Group items tagged

Michelle Hill February 24, 2012 Overview: The purpose of this website is to serve as a resource for instruction for teachers. Therefore, the intended audience is teachers of elementary aged students. Avaliable on this website are kindergarten through 1st grade lesson plans involving all subjects, such as math, science, language arts, and more. Also included on this website are lesson plan fillers, integrated projects, graphic organizers, and classroom management tools. My overall impression of the website was that the content was very useful and the site itself was well organized. Content: The content of the website was rated as very useful for my information needs based on the fact that the total number of "yes" answers outnumbered the "no" answers. The first look at the website was good; I was able to determine the intended audience as well as the basic content on the site right away. The strengths of the website include the information providers, information quality, and further resources. Everything in these sections were included and to my belief of great quality. However, the weaknesses of this website were that the latest revision date was not provided and that the latest revision date is appropriate to the material. Another weakness was that the site did not probice interactivity that would increase its value. Overall, the content was good. Design: The design of the website was rated as very well designed and easy to use based on the fact that the total number of "yes" answers outnumbered the "no" answers. First, the homepage of the website downloaded in a speedy manner and efficiently. Strengths of the home page included the clearness of the page, the contents in the site, and more. However a weakness was that the site did not have a very strong eye appeal. The navigation was also a strength of the website, it was easy and clear as to how to move around the site and directions were not needed. Other strengths of the design were

Michelle Hill February 24, 2012 Overview: The purpose of this website is to serve as a resource for furthering education and academics at the elementary school age. Therefore, the intended audience is teachers, students, and even parents. Available resources include games, pintables, apps, and videos for the subjects such as math, English, history and more. These resources are for ages Pre-K to 6th grade, and vary depending on the subject being learned. Overall, my impression of the website was that it was a great website that can aid me throughout my teaching career and will definitely be used in the future. Content: The content of the website was rated as very useful for my information needs based on the fact that the total number of "yes" answers outnumbered the "no" answers. Some strengths of the website included first look, the information providers, information quality, and further information. More strengths include that the site clearly stated the audience and basic contents of the site, information on the authors, the content was complete, information was consistent, and there were other links to other sites included. Some weaknesses of the site included that the information currency was either not provided or not applicable. The latest revision date was not provided, therefore I could not determine if the date was appropriate, so both of these were considered not applicable. Also, I had no way of telling if the content is updated frequently. Overall, the website provided a lot of content that will be useful. Design: The design of the website was rated as very well designed and easy to use based on the fact that the total number of "yes" answers outnumbered the "no" answers. Some strengths of the website design included the speed, home page, ease of navigation, use of multimedia, browser compatibility, content presentation, and availability of further information. It was all very well organized, the contents were clear, every

Michelle Hill February 24, 2012 Overview: The purpose of this website is to serve as a resource for instruction for 1st grade internet activities. Therefore, the intended audience is teachers 1st graders and 1st grade teachers. Available on this website are English activities online involving skills such as story listening, letter recognition, literacy activities sight words, and sentence structure and grammar. Also included are Math activities such as number recognition, patterns/shapes, counting, adding/subtracting and much more! There is also unit themes available for teachers of all kinds. Content: The content of the website was rated as very useful for my information needs based on the fact that the total number of "yes" answers outnumbered the "no" answers. Some strengths of this website include the first look, how it was easy to determine the basic content of the site, the information quality, and the further information. The content of the site was well organized and easy to understand. Some weaknesses of this website are that information of the authors is not available, therefore I do not know if the authors are qualified to present information on the topic. Other weaknesses include that the content was not updated frequently, the last time being August 2007 and the fact that one link to another site was not working properly. Overall, there was an abundance of good content that will prove to be useful in 1st grade classrooms. Design: The design of the website was rated as very well designed and easy to use based on the fact that the total number of "yes" answers outnumbered the "no" answers. First, the homepage downloaded efficiently and the website was speedy, which was a good start to the design. Some strengths of the website include that it was well organized, the copyright date was easy to determine, the site is easy to move around, and the content was presented clearly. Some weaknesses include that there were no directions

