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Overview: This website is intended for teachers and provides lesson plans and videos from grades Pre-K to Post Secondary. It offers free information in the subjects of Art, English, Math, Science, Social Studies and Health/Physical Education. This website would be wonderful for teachers who are looking for a new lesson plan on any subject or for any grade. If the teacher creates a free account, they have the chance to find and share any information and also have the privilege of seeing the standards that are required for the school they are teaching in. Overall, this website would be a very useful tool for teachers to plan and share lesson plans, video, other websites and interactive games. Content: After reviewing the content of this website, I have found that most people would not have any trouble navigating and finding information on this page. The homepage is a great place to start because it allows users to login to their account, search the webpage or click on the subject that they would like to further explore. One problem I encountered with this website is that it is hard to tell who the intended audience is. By the websites name one would think that the site was just for teachers, but when creating a free account you are able to select from students, parents, teachers, school administrators and librarians even though teachers would probably benefit the most from this site. All of the lesson plans seem to be up to date, but some of the videos are out of date. The links on the site are active and running and provide great information and resources. Design: While exploring this website, I was very disappointed to find that the graphic design did not have strong eye appeal, but the layout of the site was easy to move around. One of the best attributes of this site is the external links, which are helpful in finding more information in that topic and they were all working properly. There is also a lot of information available to anyone and after

Jamie Szallar Website Evaluation #1 9-1-2010 U.S. Department of Education www.ed.gov Overview The U.S. Department of Education website is extremely useful. I found the information to be current and correct. The site is easily explored and visually appealing. Overall I would highly recommend this site to anyone interested in education, teaching, or the United States public school systems. Content The content of this site is amazing. The information given covers a wide variety of topics related to the education field. Links to numerous educational sites, as well as other government sites, are easy to use and all beneficial to furthering the understanding of the site subject. The site is very well organized, subject headers make it easy to find what part of the site you are interested in exploring. Contact information is given for several government agencies, as well as other educational resources. Design The site has great eye appeal. A general theme follows the entire site, appropriate photos and emblems are add nicely. The home page does have a large amount of information on it, but is not cluttered to the point that it becomes difficult to navigate. This site is definitely worth visiting and would be valuable for a wide variety of visitors.

Colter Huhn 1-25-10 The purpose of this site is to watch informational videos and read articles on science programs from PBS. The intended audience is all ages that can understand the material which looks to be about middle school age up. The site has many different science based categories with videos and interactive articles. Overall the content is very useful for exploring science television programming further with articles and online video on certain science based programming. The design is very professional and well layed out. The content is very good on this site, with a few minor flaws. Upon first look its fairly easy to tell the content for the site and from it know who the audience is. The information providers seem clear with the sponsor (PBS) being clearly identified and the makers of all videos. The currency seems very good with new material being added constantly and all links working properly. The quality of information is great with a clear educational purpose which is well executed. Every archived program is well organized into categories with easily understandable links and information. Many programs can be watched online with teacher links making the content very interactive. All information seems relevant and correct. The only flaws I found were no direct authors were shown or their contact information, but you can contact PBS. Also, I couldn't seem to find a date of revision, but all program dates are shown. The website design itself is also very professional. The speed is great and the site is compatible with both Firefox and Internet Explorer. The homepage is very attractive, clear, organized and all sponsor and copyright information is easily found. The navigation is simple with good organization of programs into categories and links. All videos are fantastic and relevant and the pictures represent these. The content is perfect for getting involved in science topics through documentaries and videos. There are plenty of links from eac

A great site for Science videos and documentaries. Includes links for teachers to utilize these as well.

Monique Koller Jan. 24. 2010 Invention at Play is a website designed to get kids interested in being inventors. Content: This is a cute website that has good stories about people who have done some inventing. It also has informational videos and games that encourage parents to allow play as exploration. The games are educational and logic based. Design: This site is very easy to navigate. The links work well and guide you to places that you might find interesting later. The games are educational and encourage creativity. It is easy to find who you would need to get a hold of if you had any additional questions or concerns. I wouldn't be super surprised if this site added new stuff regularly. Overview: The big goal of this site is to encourage learning and imagination! It is built for children and parents. This site has a lot of great stories of people who have become inventors, it has learning games, and informational videos that encourage parents to keep their kids exploring! I really enjoyed Word Play and Tinker Ball, the videos were reassuring and the stories of inventors are inspirational.

