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Jaymie Sheehan ITEC 2360-04 9/2/2010 OVERVIEW For my this review I visited Vocabulary Games, http://www.vocabulary.co.il . The site's intended audience is students from Kindergarten to 12th grade who want to improve their vocabulary. The intended purpose of the site is to provide these students with a fun and exciting way to improve vocabulary. The site has various resources depending on grade level. High school students can practice SAT words while Kindergarten kids can begin to understand reading and phonics. I felt that this site is valuable to students, teachers and parents. Often the hardest part of getting a child to be proficient in reading and writing is generating interest and this site does just that! The simple layout makes navigation quick and easy. This is a site I would use in the classroom and at home with children of all levels.

Rebekah Asay January 23, 2011 Overview: This website offers a lot of free information on English vocabulary. There are games for each age level, vocabulary reading resources, and links to vocabulary around the world. Content: There is a lot of information on vocabulary, analogies, compound words, parts of speech, spelling, contractions, foreign languages, synonyms, and prefixes to name a few. There are a lot of additional resources for viewers who want to expand their search. Design: The design is a little weak. It is hard to navigate the website and it a little disorganized. There are a lot of adds surrounding the content that distract the eye.

Overview: This site can be used by junior high and high school English students to help understand many texts that they will be required to read at some point in their academic career. It contains many games for various novels; the games are appropriate for older students, which is hard to come by. The appearance of the site is a little confusing because it appears to be geared for younger students but the content is that of older students. The games are helpful and applicable to class. Content: This website is mostly useful for junior high and early high school students. It offers interactive help for texts that are commonly read at those ages. Each book that is represented on the site has several games the user can try relating to different topics, such as vocabulary, content, and setting. The website also has information that is beneficial for upper high school students. It offers a variety of different interactive games to help with studying vocabulary for the SAT, or any other standardized test they will need to take. The information on the site is accurate and helpful for the audience. Design: The design of this website does not match well with its' intended audience. The content of this website is for junior high and high school students, but the design seems oriented for a much younger audience. The graphics are not beneficial to the site and may make the site lose some users because they think it is too young for them. However, the site is very easy to maneuver. Each different topic has a headline with a brief description of what the user can expect if they choose that link.

Paige Hanewald 10/21/13 Overall: The purpose of this site is to expand the vocabulary for all ages between middle school students and adults. This site contains not only an accurate dictionary, but competitive and interactive assessments of vocabulary knowledge, specific vocabulary lists, and interesting blogs that pertain to the use of strange words, their origins, and other relating topics. Overall, I think this site could potentially be useful to anyone who wants to expand their vocabulary knowledge, especially students. Content: The content has several organized features that offer what I had mentioned before: dictionary definitions, vocabulary lists and blogs that are updated frequently, and "quizzes". The website adapts the words according to your increasing level of vocabulary proficiency so you are always challenged. Contributors of the blogs are employees of Thinkmap, the sponsor of the website, and usually include a short biography expressing their qualifications to the site. Design: The design of the website makes it easy to navigate. There are tabs for every feature, including contact information. The links to other pages are helpful and engaging and have no issues.

Vocabulary games for all grades. There is a special section for high school students.

Overview When first opened this site is colorful and bright. It has a lot of links and information. All grade levels from kindergarten to 12th grade are represented on this site. It's a huge website with many different things for enhancing learning. It's a great way to build vocabulary skills with appropriate leveled games for each grade. I focused on the high school games which were very challenging and very useful. This could easily be utilized in a classroom setting for teachers who want to expand their student's vocabulary in a fun and effective way. Content Every grade level is represented which is great because finding effect high school interactive games online is challenging. Each grade level has a variety of different types of games like synonym games, spelling games, and context and definition games for example. They also have games that focus on the SAT's but there is nothing for the ACT's. There is also a section on vocabulary learning resources. There are many useful links within this section that both teachers and students could utilize. For those learning a second language they could use this site to see the vocabulary of the world. The down fall of that part is it is entirely in the language you chose. Design The design is very bright and lively. It is extremely easy to use. You just have to pick the subject you desire and the games that are available show up and they are categorized for easy use. You can find exactly what you are looking for and if you can't find it then it is probably not available on this site. The design may seem a little childish for high school students but the games are effective. The games also provide detailed instructions on how the game is to be played.

