Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

Paige Hanewald 10/21/13 Overall: The purpose of this specific branch of the HippoCampus website is a resource that can be utilized by both teachers in explaining lessons and high school students in interactively researching reading and writing strategies that concern evaluating text, forming a thesis, writing fundamentals, characteristics of specific types of essays, and more. Overall, I believe that this is a simple resource that could provide a lot of insight to students having trouble in reading and writing content areas. Content: The content provides lessons as well as some interactive activities. It explains certain aspects in writing that teachers seem to assume students already know such as passive and active voice, punctuation, grammar, forming a well-thought out thesis statement and other fundamentals of writing. Unfortunately, because of the features presented on this website, you must have good Internet and either Adobe Flash Player or Quicktime. Design: This site looks boring. While it is very informative, so much information with such a lack of "oomph!" can bore a middle or high school student and put him or her to sleep. While it is very easy to navigate, compared to other websites, the interactive components such as videos and activities don't seem as engaging to kids above the 6th grade.

Purpose of this site is to provide in-depth topic overviews of world history broken down by subject. It is directed towards the general public with different articles fit for different ages. The range and depth of the articles are wide. Almost any social studies topic you could ask for is presented, and in a fully explained manor. Over all, this site is a wonderful history resources that I could see being used in the class room or for research. At first look the website is clearly identified as a learning resource. Its search bar and featured links are all related to its topic. The information provided is backed up by a marvelous list of credentials and works cited. It appears to be quite verifiable. An entire page is given about the author's academic knowledge. The information currency is fairly relevant, being a history site, it is less of a crime to leave older information up. That being said, if you are trying to write a groundbreaking thesis, this is probably not the place to go. The quality of information provided is top notch. Every page I looked at checked out based on my prior knowledge. It is well organized and easy to follow. The information is fairly comprehensive. New topics are being added though. For further information an email address and names are provided. Although the home page downloads quickly, it lacks attractiveness. There are Facebook style ads on the sides of the screen that make the page look a bit homemade. Even so, the information that the site provides is easy to navigate and find. Links to related pages pop up quickly and are relevant. Pictures for each article demonstrate concepts tied to the page and help the reader gain interest. Besides this the presentation is consistent, giving every page the same basic layout, and there is a large amount of information that makes this site worthwhile.

This website, found at education.nationalgeographic.com, is geared at teachers, families, and student audiences. The encyclopedia resources on the site can be altered to better fit each of these audiences depending on the user's selected audience. In addition to encyclopedia resources, videos, photographs, lessons, and educational activities can also be found on the website. The website developer, National Geographic Society, does a wonderful job of providing external links and updated information on a variety of scientific and social topics which could be helpful in elementary classroom research activities. National Geographic's website content is relevant and correct, since it's most recent update took place in 2015. Although the site identifies its sponsor as the Verizon Foundation, no biases in the texts can be detected. On every educational page, whether it is an encyclopedia entry for K-2nd grade audiences or a suggested lesson plan for teachers, National Geographic provides a multitude of working links to back up the site's information and facts. At the bottom of every page, the website provides contact information in the forms of email addresses, mailing addresses, and telephone numbers for users to use in case of any questions or concerns. Clearly, the National Geographic Education website's content is accurate and very useful for science and social studies education. The design of this site is compatible with all web browsers and downloads efficiently. The Education home page offers an attractive, organized display of the website's resources and choice of audiences. This easy-to-follow format also flows onto every page on the website for easy navigation, and all links are integrated into the website's text for convenient learning and fact-checking. Over all, the presentation of National Geographic's content is attractive, organized, and current.

The intended purpose of this page is to educate people on the self-esteem changes that occur in middle school students, through a study done with different ethnic groups. The indented audience is for anyone I would say middle school and older interested in this study and the information. The full article and study, the publication date, publication type, authors, and editors are available through this site. I think this site is very informative and credible based on the information given, and the site is set up for easy access. This study takes a look at middle school students grades 6-8 of different gender and ethnic groups. These ethnic groups include European American, African American, and Hispanic. This study was done on the same students for the consecutive three years comparing the self-esteem of ethnic groups and of gender. The content of this page is relatively old, dating in 2006, but the rest of the article is credible, peer reviewed, and the authors and editor are educated on the subject. This web page does not have a strong eye appeal, and does not bring a lot of attention. The page is easy to navigate. The title and the authors are clear, and all the information regarding the study is listed for easy reference. A summary is posted on the actual web page, and the full text is available through a link. The design is very simple, and is only one page that summarizes all the information.