Amanda Lamey January 23, 2010 Overview I chose this site because RosettaStone has seemed to help lots of individuals learn a second or third language. I was impressed when I came to this site. You can choose from a variety of languages, you can purchase packages or just one at a time. With each package it listed the price and a button for you to add it to your cart. They have a toll free number to call. There are videos of people who have used it and learned from it. I think this is a beneficial part in helping someone purchase this item. I know it would help me. I would want to know from experience whether a product is good enough to spend hundreds of dollars on. This website is designed for anyone, but limited to people with credit/debit cards. Any one person can learn a language with assistance and it has been proven that younger children learn quicker and faster than adults. They had a contact button for further information. It also had other available resources like case studies from a classroom, stories of individuals who had used it, videos of people who had purchased and used RosettaStone. It had different options to chose from like; Home school, Schools, Organizations and Personal. The purpose of this site is to let you explore multiple options and not limit you to one thing and one language, its open ended. I think it's a wonderful site and easy to use. I also think RosettaStone's product is expensive which is a downfall because as a college student I have enough bills and money concerns to worry about to where I can't just go spend three hundred dollars to learn a language on my own time. Evaluation of Design The overall evaluation of the design was accurate. It had useful information and sites to attend to gather further information. Instead of reading the material you would have to purchase it, but it showed what levels were for sale and for how much. It even had it available for different schools and organizations. It had a contact us box

I found this to be a high quality educational website for elementary school students. It has online educational games as well as informations for hands on activities.  It provides many activities for students to do on their own or for teachers to do in the classroom. It also provides areas so you can submit the results of your experiments to you can compare to other groups of students.  Content: "The Lawrence Hall of Science: 24/7 Science" website  is up to date, and activities are current and appealing to today's students. Although the "Educator Information" link is not yet available, it provides many activities that would be appropriate to use in a classroom. It also explores a wide variety of scientific subjects that are explored in the classroom today.  Design: This website is very easy to navigate to find certain pages. It is very colorful and appealing to children in elementary school. The displays help to easily determine which games are online and which are activity guides provide for hands on science experiments. 

Michael Gonzales September 14, 2011 Overview: The kid friendly website covers a wide range of topics from earthquakes, geology, rocks and minerals, and even fossil fuels. The information provided is supplied by government agencies that supply information that benefit many young scholars about information regarding science. Content: This website's homepage consists of a variety of links that offer a child to go and explore information regarding Earth Science. This site allows children to explore ideas of how things work like how earthquakes form as well information about NASA. This is a Government owned site that has material suitable for children as well as adults. The child base website is broken into two main groupings which has material that is suitable for each age group. The site is straight forward with its information and does not offer many things to sidetrack your learning. Design: The design of the website takes on a professional appeal, the layout and colors are eye catching and are simple and welcoming. The links that are provided allow the users to navigate through and find information with ease. The website provides information that is relevant to its topic and does not confuse or throw off the user. I can see this being beneficial in my classroom when I ask my students to seek a professional website that offers great information regarding science.

Alyssa Maurer ITEC-2360 Prof. Craig E. Shepherd Web Resources Evaluation The website, Americans for the Arts (www.americansforthearts.org) is an interactive resource website that specifically dedicated to promoting, sustaining, and supporting all art education within the United States. The main intended audience of this website is educators, professors, students, and individuals interested in supporting the arts within their communities. The website includes the local, state, and advocacy for art education to precisely portray their purpose to their audience. The research for supporting the arts is included along with forums to connect to resources and alliances within communities across the nation. The website seems to be full of valuable information and ways to connect with others within your community to share and explore ways to support the arts. The content of the website is specific and to the point. The mission of the organization is easily found and the creators of the organization can be contacted directly through email. They have a newsletter section along with blogs that keeps the viewer up to date and able to comment and discuss topics online. Their research studies and publications are all uploaded to the website showing that they have dedicated research to proving the importance of the arts. There is a lot of content within this website which is almost overwhelming though when first visiting the site. It would take a lot of time to explore the entirety of this website. The design of the website is modern and nicely organized. The drop down menus allow for the design elements of the website to be consistent throughout the entire website. Important links to different parts of the website are shown in bold blocks that are in yellow and red, demanding attention. The images shown are usually of individuals allowing you to visualize the author and or the subject from a lecture that is summarized. Ways to connect to the website is shown through soci