Mark Hyde www.quizlet.com Overview: This site is for students to study on using on line flash cards that they can make or use some that is already on the site. It can be used for any subject and any age of student preparing for a test. Once you get sick of flashcards you can also put them words and phrases into game settings to have a little more enjoyable time studying. Content: The site has various styles of study guides based on flash card studying. A student can do anything from study math to bodyparts in already save flashcards. If wanting to study their own words they can create flashcards of their own. It also has different kind of activities to do including testing mode and game mode which allows you to find out where you are. Design: Simple design that is easy to use. It is not much of an attention getter, but students can see what they need to do and is straightforward on how to use it. The only problem that may occur is some of the flashcards that are saved on there may have wrong information.

Quizlet is an online vocabulary tool designed to simplify vocabulary learning thru flashcards. It allows users to create and share flashcard sets with anyone on the web via facebook and twitter. Due to its simplicity and multidisciplinary capabilities, I definitely believe this site has a legitimate place in educational settings.

Megan Switzer September 11, 2011 Overview: The website Activities for ESL students is one that focuses mainly on the speaking aspect of English. In this sense students are able to quiz themselves on their knowledge of English vocabulary, grammar as well as complete activities such as cross word puzzles that works on these concepts as well. The targeted audience for this website is clearly ESL students although there is a little bit on there that is meant for teachers as well. External links are provided in which students may find other beneficial information, as well as videos/ podcasts that aide in their English learning as well. Overall this website focuses on the mastering of the English language and provides students with the tools to work on their grammar and vocabulary in a multitude of ways. Content: The content of this website is simple and easy to understand. It is well organized and the main ideas remain constant throughout. The links that it provides for resources are relevant and easily accessible. Overall there is one main focus and the website does a great job of remaining constant in it while still providing a variety of ways in which to learn the material. The information providers were not clear for this website, but the information was consistent and similar throughout as well as up to date. I was quite impressed with the material it provides for the students as well as videos in which they feel the children may be able to most relate. Design: The overall design of this website is straight to the point and easy to use. All links and graphics worked and seemed to be up to date. The information was relevant and worthwhile visiting. The audience it was intended for can effectively as well as efficiently use it based on the way in which it is organized. Information such as the currency and author were more confusing to navigate, but the links for helpful resources are truly beneficial. Overall the design of this website is one that is sim

Overview: This website's purpose is to provide practical life vocabulary skill lessons for English as Second Language learners. Teachers create and submit quizzes using every day English Language and students complete the quizzes using their English knowledge skills. When an answer is wrong the site tells you and shows the student what is right and why. There were also instructional videos and other games. Content: This website had an abundance of tests that English as Second Language learners could take to better their classroom English skills. There were also 49 different language options to take a quiz in both the learner's first language and English. The main quizzes were divided into grammar, vocab, and crossword categories and grade level and difficulty level could easily be chosen at the top. There was also a for teachers section that explains how best to use the site. The downfalls to the site were that revision dates and author information were not easily found. Design: This website was easy to use, organized, and had a clean appealing look. I feel that the amount of English on the front page of the site may actually be overwhelming for ESL learners and the teacher would probably have to get the student set up where they need to be in order for the use of the site to work to its potential. The site sponsor and contact information were not easily found and neither were the revision dates. Overall the site's content made it worth coming back to for ESL learners help.

Content: This website is no frills and does not have external advertising. There are not games or a lot of graphics. But, it does serve a purpose to help students practice grammar. Many of the activities come in many different languages and can be switched between English and the other language. The content is free of bias, and the activities are created by teacher volunteers. There are also links to other resources like videos and blogs to help ESL students. Design: It is a very basic design, which makes it easy to navigate and has no distracting advertisements. The graphics that are used in certain activities are useful and serve their purpose, but no additional graphics are used. As far as I can tell all the links are current and work properly. There is a good amount of content and it is split into different areas of expertise, something for beginners all the way through more difficult concepts. Purpose:The quizzes and puzzles are useful for practicing English concepts and also can be used to quiz yourself in foreign languages. For example, someone in a Spanish class could quiz themselves on verbs or some other Spanish vocabulary. Audience: I believe that student from grades 2 on up could make use of this website. Users could be learning English or learning a foreign language. Resources: There are links to podcasts and more interesting things for ESL students. Impression: Overall I like the fact that there is no advertising anywhere on the website, and it is nice that they give you the option to contribute to the activities. Since the quizzes can be made by various people, teachers should choose the appropriate activities for their students.