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

Natasha Tuft Web Site Review September 20, 2009 www.teachertools.org The purpose of this site seems to be to provide teachers with resources for the classroom. But because the site has not been updated for a long time I only could assume this after looking at the site's name and clicking through links for a while. There are links to areas of interest from decorating bulletin boards to language arts lesson plans to classroom discipline. I liked the creative classroom ideas on this site but it was difficult to navigate and did not seem like the most professional site that I've seen put together. CONTENT Especially at "first look", the purpose of the web site is unclear. I assumed that the audience is teachers because of the very obvious URL "teacher tools.org". The home page simply has a notice that the site is undergoing revision. That post was made in 2002! I could not find the information providers on the homepage or on other pages I navigated. I was able to find, however, many interesting and useful links to other more organized web pages. Even these, though, had confusing and sometimes unorganized labels. I should mention that a few of the first links I clicked on were incomplete links and got me nowhere. The strength in content for this site is simply its links and not its own content. Had I not been doing this assignment for class, however, I would probably have gone back to my search engine to find a more useful site. DESIGN The web site downloads efficiently but when it loaded I was really unsure if I was at the homepage or if I landed on something else. The homepage is not appealing. The only eye-catching thing is the teachertools.org icon and there is no way of contacting sponsor easily. Links on the side of the page were useful for looking in specific categories but a few of the links that I tried were incomplete or "under construction". I don't see it having any difficulties with browser compatibility but the content presentation co

Natasha Tuft Web Site Review September 20, 2009 www.teachertools.org The purpose of this site seems to be to provide teachers with resources for the classroom. But because the site has not been updated for a long time I only could assume this after looking at the site's name and clicking through links for a while. There are links to areas of interest from decorating bulletin boards to language arts lesson plans to classroom discipline. I liked the creative classroom ideas on this site but it was difficult to navigate and did not seem like the most professional site that I've seen put together. CONTENT Especially at "first look", the purpose of the web site is unclear. I assumed that the audience is teachers because of the very obvious URL "teacher tools.org". The home page simply has a notice that the site is undergoing revision. That post was made in 2002! I could not find the information providers on the homepage or on other pages I navigated. I was able to find, however, many interesting and useful links to other more organized web pages. Even these, though, had confusing and sometimes unorganized labels. I should mention that a few of the first links I clicked on were incomplete links and got me nowhere. The strength in content for this site is simply its links and not its own content. Had I not been doing this assignment for class, however, I would probably have gone back to my search engine to find a more useful site. DESIGN The web site downloads efficiently but when it loaded I was really unsure if I was at the homepage or if I landed on something else. The homepage is not appealing. The only eye-catching thing is the teachertools.org icon and there is no way of contacting sponsor easily. Links on the side of the page were useful for looking in specific categories but a few of the links that I tried were incomplete or "under construction". I don't see it having any difficulties with browser compatibility but the content presentation co

Daniel Goe Web Site Review September 20, 2009 http://mtnathlete.com/ The Website Mountain Athlete goes over workout plans and techniques for the outdoor athlete. There are links for rehabbing an injury, exercises, store, and photo gallery. Content: The main objective of this website is to help people who don't know a lot about how to workout and what to do to workout properly. The kind of working out that is seen on this site is for fit people who are ready to be challenged mentally as well as physically. The objective is to lift weights while keeping your heart rate above 150. It's conditioning as well as strength. Design: The home page has an updated you tube video of people inside the gym working out. It shows how drastic the workouts are and the toll it can take on your body. Everyone in this gym is motivated and pushes one another to do their best and finish no matter how tired a person is. Attribution: I like the website because it is very simple and to the point. On the left are links to everything you need to know about what is going on in Mountain Athlete. The design is simple just like the workouts performed but overall the website gets the job done just like the athletes on this site get it done in the gym. No matter how it looks in the end the final project is amazing.

