Group items tagged

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.

Overview- This site is intended for older elementary students and well as 7th and 8th grade students. This site communicates civics in a very exciting way. There are selections and choices to pick from on the opening page. These choices range from categories such as quizzes, independence, the constitution, legislative, executive, and judicial braches and well as elections, and citizenship. Following your selection of the topic of your choice, one is given additional categories to explore. Content- I like this website because it is very simplistic, but very informative for educational purposes. It is clear and detailed. As an elementary or middle school child this type of website would be an excellent way of establishing ones first book report or learning about government. It is very easy to access all areas of the site. Design- The design is very colorful and eye catching.

Caroline Wittman (Virginia) January 31, 2011 Overview Worksheets4teachers.com aims to provide educational resources for children in kindergarten through high school and their teachers. I focused on the sections of the site dedicated to elementary school science. It quickly became apparent that worksheets4teachers.com has a large number of links to other websites and ads. Unfortunately, the other websites rarely contained any useful information, and they were more often than not entirely unrelated to science. The website did appear to contain significantly better resources for other subject areas, such as math and reading. In addition, the science activities for the upper grades were of higher quality than the ones for elementary school. Content The activities available on the website itself seemed like they would be unchallenging and uninspiring for elementary school children. The word searches, coloring pages, and craft ideas are ill-suited to reinforcing important scientific knowledge or skills. In fact, they were so trite that it's hard to imagine them having a place in any decent science curriculum. Contact information was not readily available, but it was clear the website is updated frequently with new worksheets and lesson plans. Design The layout of this website is confusing, and the design is monotonous, bland, and unprofessional. Many of the links that ostensibly contain information about different science topics or lesson planning resources are really links to for-profit companies offering online degrees, tutoring, or shopping. A significant proportion of these links did not work, and the pop ups are very distracting. Information is difficult to locate, and the format of the site is somewhat inconsistent. The one positive characteristic of the site is that it loaded quickly!

Overview: The Literary Center Education Network is a website created to help children with basic literacy needs in elementary school. There is tons of helpful information for parents and teachers as well as activities for students. This website has several categories of learning that focus on all aspects of elementary level literacy. Content: On this website, you will find a tab titled 'Play and Learn'. In this tab there are several categories that the student is able to choose from including uppercase and lowercase letters, shapes, writing, words, numbers, colors, and keyboard. Once the student enters each category, there is an activity that includes a woman's voice that narrates what the student is to be doing. There is also a 'Parents and Teachers' tab which includes things several additional activities that can be implemented to correspond with the activities the children have already done in the Play and Learn tab. Design: I believe that the design of this website is very user-friendly once the child has entered the Play and Learn tab. There may be some difficulty in getting to this tab, as it is not especially distinctive from the other sections of the website but once they are in the Play and Learn tab, there are several links accompanied by pictures that are easy to navigate even for a child.

Overview: This website offers a way to help teachers with grading so that they don't have to spend so much time at it. The website does require a fee for each student and each class. The teacher can choose certain problems out of a variety of textbooks and also can add links where students can watch similar problems get solved step-by-step. Or there is another link that will take the student to the exact pages in the textbook that cover the problem. There is a home page that guides the students through all their assignments and keeps all their grades so they know how well they are doing. There is also a way for teachers to enter in other assignment grades that are not completed on the website, to keep students even more up to date on their progress. Content: The content of this website is very simple because it is just for grading. However, there are all the additional links that are very useful if a student gets stuck on a problem. The simplicity of the site makes it very easy to navigate between homework sets and problems. This website it designed for students mostly 5th grade and up. Design: The site's design in very pleasing to the eye, there is nothing flashy or distracting on the screen while students are working. The only downside is that the answers need to be put in a certain way or the website will not count it correct.