Overview: Academic skill builders is an educational gaming site. it allows children to improve their skills in math, language arts, and geography while holding on to their attention through car races and meteor destruction. Content: the site is quite obviously designed to help educate and entertain children in elementary school. Links at the top of the web page take you to other pages including information on the site's creators, and research on how video games could improve a child's education. Each game fits completely into the parameters of "educational gaming" as they all included different ways of helping kids hone their academic skills. I did not discover how often the site is updated or revised, however, and think that frequent updates to a game site are important so the content will not lose excitement. Design: This web site was well designed. It was easily navigated, and the games and links loaded properly. the homepage is attractive, and you are easily able to find links to all of the content on the site. These links are labeled effectively. Shadoe Konicek 8/31/10

Overview: It is very obvious upon entering this webpage who it is designed for, as it states in bold at the top of the page within tabs: "For Clinicians, For Patients, For Institutions, For Educators". I'm not sure it could get clearer than that. Also very obvious is the purpose. The biggest words on the page are: "Tap into the world's largest clinical community". I think this is a very credible website because all of the articles and websites within the main website are edited and written by doctors (MD). The biggest downside to this website is that you must subscribe to the website to see all of the content and a subscription is very expensive. Design Summary: From my first look, this site appears simple, yet very easy to navigate. There aren't a lot of bright colors or images to distract from the information of the page, which is beneficial, because you can find what you are looking for immediately. At the bottom of the page, the site provides a list of sponsors or partners including; Society of General Medicine, The Endocrine Society, American Academy of Family Physicians, Wolters Kluwer, etc. I had no problem using the website in Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer. The information is very up to date (as the name suggests!). Finding contact information is also simple (1-click) and they provide a phone number, fax number, many special purpose email addresses, and an address for an office in the United States, as well information for their international offices.

Content: The first look at the website does a great job of displaying the content of the article but it is more difficult to really pin down an audience. It seems like it is aimed at people who want a quick overview of the topic. The author of the article is not identified so it is hard to judge the qualifications of the author. The sponsor on the other hand is clearly identified. Idaho National Laboratory and Department of Energy sponsored the article. There are also two specific contact people identified. The user is given both a phone number and the ability to e-mail the two contact people. The site lacks any information about when it was last updated. This shows that the information may not be updated frequently and it is difficult to know if the user should use this information because there is potential that it is outdated. The only date I can find is actually on another page. Although there is no way to know how often the website is updated, the links all appear to be working appropriately. The information on this site seems to be of a pretty high quality. The purpose is very clear. It is an informational page and effectively achieves its purpose. The content is complete and well organized. The information is easy to understand for the most part. Some of the terms are a little confusing but otherwise it is very clear. I don't know very much about this topic, but from what I know this information seems accurate. The bias in this article is easy to identify because it is pro Xylanase. It really preaches the benefits of this substance. There are a lot of links to further information as well as links that take the user to other science related sites.

Ramon J. Sandoval September 1, 2010 Website Evaluation Site Title: Ask Kids URL: www.askkids.com Authors of website: Ask Kids Subject: Elementary Education Content Summary When I first went to the web site it was unclear what the website was intended to do. The website does not have easy access to the author identity. It never gives you a name of someone to contact. There is not any information about the author or when the site was last updated. This site is a search engine for children age's six to twelve and claims to be safe. The links to the website are easy to navigate through but unclear to me where to go next. Design Summary The home page downloads quickly and when clicking on the links there is not a waiting period. The home page is kind of bland but it does allow the user to dress it up with stamps and drawing on the front. I did not find a clear set of direction. I had to just click the links to see where and what was under the tabs. The same basic format is used throughout the website. There is a copyright date on the website but it is unclear how often the site is updated. This site does have games but the one I played did not give me an extra knowledge. Overview When the website first came up it was not very inviting. With the lack of computer experience I have it would not have enticed me to proceed. The subjects on the left side did not have me wanting to find out more about it. When I typed in a question the first thing to pop up was the advertisements. It does have some good aspects and content in it but I don't think it was easily accessible. This web site is designed for kids to ask common questions in the search engine. It is much like google but without the risk of finding something bad. I think with more time and experience on the computer the w

