Group items tagged

OVERVIEW: The purpose of this website is to provide teachers and librarians with good book ideas. Some of the resources the Children's Literature Network's website provides include recommended authors and new book ideas. There are videos that discuss the general plots of books to help teachers and librarians decide if they should include that book in their class room or library collections. My first impression of this website was that it had a lot of useful information that I would use in my classroom. This was a fantastic and helpful website. CONNTENT: As I filled out the website content evaluation form for the Children's Literature Network, I saw that I hardly marked anything in the "No" or "N/A" columns. It was easy to see who the general audience was for the website and what its purpose was. The content was well organized and the author (Children's Literature Network) is given. The one area that I did not see on the checklist, however, was information on the author. Otherwise, the content of the website was great. DESIGN: The design for the website was wonderful as well. The home page (and all of the other pages) was attractive and there was a clear table of contents at the top of each page. It was simple to navigate between pages. When I clicked on a specific link, I was taken to where I expected i was going to end up (there were no dead ends). The Children's Literature Network also updates its website every day, so you know you are getting current information.

Gary Allen Jan. 23, 2011 Overview: This site is great for educators, students, and really just the general public as well. It contains a database of thousands of works by hundreds of different authors that are easily searchable and also easy to find in the index. Content: Countless pieces of literature are contained on this website as well as forums for discussion and even the option for teacher accounts for use in the classroom. Numerous sources contribute to the huge amounts of information on this site which is run through third party company. Design: Another site with a simple yet effective design, The Literature Network is very easy to navigate through and the links are very clearly marked. With an author index as well as a search box and separate links for special categories such as Shakespeare, the Bible, quotes and forums, the site takes no time to get around and the pages all load very quickly so you can spend your time reading instead of waiting. 

An online text book for teachers

Overview: This essay is intended for High School students studying literature or as a resource for teachers teaching literature. It concisely covers all the themes of the poem "Blackberry Picking," and accurately describes literary devices used. The author has been editor approved and the site is updated. Content: The essay covers the content of the poem very well. It deeply describes the poem and goes over all the different meanings the poem has. It gives accurate information of the poem and dissects it line by line, thoroughly describing it. Design: Aesthetically, the site is nice looking and looks and sounds accurate. All the links work, and there is lots of information available. The only bad thing is that you must create an account to read the entire essay.

Overview: This essay is intended for High School students studying literature or as a resource for teachers teaching literature. It concisely covers all the themes of the poem "Blackberry Picking," and accurately describes literary devices used. The author has been editor approved and the site is updated. Content: The essay covers the content of the poem very well. It deeply describes the poem and goes over all the different meanings the poem has. It gives accurate information of the poem and dissects it line by line, thoroughly describing it. Design: Aesthetically, the site is nice looking and looks and sounds accurate. All the links work, and there is lots of information available. The only bad thing is that you must create an account to read the entire essay.

Rachel Keyes ITEC 2360 01/24/11 Average site http://www.alternavox.net/the-graphic-novel-as-a-form-of-literature Overview This site discusses the use of the graphic novel as a form of alternative literature. The main point of the site is an article discussing the history of the graphic novel and where it is today. The audience is anyone who wants to learn more about the educational potential of the graphic novel. The article is from a Canadian site, so that could impact its usefulness to U.S. students and teachers. Content The main content of the site is the article. Other than that, there are no other links to find more information about alternative literature or graphic novels. The article is biased because the author is a reporter who has an opinion and doesn't provide the other side of the argument. The article was published in 2009, so it could be slightly outdated. Design The site has ads and pictures for the newspaper, which could be irrelevant to users from other countries. There is a biography of the author next to the article, but there is no way to contact him with questions. There is no copy right for the website itself. The information is well organized, but other than the article, there is no further information.

