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New Criticism (What and Why)

Overview This site is for grade levels kindergarten through high school. It has so many different subjects that you can access from Reading and Writing, Math, Social Studies, Science, Language, and Foreign Languages. To help the students prepare for these subjects for tests, quizzes, or even homework, this website has test prep for all grades and subjects. This website has puzzles, printable activities, and critical thinking exercises for students to engage in and have more fun on the website. This website also includes information for teachers. Teachers are able find lesson plans and worksheets for their classrooms. This website is very well layed out and easy to navigate for teachers and students. My observation of this website is good. Content There are so many different subjects you can learn about, and every subject has different content that contains important information that you can learn about. You can learn about anything! This website mandates that you be a member in order to be able to make use of all the activities and information. Design This website design is very easy to maneuver and navigate through. The subjects are surrounded by many different games, puzzles, and critical thinking activities that students can access. It is very well organized and has great pictures and themes. This website clearly shows that it is very informative and promotes interaction by the student or teacher.

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

Reader Response Criticism

Overview: The purpose of this web page is to analyze the significance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's color symbolism in The Great Gatsby. The audience is based around a high school-level English class. No information about the author is given, although it is implied that he is a high school student.Overall, this is a well-written essay that provides a number of insightful points that would be helpful in a classroom setting. Content: The content of this essay is particularly strong. It is well organized, despite the lack of a document map, and a reader is easily able to understand the purpose of the site. The author is identified, although virtually anonymous. The site cannot and does not need to be updated, as the content is timeless. While no specific further information is given, the content can be used to drive discussion and can be traced back to the novel. Design: This site doesn't have a strong design. It is a PDF of an essay. There is no form of ornamentation. This is good in the sense that it doesn't distract a reader from the content of the essay, but is simultaneously bland. However, the design of the page is infinitely less significant than the content, which is the critical piece of the discussion and the purpose of the site.

Lynnsey Patterson January 23, 2011 Overview: The purpose of this site is to give and promote information about artists in the US as well as to advertise the magazine Art in America. I believe this could be considered a very valuable resource for anyone interested in modern art. The authors consist of very highly qualified individuals such as an art professor of Yale University and a highly respected art curator and critic. Content: This website is packed with content. It contains archives of past issues of the magazine, links to events taking place in the art world, featured artists of the month, books, videos, news, and more. Everything is very well organized in the top margin of the homepage and the contact information is very well labeled under the "contact us" link on the footer. I would however, call this site a little bias in that it only contains information about art in the United States but I wouldn't considered that to necessarily be a bad thing. Design: This site is very aesthetically pleasing in design and is very easy to navigate. Everything appears to be very clear, concise, and appropriate for the audience it is trying to reach.

This website is called Core Knowledge Lesson Plans at coreknowledge.org. Download was quick; without delay. Homepage is attractive and well organized. Critical pieces of information (sponsors, contacts, and copyright) are easy to locate and navigate to. Media is effective and while there is not a lot of it, I believe the lack of it adds significantly to the effectiveness of the site. The worth of visiting this site is high; there is plenty of useful information that can help educators in creating lesson plans with a purpose. The date in which the site was updated clearly viewable at the bottom of the page and is also current within the month. Contact and copyright information are also given here. Overall this site is useful and easy to navigate. It is worth visiting.

Bryana Wilson September 20, 2009 Website Review http://www.sonnets.org/early.htm "Sonnet Central" is a site dedicated to all different types of sonnets in many different time periods. The author of this site, Eric Blomquist, has done an excellent job of putting the site together in an interesting and organized way. The site serves as an archive of sonnets and does a good job in defining the histories and form of them as well. It is evident that he is passionate about this style of poetry, and in essence, catches the evolution of it quite nicely. CONTENT The content of this website is evident in the title. "Sonnet Central" is full of many different types of sonnets. It covers all different kinds of sonnets from differences in location, time, and style. It includes sonnets from all over the world and has sonnets set apart in different periods- from the 12th century to the early 20th century- most of which are English- but includes quite a few Petrarchan as well. There are also links to sections that you can use to search, view an alphabetical list of authors, listen to sonnets being read, and even read criticisms. It also includes a forum for modern poets to post their own poetry and discuss the information presented on the page. It is clear that Mr. Blomquist's site is aimed toward poets and those wanting to get acquainted with the sonnet- and the material on his site is easy to interpret and understand. There is an email link for contacting Mr. Blomquist if there are any questions or comments regarding his site and it is located on the site's homepage in the opening paragraph. It was last modified in 2007, but given the subject- the sonnet- I would trust the material is far from outdated. It loads quickly and works on several different browsers. DESIGN "Sonnet Central" is put together in an interesting way. The information is fairly easy to find and is set up in a rather organized manner, including a table of contents on the main page.