Allyson Boyer Review date 2/2/12 This website is intended for teachers and educators. It is designed for teachers to get quick tips on how to handle their classroom, how to discipline in the classroom, and an overall view on education. There is not a list of available resources, but there are people who can comment and give their opinion on the articles, some of these comments are left by teachers. My overall impression of this site was that there is a lot of information, but it's not organized well. There could be more graphics involved as well to make it more appealing to the reader. When I was looking over the content of this website I found that I had positive reactions. I found that the site was updated in 2012 and the information was relevant to the page. I also liked that the site was not bias in any way and that it gave open suggestions for teachers to explore at their own will. I did however find some things that I was not so impressed with. On the home page there is no author so you are not able to research anything about the writer, but if you click on a link there is often an author displayed on certain articles provided. Because there are multiple authors, or some authors not listed at all it is difficult to find out if the information is accurate. This website did seem like a good source of information because the New York Times Company helps sponsor it. Overall, there are many links on this site to help teachers with various situations such as classroom rules, ice breakers for the first day of class, and discipline tips. When I came across this site I was not impressed with the graphic design. The website looked very busy and there were not a lot of pictures. I did however find that the information that was provided would be very useful. There were also no directions for this site if you were lost. You just have to click around until you find what you are looking for. I also found that there was outdated material lingering on this site. I'm

Beau Pitt 1/31/2011 mises.org Overview: The Ludwig von Mises Institute is an educational website with a clear bias towards the education of the Austrian School of Economics. Its main purpose is to advance "the scholarship of liberty in the tradition of the Austrian School" of economics in opposition to the commonly taught theories of John Maynard Keynes. The website is generally directed towards more advanced students who are interested in a more practical view of economics and is particularly geared towards those individuals already interested in the subject who wish to further their education. This is a very powerful website that offers updated daily articles, audio and video presentations, blog discussions, various events, and even offers online courses through the Mises Academy. Additionally, there are a variety of links to related social networking sites and information sites that greatly add to the quality of the website. The website further expands on its quality by presenting a well-designed home page with an attractive "coat of arms" style logo that catches the eye and helps to achieve credibility. Content: At the first look, the user of this website is able to determine the basic content and audience of the site simply by reading the title. Authors are clearly identified and information is provided about who they are and it is even possible to e-mail the author about their articles! All information is presented either as daily updated articles or in an archives section with dates provided for when the contents were first published or presented. All links are current and work properly. The site is very well organized and easy to navigate. It is clearly biased in favor of Austrian Economics and more conservative principles, but the information is accurate and well-researched. There are many educational options and activities that aid in furthering the user's understanding, and articles are all reviewed by the operators of the web

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. 

Sean Wilde January 2011 http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html Content This site you can pretty quickly tell what its all about. And could tell that its audience was for kids. But it lacked personal authors and contact to the others. You can tell that is sponsored by the EPA to help kids become aware of the climate change around them. But it must of not been a big hit. The content if fairly accurate and the latest revision was almost three years ago. The site is well organized and the information has scientific back up so it is not biased. Most links worked to other sites but this site does need an overhaul to get back to be working. Design The site seems to be a little slow, and its slightly attractive but one becomes bored with the patterns it has throughout the site. It is fairly easy to navigate but it has become a dull website, probably because it just was not worth the difficulties it caused. All graphics seemed to work well but were at times slow, for a kid wanting to get quick easy information for a elementary research paper this site would be great. But this site really becomes ugly and is realized to be not well tended to in terms of what other sites have. Overview This site was probably great when it first came out, but it has ran its course. And I bet it gets used more then a bit becomes of some of the sites that link to it. Ultimately this site needs a redesign soon or someone else will take advantage of the oppurtunity (if one hasn't already) and get a better more "fun" site with same content and could make money for it leaving this site out in the cold. But as I said earlier, this site is good for the basic and bare minimum.