Lyle Wiley September 10, 2011 Overview: The Folger Shakespeare Library is an exhaustive site of Shakespeare resources with specific large pages for different audiences including a site for students and one for k-12 educators. While the site has a clear focus on selling published Shakespeare works and resources, there is a good deal of free information and resources available for students and teachers alike. These resources include Shakespeare information and history, lesson plans for teachers, study guides, audio and video embedded helps, space for teachers to interact and share ideas and experiences, and a frequently update blog (called "Making a Scene: Shakespeare in the Classroom"). This rather attractive site has some very helpful and interesting resources for the Shakespeare educator. Content: The basic content and intended audiences of this site is easily discerned upon entry. There are numerous authors of the material available on the site, but for the most part the author's contact and educational information is easy to find. The site appears to be frequently updated, and certainly the blog attached to the educational resources on the site is updated often. The purpose of the site is both business and informational which sometimes colors the available information on the site, but there is a large amount of rather good free information including lesson plans, teaching ideas and tips, audio and visual resources, and access to a creative community. There are few external links, but the information available looks to be very helpful to the Shakespeare educator. Design: The Folger Shakespeare Library loads quickly and has a nice aesthetic appeal. Well organized and heavily indexed, the site has an impressive ease of navigation which is complimented by some nice photo design and occasional embedded multimedia (which is always relevant and helpful). Again, much of the material on the site is up for sale; however, there are a good many quality resource

Overview The Folger Shakespeare Library site is the home page for the Folger Shakespeare Library located in Washington, D.C. The site has any number of features that any good library web site would have: an online catalog, listed hours, ask a librarian. The site is designed for teachers, students, scholars, and the average Joe who is interested in Shakespeare, Renaissance literature, and early modern literature. Areas of the web site of high interest are the Visitors section, Students and Families section, K-12 Teachers section (which includes monthly lesson plans), and a Scholars' section. Content The content included on this site is amazing. The Folger Shakespeare Library has a catalog of over half of the world's books published before 1640, and the catalog is, of course, accessible online. There is a section of Hamnet (the online catalog) for electronic resources as well. The site is interactive-offering a free e-newsletter, social media, a calendar of events, and an active blog. There are podcasts chock full of lectures, poetry readings, etc., digital images, an archived list of lesson plans. There is a six minute YouTube documentary on the First Folio! You could spend many happy days lost in this site. Design The site's design is simple, elegant, and business like. It is a light blue color, which is easy on the eyes. Most of the navigation is at the top or to the left. The site is sometimes difficult to navigate unless one has at least an idea of what he or she is looking for. A site map is made available if one gets distracted or lost though.

Derek Peil 10/7/2012 Overview Purdue University Press is a substantial source of poetry and literature for educated audiences. The website's purpose is to offer intellectual texts for educators and students to incorporate into their curriculum. Carrying a simple, pleasant tone this website lists suggested poems and literature. Although the website lacks clearly stated dates of revision, it still scores high on the evaluation guides; and I recommend this site to those who are looking for some rich pieces of literary work. Content The University of Purdue's sound reputation of information precision is exemplified throughout the course of the website. This site contains sound organization and easy navigation. With genre listings and a friendly search engine, users can find what they need quickly. This allows for Educators and Students to spend less time searching for the material and more time studying it. In contrast to these strengths, the website is weak in terms of its currency. The site fails to display a revision date. But since the site is always uploaded with new inventories and sales, one can assume the site is fairly current. Design This site's display style is definitely suitable for an educational setting. The modest, yet contrasting colors make the site enjoyable to navigate. Also, the pictures of the book covers are very useful in helping to identify one from the others. Waiting for links to load is nonexistent, and this site is multi-browser friendly. Yet, this website lacks external sources from which users can broaden their findings. All of the links are internal. Do to the fact that this site is both education and profit oriented, this weakness is easily overlooked by the benefits of a deep library of texts that this site easily lays out for the user.