Rebekah Asay January 23, 2011 Overview: This website is to help students or adults better their English. There are a number of games including hangman, crosswords, matching games, typing tests, and puzzles to help improve grammar, typing skills, and vocabulary. Content: This website has fun games that are fun and educational. There are many other links for videos, teachers, writing, vocabulary, and pronunciation. There is a lot of information and it is a good resource for someone learning English. Design: The design is easy enough to navigate but isn't very attractive to the eye and is slightly unorganized. There is a lot going on on the webpage and it is overwhelming.

Bridget Stein 9/14/11 Overview: This website is extremely helpful for ESL students looking to learn English in a fun and easy way. There are games on grammar, vocabulary, reading, and much more. There is also the option to play these games on an iPad or iPhone if you have one. Content: On this site, within each link you click, you find even more information and activities available to you for your free use. There are so many different options that are all fun and interactive ways to learn English. There are crossword puzzles, sentence patterns, jokes, songs, and quizzes. Design: The design of this site is put together very well, because it isn't overwhelming when you first get on the site, but there still is plenty of useful information. It is clear to see where things are and what the use is.

Brianna Gillespie 9/14/11 OVERVIEW: This website's sole purpose is to teach vocabulary words. It uses illustrations and sounds to teach each word. Learning Chocolate can be used by children of any age; you can choose to use English to learn Spanish or vice versa. Chinese and Japanese are also choices. This website is a good tool for teaching pronunciation. CONTENT: The content of this website includes numerous pictures and cliparts to describe the different words. The words are categorized into sixteen different categories. A few examples are body, school, house, and clothing. After clicking on a picture, more pictures appear with sound buttons next to them. Once you click a sound button, you hear a recording of the word. DESIGN: Learning Chocolate uses a variety of colors and pictures to illustrate each vocabulary word. This website is extremely easy for children to use; all they have to do is click on a picture and then the sound button. It is also in alphabetical order which is very convenient.

This website is a good overview of Alexander The Great (King Alexander III of Macedonia.) It includes everything from his early life, to him claiming the throne, his conquests all the way up to his death. This is a great website because Alexander the Great is one of the most important figures in history and essentially merged Western and Eastern civilization. The website is very well organized and all information is under a specific heading. The vocabulary on this website isn't overly advanced so I believe anyone from middle school and up would gain information from this site. There are a lot of useful images, which really add to the website. Although the website is fairly plain, it's main purpose it to pass along information, and this website does just that.

This website is very simple, it's an English translation of the history of the Peloponnesian War written by Thucydides. It's organized well and the translations seem to be accurate. The vocabulary in this website is pretty advanced, so I feel that an account like this would work a lot better for high school or college students. Since this is an archive there isn't really any original work from the website's author, however there is a comment link where you can post and read comments from other people who have read this account, and get some new thoughts and opinions from there.

This website is essentially an overview of the important events of the Trojan War. The website is clear and organized in chronological order. If you simply read the page top to bottom you get a clear and basic overview of the most important events of the Trojan War. This was written for basically anyone who wants to learn about the basics of the Trojan War. I read through and I feel that it could be useful for anyone in middle school or older due to the level of vocabulary. I feel that all the necessary content is there, however the design could use some work. Pertaining to content, this website is great. Everything someone would want to learn about the basics of the war is there. This website also brings a unique perspective about the war because of the link "The Women". It's not very often (especially in Greek or Macedonian) society that women's opinions or chronicles were valued at all, let alone saved like these were. Information on this site is very easy to find because the links and headings are clear, making it easy to find what you are looking for. The author's and bibliography section are done well, a background of the authors is present, and all websites are presented in order and correctly formatted. The pages about the important women may be the best of all. They included the original Latin text, and an English translation. They also include descriptions of how that particular woman impacted the war or society. Pertaining to the design, this website could use some design help. While it's nice and simple, there aren't many colors, for instance every page has black font with a white background. The images are useful and pertain to the website, but there aren't many of them on the main pages. The sidebar looks very nice, the top bar does as well, if this theme would have been utilized more throughout the whole website it would certainly add to the attention grabbing aspect of the website.

