting. The reanimated artwork that talks and makes sounds helps make the site more interactive and entertaining. The currency information is not working but the external link to the Allentown Art Museum is working. The overall presentation of the site is
Overview: The purpose of the Founding Father's website is for information and business/commercial purposes. The website is geared towards students, or even anyone wanting to learn more on the founding basises for America. The site provided outside links, but it was complicated and many did not work. Overall, this website was also completely impressive. Much of the informational tabs were good to provide an instructional basis, but the design of the site was very poor.
Content: Informational-wise, the information on the site, though very basic, was excellent in creating a start for consuming information. The information was unbiased and appeared to be quote excellent. A problem with the site, though, was the lack of authors or easily accessible contact information for the articles and the site as a whole. The site also offered many links to sponsored gift shops outside the realm of the founding fathers.
Design: The design of the site was ultimately okay. A basic format was used throughout the site, even though it was basic with few graphics. The homepage has okay eye appeal, but it is not easy to maneuver through the links on the homepage. The site also offered plenty of outside links and sources, but they were confusing, disorganized, and many of them were broken or did not exist anymore.
Overview:
This site is clearly for students K-8 as well as teachers and parents. It is a site about the weather that is benefical to students, teachers, and parents. Students can explore the weather, teachers can find lessons and experiments, and parents can help teach their kids at home.
Content:
It provides alot of information about the weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, clouds, rain and floods, thunderstorms, lightening, wind, etc. There are lesson plans, experiments, and science fair projects ideas for students and teachers. It provides a lot of useful and helpful information by the author. She is a meterologist. She also provides games, flashcards, and facts about weather safety for students to help them learn.
Design:
This web site looks like it was designed mainly for students. It's got lots of graphics and I think it would be appealing to them. Since it's for kids, it's easy to use and navigate through. It seems like a fun site that I think kids would enjoy.
Justin Sanchez
Reviewed 10-21-13
www.biomanbio.com
Purpose: To provide fun original games and quizzes to students.
Intended audience: The intended audience is students who want to have a fun way to learn different biology facts. They can also quiz themselves later with quizzes provided.
Available resources: There is a link to Apple Store to download games on the site. There is no other links.
Overview: The website is a little basic. It is easy to navigate though and loads fast. The games seem to be very original but can bug up sometimes. The games seem like they are suitable for students of all ages. The quizzes seem to be upper level and would be more appropriate for high school students. There are many different biology topics this website covers.
Content: There are many different games and quizzes that could keep students entertained for a long time. The content seems to be mostly suited for high school students. The content is also over a wide range of biology topics.
Design: The design of the sign is very basic. The site is eye appealing and easy to navigate. There is a clear lacking in links and information about the site. This site seems like it needs some improvements it's a little basic.
This website allows adults to explore and learn about art and its history from the basics of viewing art to understanding the evolution, from Ancient Cultures to today. This site provides Art history in a basic "easy-to-use" format combined with helpful videos and images. The layout of the site isn't distracting and makes seeking out narrow information an effortless task. Khan Academy strives to share knowledge to eager minds and with just a couple of clicks through the pages the audience is curious and engaged.
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.
Art 21 is a site dedicated to informing the public about contemporary art of the 21st Century. Providing video of today's Artists at work, in their studio, and behind their thoughts and inspiration of their work. Depending on what medium the viewer is most interested in you can search by a multitude of processes such as Installation, Sculpture, painting, mixed media and more. Or you can watch videos by season all throughout this site. This content educates the audience beyond the borders of their own understanding of art and answers the difficult questions viewers develop when viewing contemporary art.
I believe this site is very efficient at educating the public about art. There is a surplus of artists on this site that everyone is sure to find one they can connect to. The videos are engaging and attention catching. All you have to do is press play, and let the learning begin.
Jessica Lee
10/21/2013
Overview:
The purpose of this site is to address some common core standards for mathematics in a different, fun way with the use of animations and online games. This website is intended for middle school aged students. There are not any external links for additional resources included. I am very impressed with this website due to its overall design and organization as well as the content-rich materials that they promote. It also provides a learner guide for the teacher to use in the classroom which makes it very convenient.
Content:
The content of this website is very easy to read and understand for the intended audience. It not only provides fun activities for the kids to enjoy, but also an explanation for each one for what it addresses. It presents math concepts in a new way that will attract "math-haters."
Design:
The design of this website is aesthetically appealing and easy to navigate. Everything runs smoothly and quickly and all of the internal links work well. The pictures representing the animations and games are significant and attention-grabbing. The only negative thing about this website is the lack of a revision date; therefore, there is no way to know, immediately, that it has been kept up-to-date.