Rachel Keyes ITEC 2360 01/24/11 http://www.alternativeculture.com/index.htm Poor website Overview This site can be found by searching "alternative forms of literature" (commonly thought of as ways other than classical literature, such as graphic novels, movies, etc.) on Google. However, the purpose of this site is more to discuss alternative cultures and the negative influence that media has on society. My impression of this site is that it was made by a small magazine for a very specific audience. The audience is wary of the media and is searching for an alternative method to receive news. Content The content of this site is extremely random and scattered. At the top of the page there are quotes about being enlightened, followed by a listing of other alternative news sites, YouTube videos, and poems from different cultures about peace. All of the links work, but this site is just a random collection of information the editor believes is important. The editor is a man who, in his biography page, has no credentials other than he really enjoys writing. Design At first look, there is so much going on and so many links and videos posted that seem to be very random. There is a clear title, but some of the links on the page have nothing to do with the others; there is nothing connecting this information. The pictures and YouTube videos are irrelevant to the other links listed. There is no copyright date, so readers have no idea how up to date this site is. The only way to "contact" the editor is by subscribing to his newsletter. There is too much going on to accurately find any information, and because you can find this site while looking for alternative forms of literature, this site would be completely irrelevant to your search.

Rachel Keyes ITEC 2360 01/24/11 Good site http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3070 Overview Scholastic is a well-known company to me because my grade school worked with scholastic; this gives the sight some extra credibility. It appears to be well organized and geared towards teachers that are interested in finding out more about literature circles and how to use them in their classrooms. The purpose of the site is to educate teachers. Content The content is an article written by a teacher who has used the literature circle in her classroom, and her experience with it. She includes an assessment sheet to go with the circle, and how to grade the students. At the end of the article she includes references and other articles with more information. The content is easy to navigate and to understand. There is a link that gives you a biography of the author; she is a teacher and a very credible source. Design There are ads for book clubs, school supply lists, and essay contests for students. There are links that provide more information about the topic. The site was updated at the beginning of 2011. The information was well organized and clear, and easy to access. All of the links are functional and provide good information.

Lindsey Carter 9-4-2011 Overview: DrGrammar.org is intended for individuals with English questions ranging from grammar and word origins to common errors in English. The site is provided by the University of Northern Iowa and is edited by the UNI Department of Languages and Literature. Overall, I was very impressed by the amount of information the site provided, although it was slightly less organized than I would have hoped. Content: At first look, the basic content of the site and intended audience is very clear. The author of the site is also identified, and a link is available for the user to find out more information about the university. Users may also contact the UNI Department of Languages and Literature via email from the site. A date of the last revision isn't clear, but the copyright date is. All links work perfectly, loading quickly and effectively. The purpose of the site is informational, and it is quite effective and complete. The information on grammar and common mistakes is given along with easy-to-understand examples. The website is free of bias, and additional resources are available via link to Purdue University. Design: The website's homepage is not the most attractive. The title and sponsor of the site are both clear, and an index does exist to guide the user. Directions are in place to help the user navigate the site and find the information they seek, but the titles of the index are not clearly categorized. Again, the date of last revision also isn't clearly identified, but the overall information is helpful to those with English inquiries.

Posted by Mitchell Clark 9/18/09: CliffNotes is a site that provides free summary-type information and helpful tips for just about anything education related. Content: CliffNotes is a site sponsored by Wiley Publishing that covers just about everything that is involved with education. This site provides free information for subjects such as literature, writing, foreign language, math, science, college, test prepping, and more. The articles found under these subjects are easy to cite but may not provide an author. One of the things that set this site apart from similar sites is that it provides information on topics such as getting into college, avoiding scholarship scams, AP test, college entrance exams and grad school entrance exams. Also this site is updated on a regular basis making the information up to date, but as mentioned before there may not be a credible author. This site also offers full length practice test for the SAT, AP Biology, AP English, and AP Chemistry, but these resources are not free. As far as organization goes this site is decent, it is easy to navigate the main subjects such as literature or foreign language but there is so much advertising that it can be both confusing and distracting when reading down the page. Design: Apart from the advertising this site is well designed and easy to navigate. There is a search bar at the top right of the window as well as multiple tabs that link to various subjects of education. The home page is bombarded with ads, but they are mainly advertisements for student travel programs, back to school supplies or the Army ROTC program. The sponsor of the site is clearly stated at the bottom of the page and there is a link to their contact information. This site uses very little graphics aside from their advertising, but the page is still visually attractive due to the well known black and yellow color scheme. Attributes: This site comes from a credible source for review or study purposes. The infor