2-5-12 Overview This website is an interactive learning website for everyone. The goal was to make learning fun as well as memorable and to provide an opportunity to learn and improve for everyone. This website has sections designed by subject as well as age. There are sections for preschool/kindergarten, elementary, middle/ high school, college, test prep and adults. There is something for everyone in this site with varied levels of difficulty. The site provides games, interactive reading pages, facts, quizzes and brain teasers. Overall I feel that this site is wonderful and I would use it in my classroom and suggest it to others. Content There is an unbelievable amount of information on this website. It is mainly based for elementary and is separated into subjects; USA, world, vocabulary, health, science, math, history and animals. The site also can be organized by age level. This makes it easy to find an activity based on interest. There really is something for everyone, from preschool games to chemistry quizzes to games for adults. There are also facts of the day in each subject. The hidden animals is great for learning about adaptations and the way animals camouflage themselves and survive in a fun, interactive way. The site can be considered a business since you can purchase software and materials from an online store. However, mostly it is a free interactive website that provides something for everyone. Design I am slightly disappointed in the design of the website. It does not give a revision date even though the information all seems accurate. I am also disappointed in the links. If you open the site from Diigo, the links to pages other than Hidden Animal Games do not work. However, if you open a web browser and put in Sheppard Software, the whole site works perfectly. Even though I am disappointed in these flaws, I really like the way the site is organized. It is colorful and appealing but more importantly it is extre

Emily Nielsen: April 15, 2015 This website is intended to educate children about farm animals. The intended audience is young children, probably preschool through early elementary years. The vocabulary used on the website is basic and the information is at a general enough level that it should be easy for children to understand. I like that there are many pictures of the animals on the site so that children can understand the material through the pictures instead of the words if they cannot yet read. Overall, I think that it is a fun website that could be navigated and understood easily by children. The content of website is clear and appropriately written for young children. In the site, correct grammar and spelling are used. The site is well organized and makes it easy to navigate from one animal to another. The content appears to be correct and could easily be verified. Although there is not a date for when it was last updated, there is contact information provided if he viewer has further questions. The design of website is easy for users to navigate. On the home page, there is a display of all the different animals on the site. To find out more about an animal, all the viewer has to do is click on the animal. There is a table of contents and KIDS FARM is the sponsor of the site. There are many pictures included that add to the written information. The homepage downloads quickly and all of the content shows up.

Emily Pariseau The overall point of the website is clear from the opening page that details specifically that this site provides various creative resources for English teachers teaching to second language learners - specifically this site deals with teaching in Japan and the author of the site, Jeffrey, encourages people to share the site among Japanese teachers as well. The site is extremely simplified with just black Arial text on a white background with just one photo of the author at the top. He explains in the about page that he keeps the site simple so that it can be more internationally friendly across every web browser and on mobile websites of varying operating systems. The site is aimed at teaching English for grades 1-6 in Japan and each link to a grade level provides age appropriate in class activities and lesson plans for basic concepts like counting, animal naming, and holiday vocabulary. Every lesson is provided in word doc format and concise but detailed enough that one could use it in their own class, which the author encourages.

Kylie Marchant August 31, 2010 Overview This website is designed for students and others who want to test their language proficiency on 25 different languages using vocabulary tests and crossword puzzles. A German company called Goethe Verlag operates this website for language learners. Based on content and design evaluations, I think this site is worthwhile for using with my eventual students and even in my own studies. It is well organized, simple to use, and seems accountable and accurate. My impression is that it is a valuable resource to have in my repertoire. Content From the first look, the user can discern that the website is for students and others wanting to test their language skills offered in a variety of languages. The website is governed by the Goethe Verlag but it is a little difficult to identify their actual credentials. There is an area where the company can be contacted though. I could find nothing identifying the currency of the information presented on the site. From my proficiency in German, I took a look at the German exercises and they seem to be interesting and interactive as well as accurate and interesting for students. Further, there are no linked sites for more exploration. All in all, in response to the content of this site, I believe it is worth keeping mind for further usage and reference. Design The home page is the launching site for all of the information on the website indicating the title, contents, overseeing organization, and clear instructions for navigating the website. It is rather simple in design but still aesthetically pleasing. The speed seemed to be reasonable for the pages I visited including the home page. There is minimal usage of multimedia but when present it serves a purpose. The content is worthwhile, clearly organized on the website, and easy to use. Again, there are no distinct dates clarifying currency of the information, although I do not believe the information could ever be outdated.