Derek Peil 10/7/2012 Overview The informational website tculibrary is designed to set forth a substantial amount of resources for an audience of communication students. Many of these resources are internal and are intended to instruct students on the arts of creating an effective public speech. The external resources guide students to rich websites full of vast databases on rhetoric. With high marks on the evaluation guide, I recommend this site to educators as a source of information on topics related to communication. Content Credible information is strongly used throughout the website, and is indicated via highly organized titles. All of the links load quickly, and are up-to-date. The last revision of the site was on August 27th, 2012, indicating its accuracy and relevance for modern educational settings. Contained within the site are many links to library databases. The website provides lucid instructions on navigating through these databases, making the process of acquiring research extremely hassle free. A single weakness, or rather an inconvenience, is seemingly all the error to be found within this website. When following the link to Opposing Viewpoints, the audience is required to login using Texas Christian University credentials. This limits the usage of this site to TCU audiences only. In light of the overpowering strengths of this site, a small confinement of audience such as this is more than acceptable. Design This website appeals to a modern audience with its clean colors and organized display of information. Copyright and authorship claims are easy to spot at the top and bottom of the sites. Along the top of the homepage, a list of tabs provides simple traversing to and from links. Also, the website is full of external sources that carry the same standard of credibility as the home site. Although the website contains some graphics, it may lack the number to create a completely attractive website. Nonetheless, the pictures the site do

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

World War II in Europe: The purpose of this site is to give a general overview of the events that happened in Europe during World War II. It gives specific dates of the events that happened such as the Invasion of Poland. The attended audience of this website is 10th grade Modern American History students. The available resources on this website are good, reliable sources that give information about this topic but also about other countries in World War II. My overall impression of this website was that it would be a good website to use for a project that involves World War 2 in Europe because it can give the dates of events and a little information about it. Overview: This article is about World War II in Europe and the dates of the events in Europe. The strengths of this website are that the dates are accurate and that they do a good job of listing all of the dates in the corresponding year and that it doesn't just give the important dates. The weaknesses of this website are that they do not give a description of the events. Content: The content was strong because the dates were accurate and because the list of events had both major and not as major events. The content was weak because it did not have a clear author, had little information about the event, and did not discuss the role of the event. Design: The design was strong because it was easy to navigate around the site; it was well organized and knew where you were at all times on the site. It was weak because it did not have a lot of pictures and they could have done a better job of drawing the readers in.

Overview Report: This website is the official website for the Cross-Fit community here in Laramie, Wyoming. This website talks about where the gym is located, what specific workouts are each day, the trainers, food and nutrition facts, and tips for improving their strength and stability during their Cross Fit experience. Content Summary: I was quickly able to determine that this website was dedicated to the fitness needs of the people in Laramie. Cross Fit is a type of fitness, and I could easily tell that it was dedicated both to the community of Laramie, and to the students of the University of Wyoming. After looking around, I could identify that there was more than one author of this particular website. There was a specific tab that informed people on the trainers, and their experience with Cross Fit. Each coach had a profile that was updated and recent. The sponsors of the site were listed on the right of the website, and they were clearly identified. There were posted links to other websites for further education, and they all worked properly. The purpose of this site is for a business. The content of this website achieves this purpose, and it seems to be complete and well organized. The content of this site is easy to understand and is explained very thoroughly. This website provides clear and knowledgeable content with further resources to help solidify their facts. Design Summary: The homepage did download efficiently and was very attractive to the eye. There were many links, pictures and descriptions available. There were tabs of different information to click on in order to narrow down your search. The sponsor was clearly identified and specific information for contacting the sponsor was provided. This website was easy to navigate, and there were directions for specific parts of the site that would need further instruction.