Literature's importance in the modern world

Bailey Stanfield Reviewed 10/12/2014       This is a very informational source. The audience it is directed towards is very clear. There are specific tabs for each different audience including teachers, parents, kids, administrators and librarians. Pertinent information for each different audience is found easily under each of the tabs. Scholastics is a book company so they are obviously pushing for the literature aspect of education. The website is very appealing and works well for the target audiences.  The content is very easy to see and is very well provided. Scholastic is a very well-known company, and they are sure to keep the information on their website up to date with quality information. They had a new post on the new books for October so that their audience can always be aware of new, upcoming books that may be of interest to them. The content of the website is very solid and easy to find.  The design of the website is also very well done. On the home page they grab the audience's attention by having a video playing. The theme of the video is "open a world of possibilities". This plays into their company as whole seeing as they sell books, but also plays into the emotional aspects that captivate their audience. The design allows for easy navigation through the website and clearly presents the content. 

Sara Hindman January 24, 2010 Overview The site I evaluated was NobelPrize.org and its main purpose is to educate anyone about the history of the Nobel Peace Prize award and possibly convince people to pursue that award. Along with educating and persuading, the website has educational games in subjects; such as, chemistry, physics, medicine, literature, peace, and economics. The intended audience for the Nobel Peace Prize website is for anyone over the age or 18, while the educational games section of the website is for high school, middle school, and late elementary school students. Some games include blood typing, Pavlov's dog, Lord of the Flies, electrocardiograms, and a split brain experiment. Unfortunately there are no links to available resources outside of the website. The content was very clear and concise, but the only thing I had trouble with was who designed the website and who could I contact if I had questions. Design is awesome, everything is easy to find and there is clear instructions for the games. I would use this website in my classroom, but it definitely for older children. Content NobelPrize.org had many strengths and little weaknesses. Their strengths included understanding the purpose of the website, easy access to the latest revision dates, and information quality. Their one weakness was I could not find the name of the person who provided all the information. I assume that the Nobel Peace Prize Organization provided all the information and games and that it is credible, but I do not want to jump to conclusions. There were also no links to outside resources that related to some of the same areas of interest; such as, medicine or economics. Overall, the content was great except for the lack of authority. Design This website is one of the best I have seen. The speed was fast, the home page attractive and informative, and the website was extremely easy to navigate. All the graphics, audio files, and video files worked perfectly

Rachel Keyes ITEC 2360 01/24/11 http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/readingliterature/litresponse.html Average website Overview This is a site designed for teachers, giving alternative exercises to help their classes respond to literature. My overall impression is that this is an organized, helpful site. The audience would be teachers who are looking for creative and exciting ways for their students to approach literature. It's a very simple website that has links with the corresponding projects listed. Content The content of the site is well organized and listed. The links on the page go to credible sites with ideas for creative book reports, class discussions, etc. The page was last updated in 2007, so it is possible that the ideas and links could be extremely out of date by now. There are some links that no longer exist and do not work, which is one of the sites major weaknesses. The author of the site is a teacher herself, and repeatedly expresses that the ideas are not hers, and provides the credit for the real authors of the ideas. Design The design of this website is extremely plain. Other than the text and the links, there are no pictures or visual aids. The title is clear and gives the author's name and the purpose of the site. The author reminds the audience that she is merely posting these ideas and they are not hers. The site is outdated, and some of the links don't work because they do not exist anymore.

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.