Kacee Von Krosigk 1-24-10 Content Web English Teacher is a way for teachers to learn new ideas to incorporate into the classroom. The viewers can follow this website on facebook.com or twitter.com. I believe this is a way to get teachers to discuss ideas for the classroom. Sharing ideas is a great way to use new and fun activities and projects in the classroom. There are also book report ideas, children's literature, mythology, poetry, speech, vocabulary, writing, and many other categories to choose from. Design The website doesn't seem to be very well made. There are a lot pop ups which become very off-putting and bothersome after awhile. There is a column on the left side which allows easy navigation from page to page. There is a Google Search on the bottom of the page. It is very distracting seeing all of the other ads. I wish this website would have a place where teachers or students could write other ideas to use in the classroom. There seems to be a lack of communication among anyone when there is definitely a need for it. Overview This website has a lot of creative writing prompts that I would love to use in my classroom. I think many teachers would be happy with this website because it has creative and new ideas for many different teachers and subjects. The content is easy to understand but it seems as if the page hasn't been undated in quite a while.

Bridget Stein 9/14/11 Overview: This website is great for students who are ESL students, (English as a second language), or for teachers who will be teaching English. It is a user friendly website and has valuable information that can be used in the real world as well. Content: On this website, it has a list of things for students or teachers to. For students, there are activities that relate to the real world, such as dating and media, and relate it to them by having them answer questions or practice their vocabulary and grammar in English. For teachers there are activities such as lesson plans, word searches, reading articles, all that will help them teach English in a friendly and easy environment. Design: The design of this website is immediately inviting and opening. It is clear to see where you would click if you were a teacher, and what you'd do if you were a student on this website. It is visually appealing to the eye but also extremely helpful.

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

Megan Switzer September 11, 2011 Overview: The cyber listening lab was a website that was quite intriguing. The main purpose of this website was for one to gain more knowledge about English through listening. Through listening one can grasp important concepts, build vocabulary etc. The targeted audience for this website is ESL speakers, although if one speaks English there is still interesting aspects to this website that may be beneficial for them. Links similarly created by the same author are available to aide in speaking, slang, accents etc. and could be beneficial for those interested in improving their language skills. Overall this web site has one main goal of using audio as a learning device and it does a great job of sticking with that one aspect of learning. Content: The content of this website was simple and easy to understand. It was well categorized/ organized and the author of the website was helpful in creating tutorials for first time users. All the information is clear and consistent seems to be quite accurate based off of the author's knowledge of the subject and although the currency was not easily found the information seems to be well up to date. All links are working and helpful. Overall I was quite impressed with what this website had to offer and the concepts that the author addressed. If auditory learners need a helpful web site, this would be the one for them. Design: Although it did not seem super visually appealing to me, the website was well organized easily navigable. The audio clips worked well which was the most important part of the website, and the purpose of the website is clearly defined. Overall the design is clear and concise not a whole lot of explanation is needed due to its simplicity, I was impressed with the materials involved with this website, the author did an exceptional job in making sure one fully understands what his web site is about and makes his other links available as well.

Billie Slyman, 9/11/11 Purpose The Kidstorm site is actually a section of a larger site dedicated to storm chasing. The rest of the site is fine, but the kids section has, in my opinion, the best resources and information. However, the information, while good, is pretty basic and could easily be found on other sites. So my overall impression is that while this site is okay for information about severe weather, its real value is in the photographs and resources that can be found there. There are tons of links to other sites, some on the main kids' page for general weather, and then more on each page about a specific weather. These links lead to good sites and would be a valuable resource for a teacher or student looking for information. Content The content on this site is appropriate for students in 4-6 grades and for adults as well. It is set out clearly, but the vocabulary would be difficult for younger students. Again, the information is basic, although the extensive safety tips are nice, but the pictures are great. There are high quality photos of every type of weather covered and more. These can be viewed online, and it is stated on the website that students can use them for paper reports in class as long as credit is given. The external links given are useful and would also be a good resource for student research. Design The site is easy to navigate and nice to look at, interesting while not being overwhelming. There is a lot of text on each page, but there are also a lot of relevant photos, so it is interesting to read. It is easy to go from one section to the other without having to go back to the homepage, and the external links are always at the bottom of the page. It's a well put together site.