Lindsey Carter 9-4-2011 Overview: Phrases.org.uk, "The Phrase Finder," is a website dedicated to providing the meanings and origins of common phrases used in everyday speech. The intended audience is individuals seeking information on these phrases. The sponsor is not clearly identifiable, making the information seem less credible. The site is interesting and informational, but I do not find it reliable Content: The overall content of the site is quickly determinable, along with the intended audience. No author or sponsor of the site is identified, but a link does give a brief history of the founder, Gary Martin. In addition, the site does provide an email contact and a Facebook and Twitter link (these links also work properly). There is no latest revision date available, so the user has no idea how frequently the site is updated. The purpose of the site is clear, and the content is clear and manageable, but the lack of credible information makes it somewhat unbelievable. There is no way to know if the information is accurate, although most of the data is extensive. Other links that exist include "The Phrase Thesaurus" (a site supported by "The Phrase Finder"), and a discussion forum for the site, and links to phrase books on amazon.com. The appropriateness of these links seems subjective to the needs of the user. Design: The appeal of the website is not strong. The homepage seems unprofessional, although it is organized somewhat effectively. The title and headings are clear and communicative, but again, no site sponsor or copyright date is provided. Moving around the site is fairly easy, due to clear directions on site categories. The amount of information the site provides is sufficient and easy to find, as the list of links is organized. Again, no date of revision is labeled, but a working link of contact information is available. The design does need to be improved to update the professional quality, but the site is usable.

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.

Adrianne Lauman September 02, 2011 Overview This free website is supported by a non-profit educational organization that promotes the preservation of Native American culture and languages. The purpose of the site is to provide information regarding the culture, history and languages of Native people of the Western Hemisphere. The resources are intended to provide teachers and children with educational information, while promoting the revitalization of the use of Native American languages. The content of this site is difficult to navigate. The site provides numerous links to additional sites that are not reputable educational sources. Content The content of the site is poorly organized. The headings of the content are listed in columns that reflect disarray. The authors of the material presented are not identified within the text and the updates to the site are not current. A visitor to the site may have difficulty in determining the accuracy of the information. Design The website information is not augmented by graphics, animation, video or audio files. The links within the pages are to sites that are selling goods or to other WebPages that lack credibility. The homepage is not attractive and the page layout does not encourage visitors to remain at the site. Information is difficult to find and it requires the visitor to utilize more than three clicks of the mouse. When investigating another link within the page it is difficult to return to the homepage.

Michael Gonzales September 13, 2011 Overview: This website is perfect for any educators who are considering teaching Spanish as a foreign language in their classroom. This site focuses on information regarding Spanish vocabulary and grammar. It's filled with activities that you can easily incorporate into your classroom that will stimulate students to have fun and learn. It also provides additional information of projects that you can use in your classroom. Content: This site is filled with files that you can print off and give to students within your classroom to help them comprehend more Spanish words and grammar. Many of the worksheets allow you to color in the words and also provide excellent visual aids to help comprehend more information. The web page is very easy to navigate; this particular page revolves around Spanish themes. There are also several links to games and items that you can print off to test your students in the classroom. This site also offers you to explore more fully and see what else the company has to offer such as templates for holiday decorations and as well over 100 themes that apply to kindergarten through 3rd grade. Design: The design of the website is very simple and straight forward; the links and texts boxes do not look complex and are very easy to access. The webpage itself is a little boring, only supplying the viewers with pictures of images of what it has to offer. I have taken a few HTML coding classes and I can see that this is something that I can easily duplicate. The site is not complex but the information that is provided is perfect for teachers and students alike.

Overview Spanish Teaching is a site for the teacher or student of the Spanish language. At first glance, it appears a bit basic. It is not super eye catching nor filled with an abundance of sights, sounds and fluff. However, its form and function are succinct. Every item on the page has a specific purpose and supplies exactly what it implies. The hyper-links are true to form and also supply additional topic related substance. It is easy to use, straight forward and would be relevant for all grade levels of instruction. Content The site is broken into four divisions; Spanish Members Zone, Online quizzes for students:, Teaching websites of the week and Lesson plan ideas. Each division contains links to topics suited to the subject. Design The design of the site is simple. Site name and purpose is scrolled down the left side of the page in a colorful bandana. The Main idea: Spanish Teaching is at the top , a picture reference for memory follows. Next comes the site topics, Learn, Teach, Travel. At the top of the site home page the words Teaching , Traveling and Learning are in different bright colors and open to related links. Athe design is easy to follow and use.