Alyssa Maurer The website Teaching Channel is designed to connect teachers to one another across the world. The site also provides video demonstrations of in class techniques that can be used for video reflection and coaching. The audience is for teachers across the country that can influence and assist one another. The entire website is based on connectivity between all teachers who visit the website. The website also acts as a social networking site by allowing visitors who register with the site create profiles. My impression of the website is that it could be a very useful tool for teachers to continue to improve their lesson plans and to be able to retrieve constructive criticism. The Teaching Channel as a website seems to be very useful as a teaching resource for teachers. It was created specifically for teachers to connect with one another and share their experiences in expectation that the audience can gain knowledge from others practices. As a visitor of the website you can also select grade level and topics to further a specific search of videos. Along with the videos which is the main portion of the website they also have a blog, newsletter, and questions and answers page. The website is created by a non-profit organization that clearly defines their mission, contact information, terms and conditions of the website, discussion guidelines, video guidelines, media coverage, and frequently asked questions. The site seems to be quite user friendly with a modern look to the setup of the website. A critique of the website would be the visual aspect of the website. It also only allows teachers to interact with one another and forgets to include students and parents. The site does seem to be modern and created in our generation for easy access and navigation. The videos are filtered by subject so that each teacher can easily navigate through the website to reach the desired subject area.

Jacqueline Twiford Web Site Review September 20, 2009 http://atozteacherstuff.com/ This website contains a lot of information for educators from Science, Math and reading and all the way from pre-school to high school. This is a great website to find a variety of information including lesson plan ideas. On this website you can also retrieve worksheets to help you in teaching the subject in your classroom. CONTENT When opening this website you can see an organized list of every subject that you will teach to your students. You can also get information for many different age groups from pre-school to high school. This "A-Z Teacher Stuff" is a site that provides you with tips for different activities as well as resources that you can use. You can discuss ideas on this site with other teachers as well as find articles related to the topic of your choice. "A-Z Teacher Stuff", is a great way to search all the topics you are looking for through one site. You can also retrieve lesson plans and activities as well as worksheets. The content provided on this site is in abundance and every teacher could find something on this site to utilize in their classroom. This site will help you find what you are looking for. "A-Z Teacher Stuff", provides a lot of helpful things for a teacher that needs new worksheets or even a lesson plan idea to change up the classroom for the students. DESIGN When I first opened "A-Z Teacher Stuff", the amount of links was a little defeating. After looking through the site a little more thoroughly I realized that it is very organized and loads quickly. This is a great way to search for information provided by teachers as well as the age group that you need. By using this broad search, you will save a lot of time by choosing the subject as well as the age level you plan on teaching it to. As a teacher time is very critical and you do not have much extra time to search through sites in detail to find what you need. By

Overview Paragraph: The purpose of this site is to provide different lesson plans and different activities for different subject areas in different age groups. The audience is teachers because it mostly contains tools for teachers. There are all kinds of different tools such as lesson plans and games along with worksheets and assignments to go with a lesson plan. Overall this site looks like a very good resource for teaching and creating lesson plans. Content Paragraph: The content on this site is mostly run by the public. It's very up to date and there are even forums that you can go and read and post on that is updated every few hours. The site is current according to its' copyright as well. The authors aren't displayed right out in the open because it is run mostly by the public. The sponsors are educational and displayed openly. All of the links are working and operational. The content is easy to use but could be organized a little better. Design Paragraph: The front page is very clear as to what is being displayed but the background is very shocking at first. There aren't very many pictures which hinders the usability of the website. The information is all very viable and easy to understand. The graphics make it kind of hard to focus on the content itself, but still isn't terrible to deal with. There is a link that is available for any further questions that you may have about the website. 

Hailey Dungan April 15, 2015 The intended audience of this article is the critical readers of Shakespeare, individuals who are skeptical that Shakespeare even existed. The purpose of the piece is to highlight the possibility of his nonexistence. It works to disprove this theory, and proposes instead a multitude of flaws in Shakespeare's career. The article was written in 2014 by Robert Gore-Langton. There has been no updates to the piece as of recently. The site itself is clean, Newsweek being a reputable source provides us with a link that brings us to other articles written by the author. This is just one of the links which make this site easy to use and well designed. I am hesitant to use this site as one that is educational. The article provides food for thought and would be an interesting debate topic to approach in an educational setting. The basic content of this site is stated in the name. Newsweek works to inform individuals of the news as well as other information. The audience is adults, or individuals interested in the daily events of the world. The author of this article is stated from the main page. Though there is little information about the author, there is a link which sends you to a page with a collection of his other writings. There is no indicator that this article has been recently updated but the content is clear. The site is informative, tagging subjects to expand your reading experience. Again, I would use this in class to guide discussion, but would not rely solely on this piece. The website is designed well. It provides you with search options in case one were to look for additional information. It is eye catching, the big red letters of Newsweek drawing you in. The links are in working order, and they are well organized. There is no date for the sites last revision, and there may be some out of date information present as the site is a collection of news and information. However I would say that this site is well designed, it