Morgan Kuchta
September 1, 2010
Sparknotes.com
Overview
This site is a great resource for students who struggle with reading in school. The website provides book and chapter summaries and plot overviews along with character analysis for all main characters in each book reviewed. The books that Spark Notes provides information on are those that have deep and complex plot lines and character development that are often found in classrooms of all grade levels. Perhaps one of the most useful tools on this website is called "No Fear Shakespeare", which translates the old English of Shakespeare into modern English so that students might have an easier time remembering information and comprehending it. Although the site organization is poor and it throws too much information onto one page, I believe this website could be an extremely valuable resource to teachers who assign reading to their classes.
Content
At first look it is easy to tell where you are and what is provided, in general, on the site. The audience is pretty clearly defined as students but it is difficult to tell exactly who will benefit most from this sitel There were no listed authors for the site although there were authors listed for each of the book summaries done on each separate page with an email address attached. The revision dates are included on every book review and the links to related sites are all functioning. The information quality was incredible. Although it was not well organized, it is by far the most comprehensive literacy site that I have used in the last few years. The other links posted were pretty good, although most of them were just for the interest of the users rather than usefulness for help with English homework.
Design
The homepage download was no problem, while it was attractive to the eye, it was a little information heavy and a it was kind of hard to tell exactly where I needed to navigate. There were a LOT of advertisements in the margins and even in other areas of th
Randi McInerney
September 15, 2011
Overview:
The website "Sparknotes" is an educational and entertainment website with various study resources available. The information is most relevant to high school aged students, but late middle school and college students, as well as teachers, could also benefit from this site. College video tours, book summaries, analysis, and quizzes, and ACT/SAT/AP/GRE test preparation material, and news articles are also available. The content and design are effective and organized, but the advertisements can be distracting and seem overwhelming. This site can be abused by students wishing to plagiarize or to avoid reading a book, but has so many great things to offer if it is used appropriately.
Content:
There is a lot of educational material available on this site. Video clips, interactive tours, blogs, cartoons, and more can all be found on this site. There are various links in order to contact them, but no direct contact information like an address is provided. Besides educational material, there is lifestyle, entertainment, and dating information. I think that this may be distracting from the educational aspects of the site, but it makes sense because of the audience the website is intended for.
Design:
The site downloads efficiently and is visually interesting, especially for the intended audience of young adults. The site is easy to navigate, especially if you know what you are looking for from the start. In this case, the search bar will help you easily locate what you are looking for if it is indeed on the site.
Sparknotes is a resource aimed at high school and college students. It offers summaries of literary works as well as test prep. The main purpose of the site is to simplify in-depth texts down to a modern English level. Unfortunately, these summaries are not all that is available. The site largely consist of entertainment news. This aspect dominates the site, making it hard to find the reviews and study resources. Because of this my overall impression is that the site includes a good about of information for those looking for it, but is also a place where one can very easily get side tracked, rendering its information useless. It is worth a bookmark, but is not the most useful thing.
The content of this site is very diverse. As for the literary summaries, there are over 100 on some of the best known works in many different subject areas. The site is up to date and loads easily. Most of the summaries are based off of the most recent publications of texts. The site is confused about its purpose. The summaries and text prep sections are hard to find while entertainment news is profusely advertised and easy to find. The educational sections are labeled in small black index style links, while the entertainment section has large magazine like spreads. Although the site has relevant information that is consistent and helpful, it is congested with much needless gossip that has potential for abuse.
The websites speed is quite good. It loads very fast comparatively. The homepage is attractive, but is attractive for the wrong reasons. It is hard to find relevant information on the site (although there is a lot of it). This makes navigation of the site difficult and can easily suck the user into a "twilight zone." The site is strong on most platforms, even having apps available. Content presentation is mores streamlined on the app, but is congested on a web version. An administrator is available to answer any questions and provide further information.
Purplemath.com
Reviewed by Betina Turner 8/31/10 ITEC 2360-02
This website is a very helpful site for students to get extra help with 7-12 Math. It has lessons the students can go over and there are also forums and helpful links to other sources that can provide extra help with Secondary Math. This web site is simple to use and it is up to date and it clearly states who made the website and give contact information.
I have personally used this website to refresh algebra concepts and my mother uses it with her students when they are struggling with math concepts and they really like it and they are able to understand the material better. This site is a great resource for alternate learning.
OVERVIEW
Purplemath.com is helpful to sudents who need suplimental help in mathematics. It goes over basic content, and explains why there is a certain rule in the "math world." It also has links to helpful sites that could make subject matter easier to understand. There are also links on this site for test prep. Overall, this is a good site if you know what you are looking for.
CONTENT
Links to other sites are helpful, current and working properly. It's not very well organized, but you can find your way around. There doesn't seem to be any bias associated with it. The content is current, accurate, and consistent with other sites.
DESIGN
The design isn't done very well. It's not attractive and there are a lot of links in places where you might not actually look for what you are looking for. It's easy to navigate within the site once you find what you are looking for, and the links are all working.