Overview: This website is fun and informational providing many items on common questions and articles. There is an updated homepage with photos articles polls, quizzes, and videos. This site aims to explain everything from DNA coding to car transmission problems in simple articles and videos. This site's intended audience is for adults due to the article and links provided. Content: This website provides up to date headings and topics on anything and everything you may want to know. It has tabs for adventure, animals, auto, communication, computer, electronics, entertainment, food, geography, health, history, home and garden, money, people, and science. When you access the site is easy to determine the content and intended audience. There is available information and the authors and researches for the different articles. The information is always constantly being updated and revised so nothing is out of date. The links also are easy to use and work properly. The information and content presented is not biased. All the articles also are valid and have an intended purpose to entertain or inform. Design: The design of howstuffworks.com is easy to use, organized and attractive. The homepage provides many interesting headings, photos, and videos. It is easy to read and very understandable and accessible. The website downloads efficiently and the site is appealing and grabs tor attention. The sites also provide copyright informational the provider is clearly identified. The links are clear and helpful and all the information including the photos videos and articles serve a clear purpose to the site.

Overview The first website that I evaluated was howstuffworks.com. This is an educational website aimed at all age groups that can answer questions about how many different things work. The website offers a variety of different resources. An example of the resources would be how the site teaches skills that everyone should have on topics such as money. Overall, I thought this website was great. It's easy to navigate, and offers many different types of educational materials. Content Not only is this website educational, but it is fun as well. You can come to the website to find out something serious, but you can also come to find out something that's entertaining and fun. The content of the website is easy to understand for any age. Things are explained simply so that you can actually learn at your own pace. It's also easy to find out about the website by clicking on the "about us" link at the bottom of the page. There you can find who sponsors the site and where the content comes from. Design The website is very easy to navigate through. As soon as you get to the homepage you are faced with many different tabs and also a search bar so you can find exactly what you are looking for. In addition to the tabs, there are resources such as videos and blogs that you can get access to through the site.

Overview: This websites main focus is to breakdown simple mechanics of almost anything from how a toaster works to economic policies of the year 2011. This is a source to explore the world around us and understand the things that we encounter and use daily, as well as providing a guide for users ion new endeavors into of learning. Concept: The classification of materials found within this writing is more vast than an encyclopedia. It includes multi-media and interaction presentations to gain the attention of the reader and create a better understanding. The material can become more complex and technical, but can be a resource for any researcher. I would recommend for teachers seeking to better explain concepts or to satisfy the curiosity of a learner. Design: Clean, simple, and precise. This website has a rather challenging searching process, but a pursuing researcher can use the search tool to peruses topics that coincides. The clean layout of the material and explanations make the learning process something to be a part of. As well as a social network application installed to share the knowledge of "how stuff works".

Sean Wilde January 2011 kids.yahoo.com Content At first look you defiantly can see this site if for kids, and that it is for entertainment. But as you explore the site you also learn that it is educational, and also can help the authors(which seems to be merely a company) make money. There seems to be many sponsors since it appears that multiple companies pop up at different and the same pages of the site. There is no readily available revision date, they must update frequently seeing as how well the site is ran. The desired affect is achieved in this site because even as an adult I found myself thoroughly entertained searching this site, with games and educational items throughout the site. All links and graphics worked and were smooth. Design For the amount of information that is on the homepage it loads very quickly. And with all the moving features and things that are jumping around it is attractive and really grabs your attention. You always know where you are in the site as links show you are switching and they correlate with the website. Its easy to move around and get to twhere youwant to go. The graphics and extra tidbits that are put on that come from different companies all coexist very well. Really the only downfall for this site would be, that it is very hard to get in contact with someone from the website that runs it where it isn't just a quick response email. Overview This site is a good everything a kid needs site. It has games and videos from kids shows and games that correlate to thos shows as well. It has research information for kids to learn educationally. This site is just very well rounded for kids that could really search for anything they want or need. That includes entertainment and educational.

Murphy Muirhead9-8-2011 OVERVIEW:  This Yahoo! Kids site is a great site for children to explore learning games, music jokes etc. and its all kid friendly! The intended audience of this site is kids age six through thirteen. Through this website kids have a variety of resources that are educational, fun and introduce them to great things to do on the internet, such as e-cards.   CONTENT: The content of this site is great for kids. It provides many educational learning opportunities for them. However, the author of this site, and the last revised date is not apparent.  DESIGN: The design of this site is very eye-catching and grabs the attention of the users. It is very organized and easy to use. In a way, all the content on the homepage could get a little overwhelming but for users who are familiar with the internet, this site should be easy for them to navigate through. 