This site provides several examples of universally designed ebooks for students ages 10 and up. ebooks provide scaffolding techniques to understand passeges (editable by teachers), read content back to students, provide Spanish translations, and allow markup and note taking

Scott Chanthongthip on January 25, 2010 Overview: Although the website has seven books students can read from, it offers a helpful tool in learning to read while listening to the computerized voice. The computerized voice can be distracting to young readers though that cannot put aside the monotonous tone and lack of colorful personality a real teacher can provide. Manipulation of the tool bar for the story can help students highlight text, translates highlighted words from English to Spanish, and allows students to stop the reading to answer critical comprehension questions. The design of the website looks simple at first but I think if this a website to help students read it should be in simpler terms. Use of the computerized reading voice can read the whole page to students, so this can be helpful to navigate the pages. Content: Most of the content is laid out simply but it takes a while to get used to navigation of the different tools. Students that would use this site would probably have some background in reading already, as stated ages 10 and up by the UDL. It takes previous knowledge of reading ability to understand some of the more complex stories the site offers. Using the "Stop to Think" option asks listeners to pick multiple-choice answers that show the student comprehends the story they just heard. If readers miss the questions, clues to the right answer help the reader find the correct answer. As a teacher, I would use this site sparingly because I believe the computerized voice reading to students can bore them quickly. The website also takes away the ability for students to learn from their peers. The books used in this selection from the UDL provide just small glimpse at the plethora of reading material out there. The project team for the website consists of people with Education Doctorates , Master's of Education, and translators. As far as the content update, I could not find when its updates or when the site came into ex

Sydney Fancher Thinkfinity Overview: This website is intended to help teachers with finding new lesson plans. It is helpful because it has lesson plans pertaining to such a wide variety of subjects, most teachers could find something they find helpful. It is difficult to determine how often new lesson plans are added but the course appears to updated frequently. In general, this website is a good resource for teachers to have when they are looking for a change up to their normal lesson plans. Content: Thinkfinity is a website that is designed for teachers. Specifically it is to help with new ideas for lesson plans that can be used at any grade level and content area. The site it's self is mainly just a tool to link you with lesson plans. The lesson plans that it has chosen to show you are all highly original and have enough information with them that it makes it easy for the teacher to use them in their own classroom. They often times even include lesson plans for grading. The only criticism I have is that it is unclear how often new lesson plans are added to the site so the site may become less effective for a teacher over time, but, generally, it seems to be incredibly helpful. Design: The design is based largely around the site sponsor: Verizon. Therefore, the design is appealing, but seems very commercial. The actual layout of the site, though, is extremely user- friendly. All of the links are working and helpful. Also, the site allows for you to search for lesson plans that are grade and content area specific. Then, once the teacher has found lesson plans that are appropriate for the students they are teaching, the search can be narrowed even further into specific subjects, such as a specific book or vocabulary. This feature, among others, is what makes this site effective for a large number of teachers.

Ryan Magrum Sept 15th, 2011 Overview: The purpose of this site is to teach student about the frog system through a virtual dissection. The dissection lets the user display the organs of the frog in any combination with or without skin and skeleton without the mess of an actual dissection that many of us have done in high school biology class. The site is strait forward with a big frog picture to click on to start the dissection and various links to other information. Content: The first page has all the bureaucratic business with the contact info, the site creators and developers. There is also a link or two to other pages with more sites like this one and pages with more information. The dissection is a little disappointing. When one highlights an organ or set of organs the organs are sitting there like a real frog on a dissection dish. For a virtual dissection I wanted to see clickable options with descriptions and information (click on the heart and a box with info on the heart of a frog pops up). For a dissection, the pictures accurately depict what an actual frog looks like without the mess of a real dissection. The only other criticism is one can't physically touch the parts of a frog which is one of the benefits of the real life thing that the internet may never have. Design: The website is plain in nature. There are no fancy pictures or visual effect to draw a person into the site. I believe the site is there purely for educational purposes. The title page is white with black print and blue hyperlinks. There are no advertisements. The interactive frog brings the user to the page where the user can play around with the frog parts and view them and how the parts fit together. The art involved is somewhat primitive but the parts are colored and one can tell what they are. This interactive page is plain as well. There is no commercial aspect in this website - it is obviously for educational purposes.