Share My Lesson is a resource for teachers to share their lessons with other teachers, and find new ideas for lesson plans.. The page that I was particularly interested in was the high school biology teaching resources page. The intended audience for this page is biology teachers This page has a lot of different links to many different topics, and I think that it would be a great resource for a biology teacher looking for inspiration for lesson plans. The content of the site is reiterated many times, so it is very easy to determine the basic content. I wasn't really able to see who actually edits the site, but the authors of all of the lesson plans are various teachers who are members of this site. This could be a problem because I don't think there is anything requiring members to show that they are actually teachers. However, I think if a user is careful, this website would be a really excellent resource for writing lesson plans and finding worksheets etc.  The design of Share My Lesson is really well done. I think that the website looks very professional, has strong eye appeal, and it's very easy to navigate. All of the links work, and there are a lot of videos and pictures embedded into the site. The design of the site was a real strength.

On math playground there are a variety of different math ideas and concept that students can practice through online math games. This website includes games for students from kindergarten through seventh grade as well as topics like algebra, geometry, and precalculus. The website is designed very well and looks welcoming when you log on. There are pictures of some of the different games offered by the site that look fun and can draw attention to students using the site. One strength from the website is that it covers a vast majority of mathematical skills that are taught and practiced throughout elementary school. Although a weakness this site has is that they group different mathematical ideas together by grade, when even though we like to think that every fourth grader across the country are learning the same concepts, the likelihood of that being true is very low.

John Ripley 9/13 Overview: This is a site produced by the Federal Reserve to promote financial literacy. It is aimed at providing information and activities to all age groups from kindergarten to adult. There are only two games/activities for the K-4 level and I didn't think that either one was especially good. There are several more games for kids at older age levels that are a little better. I still can't imagine kids getting excited about playing any of the games that I looked at though. The games/activities are only a small part of the site and I think that the real strength of the site lies in the information that it provides for a high school age audience that might be exposed to the information through a teacher in a classroom that could help interpret it. The educational value is more as an aid to a teacher in planning a lesson or relaying a concept rather than assigning the

On math blasters there are similar characteristics as math playground. Although on math blasters the games are geared more towards beat the clock and racing games. Math blasters has organized the games into different grade levels. Math blasters also gives different resources that help to incorporate math games into a child's everyday life. The website also has the resources that provide teachers with fun interesting ways to teach math and get children more involved. A strength this website has it that is it very organized and looks like a lot of fun when you first log on. Although after trying to use the website it is hard to navigate through different tabs to find the games for students or resources for teachers. Although at the bottom of every page in the website their is a navigation bar that has everything organized by games, resource,worksheets, and lesson plans.

This website gives facts, maps, and other details about all of the battles during the US Civil War.

Jessica Lee 10/21/2013 Overview: Simply put, the purpose of this site is to offer students answers to their math problems. This site is designed for middle school through high school students and lower level college classes. This is a decent site if answers to basic number problems are all you are looking for; otherwise, there are better websites to use. However, if you are willing to purchase the monthly subscription, it also provides the steps it took to answer the problem. A nice but unnoticed feature this website has to offer is a link to their YouTube page that lists many videos on how to better input their question to receive the answer you are trying to get. Content: The content of this website is very straightforward - whatever you input, it will output an answer. They offer a variety of answers to a single question but fail to tell you how to solve it (unless you are a paying member). Therefore, it is mainly used as a way to either cheat or check answers. In addition to the problem-solving component, they also have worksheets you can create and a glossary of mathematical terms. Design: Although the content is limited, the layout is very professional and easy to navigate - a first-time user would know what to do to be able to utilize the website. Its simplicity is its strength, allowing it to not need any provided instruction. In addition, everything is easy to locate and information is easy to find.

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".