John Pokallus 31 January 2011 Overview: The Ecological Society of America - Ecosphere publication site is an online-only, peer-reviewed journal created to foster prompt publication of scientific findings in the field of ecology. The intended audience of this site consists of professional, or student researches within academia, government agencies, or other private companies that are involved in the broad field of ecology. The resources available are a collection of scientific publications that have been submitted to Ecosphere and accepted after a peer-revision process. Additional resources include links to other journals that are associated with more specific aspects of ecology. This site is very well organized and easy to navigate; the content information is credible and relevant to the intended audience. Content: At first look, the basic content of Ecosphere is easily discernable and it is stated explicitly in a brief paragraph titled "About Ecosphere" located immediately under the title-banner of the site. That same paragraph implies the intended audience via the selected language used to describe the site. Information providers are clearly identified for all publications and contact information is provided. We can assume that all content providers are qualified in the subject matter due to the rigorous peer-review that all publications are subjected to. All information on the site is dated and relevant to the demography of the intended audience and updated on a monthly basis. Information quality is superb and everything is well organized. Further information is available and related sites are linked under the title-banner of the homepage. Design: No errors occurred while downloading the homepage and it did so very efficiently. The basic design of the homepage was appealing and very simple, leaving no uncertainties about the content or location of information within the site. Ecosphere did not provide directions for navigating the site; however, I belie

DAR.org Michelle Petty, January 22, 2011 Overview: The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) website is aimed at educating others about the American Revolution, genealogy of members and scholarships for those who meet the criteria. It is not necessarily aimed at students or teachers, but it is a very informative and useful website for American Revolution projects. The site it set up with clear tabs leading to specific sites and searches. The most important link on this site is its online library catalog, which allows individuals to search for specific battles, commanders, cities and other items related to the American Revolution. Content: This website is aimed at informing the public about the DAR and the American Revolution. It is for an older audience, middle school and high school, and would be most helpful in research projects. It is a very nice, official looking site with a clearly identified author and copyright date along with contact information to the site. The site is organized in a very user friendly way with links on the left hand side of the page, and special featured items on the right and DAR related sites across the top of the page. All links lead to educational sites, or journals that are written by experts in the field. Design: The design of this website is very official, with clearly identified authors and easy to use links. It is easy to navigate, and has links to journals, pictures, and videos that are relevant to the American Revolution. All links work and take the viewer to the correct site, and the information provided at the site is educational and useful. This site is great for American Revolution information and is one that I would use as a teacher, however it is probably too complex and advanced for younger audiences.

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/civwar.html Michelle Petty, January 22, 2011 Overview: This site is aimed at informing viewers about the Civil War. It is aimed at kids the most, but would be beneficial for students of all ages writing a report on the Civil War. The site breaks down the Civil War on leaders, battles, states, pictures, and causes of the war, which then takes the viewer to the appropriate site. I am not sure if this is a site I would use, not all the links work and the page looks like several students put the website together as a project. It is easy to use, but again, not too sure on how reliable all the information is. Content: The site is aimed at informing and educating others on the Civil War. The author is clearly listed at the bottom, along with the date it was last updated and how to get in touch with him about questions. However, it was last updated in 2005 and some of the links no longer work. The links that do work, lead the viewer to mostly educational sites with the website endings of .gov and others along those lines, however some lead to regular .com sites that look like they were hardly researched. Design: The design is very simple and easy to navigate. The links to other sites are on the homepage and easy to use for all ages. However, the overall design is cheesy and unprofessional, with links that no longer work and others that lead the viewer to poorly constructed sites. I would not recommend this site, and would not use it in any educational setting.

Sean Wilde January 2011 Flotrack.org Content This site right off the bat expresses exactly what it represents. And it is for those that are researching or wanted to be in the circle of what is going on in the Track & field world. The sites author is not on the main page but can be found almost in any page particularly the home page. Information about the authors, is also readily available, in the interviews that they do, as well as in their bio pages. Content is updated on a daily basis, and a easy contact email is also available. Since some of the information is received from another site links to other webpages are used and work. This site is for news, but since it does have the type of designers it has, it can have some entertainment. Flotrack has opened the eyes for those who thought they knew the world of Track and Field and brought it into the 21st century. The quickness of the information it gives lets others know that the broadcasting ability for this sport is growing and demanded. Design This site has a great opening and it is very appearant where you are at and how well the site is managed. The site runs smoothly and is updated daily. Seeing as there is data added on a daily basis. It works effectively on all three browsers I use (Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome). The videos are of good quality and it really has any glitches with sound or videos not working. Although recently when they did a mass update to the site it no longer looked as clean on my phone and Playstation 3. Overview This site is great for the student who is trying to find what they really want to do. Because, the site shows you that even though you may be an athlete, someone who is great with computers, or is just great at asking questions anyone can survive in the new age of the world. