Group items tagged

Audrey Stevens 9/20/2011 Kinderteacher Overview: Kinderteacher is a great site for both parents and teachers. This site provides all kinds of creative, fun, and educational project ideas for the classroom or at home. There were endless resources and overall it was very useful for information needs, worth bookmarking for future reference and well designed and easy to use. Content: On this site I could not find a date of revision, but other than that, everything was great. The user was able to figure out the purpose of the site immediately, the author was a previous kindergarten teacher who had retired but wanted to still stay involved. She offered a few paragraphs about herself and contact information. The content was well organized and the user was experienced so the sites information was definitely accurate and useful. It was also worth bookmarking for future reference. Design: The site was very colorful, fun and welcoming. It downloaded with no problems and there were no problems with any of the links as well. It was well organized, easy to use and had many cute graphics that contributed to the site. Off of the design evaluation sheet, I would give it a very well designed and easy to use checkmark.

Amy Andreen 9-14-11 Overview: This site is based out of the UK but it has great historical content. The greater part of the emphasis is on European history which is very interesting to look into. It will obviously have a bias that leans toward the British, but I find that to be beneficial in researching topics and content for the classroom. It's a site that would be useful to both Social Studies teachers as well as High School Students. Content: A wide variety of the site focuses on the historical events that took place on European soil. However, it is not limited to this. There are primary accounts from both World Wars as well as other events throughout history. There are podcasts that allow students and teachers alike to have a more interactive experience on the site. The list of topics within the site is almost endless. As far as content goes, this site is a great resource. Design: The Historical Associations' site is beautiful when it comes to content; however, I found the site very boring to look at. It isn't hard to navigate which is great, but in my opinion it lacks in inviting colors that should add interest to the viewers. There are many different tabs that allow one to explore the site very easily and enjoy all of the content offered. Once the researcher or viewer makes it past the layout, this site has fabulous material that can be very useful to teachers and their students.

Trevor Santy Sept 14 2011 Overview: This site covers a multitude of subjects for varying grade levels. It is extremely user friendly and very easy to navigate. The main page has links going to each individual subject. An interesting feature about this site is that it can save a student's progress in their math activity with an interesting activity called the fun arcade. This site is also very presentable with almost no ads on it and nothing to really distract students while on the site. My overall opinion is that it would be great for teaching as it also gives you different age groups to organize it easier. Content: This site contains different activities for different age levels ranging from 6 to 17 and up. On top of that each activity is separated into specific subjects, such as math and science. Further still the sites age group areas make it easy to organize for your current class. With its easy to navigate frame this site is great for teachers. Design: This websites design is extremely user friendly. With tabs to each age group and then tabs to each subject within that this site makes it easy to get students to focus on a specific subject or activity. It also has links to the different subjects at the bottom of the page and the top making it easier to navigate.

9/13/11 This website is great for middle school and older students. There are many links to other important websites that are useful when teaching geography. The website is not flashy like most learning websites, the information is strait forward.

Randi McInerney September 15, 2011 Overview: The purpose of the Poetry Foundation website is to be a learning resource for anyone interested and to promote poetry in our culture. This site would be great for high school or college students, teachers, or other interested adults. The site offers full poems, biographical information on poets, articles and news relating to poetry, and a "learning lab" that allows you to access annotated poems, poem guides, writing ideas, discussion questions, and tips for teachers. The content and design are very appealing. Content: There is a great amount of information readily available on this site. It is very interactive with everything from places to listen to the poems to places that will direct you to downloadable poetry mobile "apps". The information is very extensive and reliable. If you have questions and comments, the foundation provides various ways to contact them. Design: The website downloads quickly and looks very appealing and organized. The bar across the top makes navigating easy. There are no directions for using or navigating the site, but it is so easy that instructions are really not necessary.

Brianna Gillespie 9/14/11 OVERVIEW: This website is for teachers. The lesson plans on this website can be used for any grade of students; there are ABC lessons, Odyssey lessons, and many in between. This would be a very useful site for all teachers who are having troubles finding or making lessons plans. CONTENT: The content includes lesson plans, rubrics, web quests, worksheets, and teacher tips. The lesson plans range from the main subjects like math and English to physical education and poetry. The worksheets range from first grade to eighth grade. The teacher tips include different commonly asked questions for teachers. DESIGN: This website is very colorful for being for teachers. It is easy to navigate and very self-explanatory. Also, the lesson plans and worksheets are grouped either by grade or similar activities, making it very easy to find what you are looking for.

Overview - Kinderart.com is a strong resource for elementary art educators where they can find lessons, teaching kits, supplies, community, and more. Content - The content and the intended audience are apparent from the get go at Kindart.com. The authors of the site, Andrea and Jantje Mulder-Slater are credible in their art education backgrounds and have provided accessible contact information. The site is kept current, indicated by its recent update and its up and running links. Content is purposeful for art educators and should be easy to navigate by its simple organization. My only complaints are in the pop up ads. Design - The design elements at Kinderart.com are clean and crisp for the most part. Aside from a bit of clutter near the foot of the home page the tool bars are easy to spot and navigate. Labels are appropriate and links are well organized. Again, my only complaint are the pop up ads.

Nathan Wonnacott 9/9/11 Overview: The purpose of Kinder Art is to supply teachers and parents ways to teach art. There are many lesson plans as well as supplies at the site. The pull-down menu contains a direct link to several art topics, craft ideas, and contests. Content: The first impression of the site is for teaching children, but it is littered with advertisement on the side bars. The authors, Andrea Mulder-Slater and Jantje Blokhuis-Mulder, are described as active and efficient teachers. Contacting them is a hassle, but possible. Overall, the content is updated and relevant, but is easy to say that major revisions are needed to make this site effective. Design: This site is not particularly fast, efficient, or effective. To obtain information one needs, he or she needs to navigate for a few minutes. I found a few dead ends when searching links. For the time it takes to finish searching, the information is not efficient.

Mike Wilson Site review September 18, 2009 Dr. Saul's Biology in Motion Introduction Biology In Motion is a relatively simple website designed to provide engaging animations for basic biology concepts. The site is designed for both teachers and students. Student level is Junior High School but could be easily used for entry level 10th grade Biology. Teachers can use the site for in class presentation. Teacher tips for in class use are provided. There are 9 animated self guided lessons and/or games. These lessons are information correct and convey the material to be learned very well. This is an excellent site targeted at specific biology topics. Google ranking of 6/10 - Excellent with 61 backward links. Content Evaluation First Look The home page clearly in both text and graphics conveys the purpose of the site. All the key information is above the fold. Information Providers Biology In Motion is a creation of Dr. Saul, a university Biology Professor and Web game / site developer. Links to Dr. Saul's credentials and additional websites are top left on the home page Information Currency While the site has not been updated for 4 years, there is not a need to do so. The science content is fundamental concepts that will not change. The graphics are age appropriate and play quickly. Information Quality Site is fully functional. Each interactive lesson through the use of text and animations teaches the subject concisely. There are Google link ads on each page which I do not like from a pure educational standpoint. On the other side, the ads are not obtrusive and what are a few extra bucks in a teacher's pocket. Design Evaluation Speed All pages and graphics load very quickly. Animations are well designed but are not speed bulky. Home Page Very appealing and all critical information to keep you on the site is above the fold Ease of Navigation All lessons are linked from the home page and need to know information is top lef

Katharine Johnson September 19, 2009 Georgia Agriculture Education Introduction: This website is from the Georgia Department of Education and is there to help teachers in effectively teaching their classes. It has different power points and lesson plans. Content Evaluation: First Look: When I first looked at this site it was inviting. It is well organized and easy to navigate. Information Providers: The authors of the site are listed at the bottom of the homepage. It just talks about who they are and gives their job titles. There is contact information if you have any questions. Information Currency: It just says that it was last updated in 2009. From looking at the information it looks as though the site is maintained regularly. The other site links are updated and in working order. Information Quality: I think the information that this site provides could be extremely helpful to a new teacher. It gives power points with information that could be used and also has lesson plans that could help. Not only this but there is information for other organizations and other aspects of agriculture in the class room. However I did run into some problems opening a couple of the folders, but other than that everything is functional. Design Evaluation: Speed: Most of the pages opened quickly and effectively. Home Page: The homepage is attractive and eye appealing. All the information is clear and organized and easy to find what you are looking for. Ease of Navigation: The site is easy to navigate. All the information is clear and organized and helps you find what you are looking for easily. Use of multimedia: All the graphics and other medias used are effective. Browser compatibility: Only tested Internet Explorer. Content Presentation: All this information could be really helpful in the classroom.

Posted by Lyndsey Neelands on 9/19/2009 TeAch-nology is a website designed to help teachers integrate teaching and technology in many subject areas. Content This site attempts to cover many subjects as well as teaching resources. The site is well organized for how much information it contains. The sponsor/group responsible for the website clearly identifies itself as TeAch-nology and what their goals are. There are clear links to other websites and information that may be hard to find otherwise. This site provides its own worksheets and printables but also has many links that lead to lesson plans. Overall the content of the website is very diverse but very useful if you know what you are looking for. Design This website if very "busy" . There is a lot to look at when looking at the homepage as well as many of the other pages. There is a lot of information but it takes a few clicks to get to what you want. There are graphics and advertising that seem to be irrelevant to the website content. The sponsor is clearly identified and the copyright is clearly displayed. The information seems to be updated often but I can not find a clear display of the last update. Again, this sight has a lot of good content but trying find it and get to it quickly will probably not happen with the design.

Posted by Kirsten McAlexander on 9/20/2009 abcteach provides a variety of printable materials for teachers from grade k-8th. The website provides activities and games that you can print for a variety of subjects. Content: This website is an excellent website for teachers because it allows you to print a variety of material. The website has everything from baseball bar graphs to sound flash cards. The website has many different topics including sports, seasons, art, writing, phonics and so on. It includes several different printable pages for every topic. Design: This website is very easy to navigate. It labels all subjects very clearly and does not take much time at all to find exactly what you are looking for. Attribution: This website does have a membership fee, but allows you to print many things for free. It does not ask for a sign in to print, or to navigate away from the homepage. The links work well and are very quick.

Tips on Internet safety

Posted by Kirsten McAlexander on 9/20/2009 Scholastic is an excellent website for teachers, students, parents and administrators. Scholastic provides something for everyone. It includes grades pre k-12th. Content: Scholastic provides different activities for students, parents, and teachers. It is an excellent website for everyone. The only disadvantage is that it cost $39.99 a year. But that is relatively cheap for all that it provides. For teachers it provides lesson plans, activities, books to buy, games, and printables. It includes every subject and every grade. It provides information from real teachers throughout the states including strategies, how to integrate technology, time management and much more. Scholastic provides many very useful tips for new teachers. It provides printables for those who finish quickly and for those that need more help along with homework worksheets. Scholastic brings everything that a teacher will need and puts it all on one website for quick and easy results. Design: Scholastic is very easy to navigate. It clearly labels all topics, and has a search bar for a those who need things fast. Scholastic is very colorful and appealing to the eye. It allows you to search by both subject and grade so you can easily marrow down what you are looking for. Attribution: Since you must pay for the site, everything is downloadable and easy to use. It does not require any extra work to remove all unnecessary information from the page before you print.

Evonne Raymond September 16th 2009 Content: This website is made to show new things happening in the science world. The audience is definitely for Elementary school students. The authors are dependent upon the article that you access and choose to read, and the site is Society for Science and the PUblic, its a great interactive community that believes in utilizing educational tools to teach more efficiently. It is revised daily as new events are happening in society everyday.Grammar and spelling is appropriate and suprisingly there is a lack of bias in the articles, as many of the new discoveries are not controversial subjects. The site is appropriate for kids. There are several links to other sites, as many articles are located on other sites, the site is current and has great content for teaching science in todays exciting society. Design:The webpage downloads quickly. It is easy to immediatley understand what the website is for as well as to see what link will direct you to what new scientific findeing. There are tons of grpahics and multimedia that do not deter from the web pages but make the links a little more user freindly and interactive.It is compatable with several different servers, so i would definitely utilize this website in my classroom. It is updated daily for new content, and there are some articles that are from years ago, but most are relevant to a recent scientific finding. This website is excellent for kids and adults to use inorder to teach science. Attribution: The purpose of this site is to educate kids about scientific events going on in the world today, real live science in action. This website is interesting in design as wella s in content and I think it is a great way to create some enthusiasm in kids who would be otherwise uninterested in science.

c. Overview: This site was interesting but I felt that for an elementary setting it wasn't the best. It would probably be usable in a fourth grade classroom and up just because there is a lot of reading and if I wanted to read all the article to my second or third grade classroom, it could be fun for them to see the different types of sciences that are out there. There are some really interesting experiments and videos recorded on this site so it could be really useful for students working on projects.

Content: The content for this site consists of science related articles found in magazines as well as made specifically for this site. I chose to look at this site because it could be very useful for students to see that science is not just something that we see in a lab but something that happens all around us. The content is all recent and updated frequently. The authors are those found in the field of science and give detailed accounts of experiments and what scientists are doing in a way that a child could understand. There are a lot of links to sites such as that of NASA and other recognizable science corporations. Some of these links take a longer time to download but there were few that I found that didn't work. The content of this site is also designed for an older audience so about 3rd grade and up. Large words are used and there is a lot of reading for each page. Design: This site was much different in design than that of the other two that I looked at. This sited has a lot more actual photos compared to drawings and all of them were very intriguing. Each picture brought forth curiosity about what the article might be about and a majority of the articles also had videos to go along with them. The site was also fairly easy to move around on. It did require some prior knowledge about what each main topic category was about, but even if I didn't understand them, I could figure it out from the pictures that went along with it. Everything in each category was related to the other as well and so were the links to other pages. This site is set up more for an older classroom setting though due to the large words as well as some of the photos being of complex experiments. When entering the site it looks a lot like that of a website for a newspaper or magazine, which it more or less is.

A fun and educational reading site for elementary age kids

Internet safety tips and information about predators

Content- This site would be very helpful in finding different lesson plans, and tools needed for Ag teachers. This site is very easily navigated, and the intended audience is very obvious. This site has many authors, but gives main credit to the Georgia Agriculture Curriculum. There are many links to other sites, and they all seem to be working properly. There are many different links to lesson plans that would be very helpful for a teacher. This site is very well organized, and has many different helpful elements. This seems to be a very worthwhile site with very great information. Design- This is a very "busy" site, but has so much great information that the amount of activity is very helpful. All of the graphics are very helpful, and add to the content of the site. This site has a great amount of information, and is very well worth the visit. All information is easy to find, and would bring many new ideas to a teachers classroom. Attribution- It is easy to contact the administrator of this page, and the copyright name and date is on the bottom of the site.

From their Website: "NBC Learn is the education arm of NBC News. We are making the global resources of NBC News and the historic film and video archive available to teachers, students, schools and universities."

Cold War- Wikipedia Site Evaluated October 13, 2014

The purpose of this Wiki site is to give a general overview of the Cold War. It is designed for educational and casual learners. This page goes into great depth on many aspects to the Cold War. Although I wouldn't rely on it for specific factual information to base research on, the page is well referenced and gives factual information as well as many other sources to further the readers' knowledge. The overview begins with what the Cold War is and moves into historical significance as well as a timeline of events. There are many aspects of the Cold War and many of the topics are covered including historical significance, social aspects and historical people, events and documents that were important to the Cold War. Because it is very engaging to the reader, it is a great place to gain interest in the subject and show how large the topic is. The design of the page follows standard Wiki format. It shows a brief overview of the Cold War and moves into more specifics. Because of the stigma that comes with how much you can "trust" a Wiki site, there nearly 300 supporting resources attached to the bottom of the Wiki. From personal research on the subject, I have read many of the documents that are used to support the information throughout.