Colter Huhn 1-24-10 The purpose of this site is to be a resource for science, specifically biology, teachers. The site contains quizzes, worksheets, lessons, labs, and information on biology. The intended audience is science teachers across the country. My overall impression is fairly strong with this website. The content is great and could be very helpful for a biology teacher. The design is simple, but well put together and easy to navigate. As far as content goes, there are many strengths, and definitely some weaknesses. Upon first look the basic content and intended audience is clearly stated in the opening paragraph on the home page. Also, the information quality is excellent. It's well organized, easy to understand, seemingly accurate, and most importantly does a flawless job of fulfilling the sites purpose in helping science teachers. The major flaw I did find was the information providers and currency. There were no authors or references sited anywhere. Given, most of the links were to worksheets, labs, etc. but an author or creator should be listed somewhere. The only way of finding out who the author of the site is, was to email him/her. Now to the web design itself which was nearly perfect. The site was fast and usable on at least Firefox and Internet Explorer. The homepage was attractive and well organized. The site itself was very easy to navigate with directions in the opening paragraph. There were clear categories to content and helpful links for further information. Finally the content presentation itself was perfect. It's easy to use, organized, same format throughout, and sufficient information. The flaws seem to be there was no date of last revision, and a copyright and site sponsor were nowhere to be found.

Good resource for lesson plans, labs, worksheets, quizzes, etc.. for Biology and Science teachers.

Justin Sanchez Reviewed 10-21-13 www.biologycorner.com Purpose: The purpose of this website is to provide biology related teaching material. There are quizzes, worksheets, and other teaching material tools. Intended audience: The intended audience is teachers who are looking for education material. Available resources: There are many links to other education material websites. Overview: This is a really good website for teachers. There is a ton of different educational material. This website is also creative commons. The website seems to be well maintained and easy to download. Moving from link to link is very fast and easy. Content: All of the content seems to high school biology related. The content is mostly targeted towards teachers through education material. Design: The website downloads fast. The site is not too busy. The site seems to be well maintained, there is not broken links or under construction pages. All of the links are obvious as to where they will take you.

Taylor Pilch 09/09/2011 Overview: The purpose of this site is to provide parents a great resource for fun ideas for their kids. Some of the available resources are online games, ideas for recipes and activities at home relating to characters on nickjr., and videos. My overall impression of this site is really good; it looks fun and it is full of fun things to do! Content: Some of the strengths of the content of this website are that it is easy to find out what this website is about, and it is easy to navigate. The information is current and the information quality is good- the links work and it seems to be a reliable website. The content is organized and it is clear that this website is for parents (although they can set up games for their children to play online). The only weakness regarding content is I could not find an author of the site. Design: The design of this website is excellent; everything is working properly and it is attractive. It is easy to find where to go based on what you want to do. The use of multimedia is good and kids would really like all the videos and pictures it contains. It seems to work with both internet explorer and firefox browsers. The website is current and I found no weaknesses with the design.

Overview: This is a free website that is based on a television channel for preschool aged kids. It has games and activities for kids and recipes, videos, and tips for parents. Content: The homepage of the site has a toolbar and a sub-toolbar. The main toolbar gives users the option of looking at the family/parent content, the kid content, or a list of all of the network's TV shows. For parents, the site offers parenting tips, printable activities parents can do with their kids, recipes, and articles about family life. Kids can play games, watch videos, and do activities (like drawing). Design: This website is bright and very stimulating. It is easy to navigate. I like how when you click on the kids tab, it opens a whole new window that only includes the things kids would be interested in. It doesn't take anymore than 3 clicks to get to anything you want on the site. I think it is well designed.

Taylor Pilch 09/09/2011

Taylor Pilch 09/09/2011 Overview: The purpose of this site is to give teacher resources such as lesson plans for special education from early childhood all the way to grade 12. The intended audience is for special education teachers. There are many resources such as discussion forums, teaching themes, and things to print out for students. Overall, my impression of the site was good and I think it could be useful to teachers. Content: This website had a lot of strengths for the content of it. It was simple to navigate and to see what was available. It also had the information providers listed at the bottom of the website. The information quality was also very good. As for weaknesses, I found a link that did not work, and I could not find the date of the last revision of the website. Design: The design of this website was pretty good overall. It was not very attractive, but it was pretty easy to navigate. You could choose which grade level you wanted to read about and go right to it. As for the weaknesses, I am not sure how up-to-date this website is because I could not find the date of last revision, and I also found a link that did not work.