Kent McKee 1/31/11 Overview: http://www.ala.org/yalsa is a website by the Young Adult Services Association that intends to provide information to teachers and students alike in the field of Young Adult Literature. There are copious amounts of information on the site about novels, authors, online classes, news and events etc. The site is well organized. The purpose of this site is clear from the second you navigate to it, it's a resource for anyone interested in English Educations-specifically reading. Design: This website is put together in a clear and effective manner. It has multiple navigation options and is designed in a way that it is easy to get around; it's simple but still looks professional. The site achieves what it is intended for clearly and effectively. It's well organized and clear enough to understand that students and teachers alike could use this site. And because it isn't an overly complex website, it loads almost immediately. Content: The content on this site is clear from the second it is loaded onto the computer screen. It has all of the sites information on the center of the page with links taking you all throughout the site, and to the left hand side of the screen there are also many links to different, applicable websites. The authors of this website are clearly identified and all the information is very current.

Kent McKee 1/31/11 Overview: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ is a website for literature and history education. There is a lot of information on this site. Having spent a good amount of time navigating this site I can say with confidence that while there is quite a lot of information on the site, it is fairly poorly organized and it's still somewhat hard to know the basic purpose of the site. Design: The design of the site has some definite positives and negatives. As I said before, the organization of the site is difficult to understand at first and it almost has too much information on it. Not to mention the fact that the black and red design and a spinning medieval helmet (that looks like a bad clip-art) make this site pretty ugly to look at. Content: It seems as though the content of this site is all over the place. It offers tons and tons of links to navigate to, which is good, but there seems to be little discernable connection between much of the information. There is no clear author of the site either. That said, there is a lot of useful information here, it's just that the makers of the site could do a much better job in presenting it.

OVERVIEW: The purpose to explore readingrockets.org is to learn how to teach small children how to read and to see research that has been done on children reading. The audience for this website includes parents, teachers, principals, librarians, school psychologists, school counselors, and speech pathologists. If you fit into one of these specific categories all you need to do is click on the link at the top of the home page. There are numerous resources available on Reading rockets ranging from videos on how to teach reading to resources for school psychologists helping struggling readers. The Reading rockets website gave me a fantastic first impression. One of the first things I did on this site was watch a movie and I learned many new and interesting things! CONTENT: Like all of the other websites I reviewed, the content of readingrockets.org was fabulous. The information given seemed to be accurate and the content is complete. The information was easy to understand and extremely interesting. If anybody was struggling teaching a child to read, this is the first site I would direct them to. It does a wonderful job satisfying the need of teaching literature and reading. DESIGN: There is a lot going on at the home page of readingrockets.org, but it is well organized and easy to navigate. There is a table of contents bar with links not only on the top but also on the left side. All of the links work great. I did not experience any problems with getting to a specific web page on the site. Finally, the website is current with a 2012 copyright date at the bottom of the home page. Overall the design of Reading rockets is fantastic.

* Jessica A. Wilhelmsen Reviewed August 31, 2010 o International Children's Digital Library Overview The purpose of this site is to provide accessibility to children's literature that spans multiple languages and cultures. Its audience is geared toward ages 3 to 13 as well as for librarians, educators, parents and researchers. The site is a collection of currently over 4400 children's books in 54 languages, with the goal of adding and translating even more. This site provides a plethora of resources for children and adults keeping with current technology as well as current research. Users are able to navigate easily through this site finding information as well as activities that makes it engaging and easy for ever user. Younger children will need some assistance when looking for specific books but will be able to turn the pages as well as make the print bigger or smaller. The overall feel from community postings and twitter, gives this site great reviews. Content The content of the Children's Library allows the user to quickly determine the point and use of the site. It provides a site map that is visible, allowing material on the site to be easily identified. Identification tabs with sub menus are located at the top for quick reference. Children accessing the site, interested just in reading would be able to identify the "read a book" button which is centrally located on the page. The content is free of biases and provides users with multiple opportunities to be interactive. This site is educationally based and updates are provided frequently. It is also, well organized providing information on its mission as well as its sponsors. Design The esthetics of the Children's Library is appealing. It uses mostly primary to pastel colors giving an ease to the feel of the website. The links are also helpful as well as appropriate. When navigators access the "read a book" button the format changes to a more interactive coloring b