AAA Math is a site used for learning, practicing, playing and exploring.

Meghan Snell September 11, 2011 Overview: AAA Math is a very useful site for the learning of children. It's goal is to help children learn any subject in math, give tools to practice with, a few games to play based on the desired subject and some exploring available afterwards. It is definitely a learning based site instead of a site based on playing game after game. Information about the site authors is difficult to find but a section about the site itself and its purposes is easy to find. Every kind of math subject you can think of is given in a table of contents on the side and a header at the top gives options to link to any grade from K-8th. Content: As stated above, the authors and sponsor were not easy to find which is a valuable part of the site itself. Although there is that one little problem, the content of the site is very nice for the use of children. I like how it is organized into different subjects as well as grade levels and then does each in order through steps of learn, practice, play, and then explore. The site serves the purpose intended but another faulty is that no information about revisions is available. Design: There is not a lot of design to the website. The home page contains no graphics and just gives information about the site itself. This could make it hard for the website to be appealing to children. Parents and teachers would be able to look past and see the value of the site but children often look of graphics and fun. Everything is clearly labeled and organized though which makes it very nice to navigate.

This website is for K-8 grade level. It is interactive math lessons. You can pick what grade and what subject you want to practice. It is a drill and practice type of website. When you go to a subject it shows you how to work out the problem then allows you to practice. I think this is a good website to allow children to practice when you first introduce a new topic.

Brienna Gregor 10/11/12 Overview: This website is very useful for students, teachers, and other educators that want to learn more about volcanoes. This website is meant to stimulate the mind through comic book graphics that simplifies the learning objectives as indicated in earth sciences. Available resources include: plate tectonics, volcanoes, volcanic database, games, comics, teach, top sites, and more. This website is great for students and teachers in that it is exciting and easy to go through while serving as a helpful tool concerning lesson plans. This site would work best for students from late elementary to high school levels (5-12). In my opinion, the content and design of this website is well done. Content: At first look, this website looks to be professionally done. The content of this website appears to be current and correct however, the designers are apart of a ThinkQuest team called, "Team 17457". These teenagers did a very good job however; it may not be the most reliable source due to their age, inexperience, and living situations (all three are from different continents). Despite this, this website's information quality is very well done. Design: The design of this website is very well done in that it is very fast, it is easy to navigate, has many different sources of media, and the presentation of the content contributes to the website's purpose. Its design draws you in and makes you want to explore and learn the information provided.

Kerensa Aris 10/12/12 North Carolina and the Civil War The purpose of this site is Civil War education. The intended audience is students, teachers, parents, etc. It is appropriate and educational for any age level. Resources available on the site include links to external sites, pictures from the museum, and interactive media such as videos and virtual tours. My overall impression is that this is a very high quality site maintained by reliable sources and very well designed.  The website was very well designed and easy to use. All pages load quickly and are compatible with multiple browsers. The homepage is attractive and you can tell where you are immediately as well as the site sponsor and the index is readily available. Navigation is very easy, links work properly, and directions are provided for virtual tours. The site contains vast amounts of information that is easy to find and revised often. However material is not added often as the entire site is about the Civil War.  Based on content, the site is very useful for information needs. The content and intended audiences are quickly and easily determined. Authors of the material are clearly defined and information about the authors and sponsors as well as contact information are provided. The purpose of the site is clear, content is complete and well organized, and information is accurate and sufficient for user purposes. Interactivity is provided through various media. Information is reliable and educational. 

Overview: This a site that provides a variety of free kids books online. It is intended for all early grade school students. The site has books from a variety of genres to download in pdf form. The design and content are both exception and this site would be great in the classroom. Content: Users can tell that the site is for reading kid's books and it is appropriate for a grade school audience. No authors are identified on the site, but it site blog identifies contributors and authors. There is no link for contact on the site, but the blog has communication capabilities. Last updated information is available at the blog of the site. All links are functional. In addition, it is easy to navigate. Content is complete, organized, easy to understand, and free of bias. The site is interactive in that kids pick what to read and do so. I explored several free book sites and this one is the cleanest with the most variety. The site does have links to other books, and how to purchase them, which serve its purpose well. Design: The homepage is visually attractive and downloads quickly. Navigation is simple and content is well defined. The site sponsor information is not available except at the blog, which provides a great deal of information. The site is easy to navigate, but does not include an index. All links are active. Some multimedia is used to make the site appealing. The website is available on a variety of browsers, including Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. The content of the site is extensive and fun for readers. The content is organized, easy to use, and design is consistent throughout the site. No books are outdated and new books are added regularly.