Overview: This is a wonderful site for uniting geography with history. The whole site is devoted to evolving maps showing important events such as Magellan's voyage and historic trends such as the spread of the Hellenistic world. Content: The content is completely focused on maps set to narration which makes this site a perfect learning tool for grades 6 through college. The variety of narrated moving maps spans ancient history to modern times which makes it even more valuable to different classes. The downside to the content is it was developed in France so the content is mostly focused on European history and European viewpoints. It also makes customer support difficult with the only contact coming from France. Also, only ten percent of the maps are free. If a history department was willing to pay for the additional maps it would be a great addition to the curriculum. Design: The design of the website appropriately advertised the site's content. The homepage looks like an old cartographer's office. Any topic map was available from the home page and the multiple categories were well organized. Overall it's a very good site.

Chelsea Eisenbarth 9/11/11 Overview: This website was developed by the Missouri Historical Society in devotion to teaching about the museums, history, and educational ideas with Lewis and Clark. The site has a page devoted to and made by educators with lesson plans as well as other pages devoted to information using different media types. There is video as well as written information on the topic. Content: In addition to providing information on the Lewis and Clark expedition this site also provides a section devoted to educators and lesson plan ideas. The lessons were developed by teachers and provide a rubric of content covered in each lesson and the different grade levels that they can be associated with. The content seems up to date and all of the different links are in working order. There was possible bias in that they are trying to get people to visit their museum but overall the information seemed valid regardless. Design: The design didn't appeal to my personal taste, I thought it was ugly but it still served its purpose and the site was in working condition. I liked that there was different media options for obtaining the information and the lesson plan page was convenient. Everything seemed to be in working and current order and overall the website looked to be helpful for a future teacher.

Posted by Kate Guerrieri 9/18/2009 Title of web page: The English Teacher- Lesson Plans for a Creative Writing Course Content: This website offers an entire 13 week lesson plan for teaching a creative course. The lesson plan is broken up into different sections that a teacher would cover for the 13 weeks. Each section covers a different topic and offers links to other websites that offer additional information or examples. There are writing prompt ideas and ideas for different assignments a teacher might consider using. If it meets all the state requirements of a teacher's location, it would be a good source to use for developing a lesson plan. If not, it is a general guide for what a creative writing lesson plan should look like. Design: This web site is split into thirteen sections, in correlation for the weeks that the lesson plan is made for. Each section has a description of what is being taught and ideas on how to teach it. There are examples and links in each section. It is easy to navigate and user friendly. Attribution: The site seems credible. Anyone can use this information as long as they cite the page. I couldn't find the copy write information on the actual page but it is part of a larger website that would have it.

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

Content: This website was designed for math homework help. It has the four distinct categories; addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and levels each visitor might need help in. Visually this website isn't very appealing, but the games look interesting for teaching students and help the promotion of a fun learning environment. Clicking on different tabs takes you to the different perspectives of the classroom i.e. the teachers, the learners, and the parents. There are also numerous links to other homework help websites as well. Design: Overall I think the design of the website is good and user friendly. There are a lot of links and tabs, but become useful when it is designed for not only students, but parents and teachers as well. The only downfall to the design of this website is their selling of products gets mixed in with some of the learning material too, so it becomes a little overwhelming. Attribution: I would encourage my students to check out the games on this website because they are a fun way to learn math. I would also encourage parents to play along with their students because it would also familiarize them with the material their students are learning too. The visual aspects of this site promote a fun learning environment and nothing vulgar or inappropriate is presented, making it a safe site to encourage students to visit.

Jessica Adams; Website Reviewed: September 20, 2009 "The Lessons Plan Page" is a wonderful website that lists various ways you can teach math such as games worksheets and lesson plans. CONTENT "The Lesson Plans Page" has a bulletin board that lists various topics that different teachers are discussing. Most of the teachers are giving helpful hints about how to teach different lesson plans as well as posting new lesson plans. Some of the various math subjects include; addition and subtraction, algebra, counting, date and time, decimals, fractions and percentages and the list goes on and on. DESIGN "The Lesson Plans Page" is an amazing website that I found very helpful when it came to different ideas on how to teach different variations of math. From new teacher's who aren't sure how to teach math yet to teacher's who have been teaching for years who just need new material this website is for them. It was last updated this year and was made by HotChalk Inc. Each lesson plan listed under each subject is different and very interesting as well as fun for the students. I would highly recommend this site to any teacher who needs a boost in how to teach math.