Ryan Magrum Sept. 15th, 2011 Overview: The site is an online game site known as Armorgames.com consisting mostly flash games aimed at wasting time. However, there is a game Armorgames offers called CellCraft. While CellCraft is fundamentally a game, there are many aspects of it that are very educational. The goal of the game is to command a cell to grow and function as an animal and/or plant cell would and utilize all the functions and organelles as would an actual cell. The game explains all of the functions of the organelles you control and gives some information on the different parts of the cell, how the cell utilizes energy, and reproduces and fights off attack. The instruction in the game is similar to a high school biology class. Content: The game has multiple levels. Each level has a specific goal for the cell which the user controls. Each level also give some explanation of the new organelles available for use as well as the intentions of the antagonistic elements that an average cell has to deal with on a regular basis like infection and replication. The game has instruction for both plant and animal cells and all the included features of cells. It focuses on teaching the user how a cell operates and how to create a strategy to help the cell survive. The effects of the game are very close to reality - neglecting the very fine details. Design: It's a game. It comes with instructions. The game goes chronologically, so to speak, beginning from a time where the user can only move the cell around, to growing and fighting off infection, then to exploring new worlds and avoiding extinction. Just like in a biology class room, the student is expected to learn the basics and then think critically about problems using the basic knowledge to solve the problem, so does CellCraft. The game takes the user, educates the user on how a cell works (and I mean just about everything one would learn in a general biology class), and sends the user off to ke

Overview: This site is made to make it easier for high school students to decipher Shakespearian works. It is easy to navigate and applicable to a high school student. It is strictly an informational website, so it lacks an interactive aspect, but that is a minor details. The site is successful in passing accurate information to high school students to help them understand difficult texts they will most likely be required to read. Content: This site is incredibly useful for students to visit before reading a Shakespearian play or poem. The website helps bridge the time gap by explaining to users the language and customs, among other confusing topics, of tat time. The explanations are concise and accurate. Therefore, the website conveys the information it intends to completely without losing the interest of the audience. Design: The design of this website initially draws in its' intended audience very well. The site looks very user- friendly for high school students. Each aspect of Shakespeare that is generally difficult for high school students has a heading with the tips to decipher it underneath. The explanations are concise and applicable to what the students need to know before reading a Shakespeare play. My biggest criticism of the design of the site is that the user must search through pages to find the heading they want. The site could benefit from a heading bar for commonly searched topics.

Overview: This website is intended to pass information about the proper use of grammar in writing. The website does a great job of conveying those grammar rules. It also has online tests to check for comprehension of what the viewer just learned. The site is based off of a book from a very credible author, but because of that there are no links to other sites with similar information. Overall, the website is very plain but passes along the information it intends to successfully but may lose visitors to the site because the design does not draw people in. Content: This website is full of information, and has tips for every grammar rule imaginable. The rules for grammar are incredibly accurate and helpful for writing for high school students. A criticism of the content would be that there is a chance for information overload with all of rules that are listed Along with the rules the website also has online quizzes to test the rules that were just reviewed on the site. That immediate chance to test comprehension is very helpful for students. The information is highly credible and the website does a great job of listing the credentials of the author. However, because the site is based off of one book there are no links on the site for other places to find similar helpful information. Design: The design of this website is extremely plain. Their audience is clearly adults or upper level high school students. The site is easy to navigate. It utilizes bullet points for the different grammar rule the viewer wants to learn about and links to the information without a problem. Then, from there, the viewer can link directly to a quiz pertaining to the rule they just learned. In general, the design of the website is easy to use but unappealing to the eye.

Randi McInerney September 15, 2011 Overview: The purpose of the BBC Learning School Beta website is to promote and provide educational materials for students, parents, and teachers. This website would be great for k-12 education and teachers and parents of those children. The site offers educational games and learning tools, resources for teachers, tips for parents to help improve their children's education, and education related news articles. The content and design are very visually attractive and extensive. Content: There is a lot of content available on this site, but it is easily accessible. There are interactive games, video clips, news articles, and other activities and information. The website has extensive information for all of the intended audiences. There does not seem to be any reliable contact information available besides a "feedback form" to send criticism or praise and "frequently asked questions" are also available. Design: The website downloads correctly and quickly and looks very interesting and organized. The site is easy to navigate, even without directions. The site could be used by a primary aged school child fairly effectively because of the clear labels and ease of navigation.

This is a great site! I'm definitely using it in my WebQuest.

Overview: TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Simple devoted to spreading ideas. That mission continues to make the brilliant ideas of today easily accessible. Content: This website is a media based outlet to share riveting "talks" from remarkable people, free to the world. What I love the most about this website that it includes so many different subjects from pure education, design, sciences. The speeches are sometimes complex and take some critical thinking, but this is an accurate source to be sending student of upper school to really challenge them, and create a different perspective not only by using media, but through connecting us to speakers that are normally incredibly riveting to get to hear. This is a breeding place for the newest ideas and inventions that will that expands people's capacity to understand what is possible. Design: This is an incredibly put together website. With simple colors that refocus you to what you are looking for, as well as genres of interest located in plain view including listing of new topics. This website is very accessible and readily available for any edger learner.