Oct. 7th 2012 Overview: The purpose of this site is to engage young children, while teaching them about opposites. This site achieves this through use of educational games. Based on content and design it is obvious this site is intended for children. Although the site is designed for children, there are many different resources available for parents as well. This site includes games, videos, and pictures appealing to children. Content: As mentioned earlier this site is intended to entertain children while having them learn opposites. Although through further exploration of the site there are many other topics discussed. All of the material provided on this site is educational but also entertaining. Design: The website is very appealing at first glance. A fun graphic spans the top, but upon further exploring it is evident that that is the only picture on the home page, leaving a blank white screen with words. The categories are all written in the same bland font and color. Each category is geared towards Pre-K students, and is very age appropriate.

Overview: This is a free site that allows users to create and publish their own stories after creating an account. It is intended for all writers, but has specific features for educators and students. Users do not need an email account and there is no minimum age requirement. The site has templates, artwork, and programming for book creation as well as teacher administrative capabilities. This site has excellent design and content and is perfect for the classroom. Content: Users can quickly tell that the site is for publishing stories and that it is appropriate for all audiences. No authors are identified, but it is clear that storybird is a corporation with many contributors and the content they generate indicates that they are qualified. There is a "contact us" link in the help section and there is an "about" section as well. Last updated information is available on all stories, but not on general site content. All links function. In addition, it is easy to navigate and there is a how to video. Content is complete, organized, easy to understand, and free of bias. The site is almost entirely interactive as it is based on creation. I explored several eBook tools and this one is the best one for teachers. The site does not have any external links, but all content serves its purpose. Design: The homepage is visually attractive and downloads quickly. Navigation is simple and content is clear. There are many resources to help first time users navigate and use the software. The site sponsor information is available at the blog and at the help section. There is a link to email for assistance. The site is easy to navigate, includes an index at the bottom of the page, and all links are active. Excellent multimedia is used to make the site look good. The website is available on a variety of browsers, including Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. The content of the site is excellent for the classroom. The content is organized, easy to use, and design is consi

American Chemical Society Overview: The website is for all chemists, including members of the American Chemical Society, chemistry teachers, and students as there is chemistry information as well. There is also a 'new and research' scrolling bar that includes scientific news other than chemistry, as well as 'molecule of the week.'  Content: The site's purpose is not clearly defined at first besides that is is chemistry related. A little bit of digging is needed to find what a user is truly looking for, whether it is information on chemistry, chemistry careers, or the section for members of the American Chemical Society. The author and copyright date are easy to find. The education tab is very useful, providing links to science experiments for kids, programs for undergraduate and graduate students, workshops, and funding and awards for chemistry students. There is also funding for researchers and applications for having information published.  Design: The website's design is good, but has some holes. For one, the website does not load effectively in Internet Explorer, and the homepage does not load efficiently. The homepage has strong eye appeal, however it has a lot of information in a small space, and makes it hard to find or even determine what a user is looking for. The homepage's visual appeal and interesting sections such as 'molecule of the week,' 'cool science,' and 'everyday chemistry' make the site eye-catching and cause the user to stay and take a look around. 

This is a really good webpage to teach elementary age kids measurement. It breaks measurement down into different types of measurement. They all have different interactive games to help practice measurement. There are also different subjects other than measurement. They all have interactive games with them. I liked the games that came with the subjects. I think this would be a fun way to teach students subjects like measurement.

This website offers lots of great games to help teach students measurement. There are all different types of measurements too that kids can practice or learn how to perform for the first time! Time, money, length, weight and temperature are just a few of the ways that students are able to practice measurement on this site. It is also very easy to navigate. One of the games that I clicked on during my exploration took me to a dead end site but I didn't have issues with any of the other ones. I would recommend reviewing all of the games and links before you direct your students to the website!

Explore the world by reading facts, looking at pictures and watching videos of countries.