Ross Lindstrom - September 21, 2009 Website Evaluation #1: The American Political Science Association (APSA) The American Political Science Association's website is an aesthetically attractive website that also contains a wealth of information and additional resources. The Association brings together 15,000 members to form a community of political science study, fostering a healthy discourse and exchange of information. APSA organizes conferences, seminars, and produces publications for both students and teachers for the purpose of promoting the scholarly research of political science. My first impression of the website is a complete trust in the legitimacy of the information presented. Any student would find this website invaluable when looking for resources to do anything from simply understanding what political science is to writing a graduate dissertation or finding an internship in Washington. The website displayed efficient organization of the various areas of the site, a challenge when so much information is contained within. It had enough visual appeal to not become redundant while browsing and yet still retain the professionalism that should be inherent in such a field of study. However, a high school age student may find the website a bit dry and the content a little too advanced. Most of the publications of the website aren't available in a direct .html format, but download speeds are quick. There is significant information overlap among the publications, but in a field of study where slight opinion difference is a cornerstone of the conversation, this can only be a credit to its legitimacy. The first glance at the APSA website yields both an understanding of its purpose and a desire to explore the website's resource. The content is clearly organized based on subject matter as well as practical application. Proper credits to authors are prevalent, new content is regularly added, and old content is constantly maintained. One of the

This is a free video hosting site that allows for 500 MB uploads without a time delay. Additionally you can tag videos and write comments or attach additional movies. They accept AVI, DV, MOV, QT, MPG2, MPEG2, MPEG4, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, ASF, WMV, and FLV. You can make your videos completely public, completely private, or select which viddler friends can view the files. It also allows you to determine who can comment on, tag, embed, or download videos on an individual basis.

Posted by Kate Guerrieri 9/18/2009 Title of web page: Tips on Teaching Creative writing. This website has helpful hints for new creative writing teachers. Content is easy to understand. Content: The content of this website is just a list of things that a new creative writing teacher might consider doing for their class. It offers insight from an experienced creative writing teacher, who knows what to expect when teaching this course. It deals with issues that may arise when teaching a creative writing class and offers solutions. This website is short, precise, and just a singular view point about teaching creative writing. It doesn't offer much information but the information is does offer is useful. Most of the idea's can be used for teaching any class and any new teachers might find this website helpful. Design: The design of this website is pretty standard. It has a bulleted list that highlights the information of the text. Unfortunately, there are many advertisements on this website that are somewhat distracting. There are no links to additional information. It is just a one sided view point that may be opinionated and it may not be credible. Attribution: This website is friendly for everyone. It is copy righted. People are free to use this information as long as they cite the author when necessary.

Allison Lindgren September 21, 2009 Website Review http://www.aboutdarwin.com/credits_01.html "About Darwin dotcom" is a site dedicated to the life and work of Charles Darwin. Its layout is classy and goes well with the information being presented. The author of the site states his credentials and citations clearly. I think it would be a good source of information for anyone researching Darwin. The bibliography is very complete which provides alternative source of information for someone looking for additional information. Since the information is organized and presented in easy to understand terms with little scientific jargon I think it is geared towards high school students. Content Summary: The content of the site is obvious even in the URL of the site making it easy to know what information the site provides. The author is clearly stated with a whole page dedicated to his credentials and the citations of all the information in the site. The links all work well, but it has been over a year since the site has been updated. I think that is okay, though, as Charles Darwin is not a developing topic and not a lot of new information needs to be posted. Maps and pictures enhance the content of the site, and information is well organized into links on the homepage. T Design Summary: There were no problems downloading the page. The colors and graphics of the site are appealing and interesting. The layout is very simple which makes navigation easy. Each link clearly states what information it will take you to. It is a good source of information about Charles Darwin by someone whose credentials make the site credible and worth visiting.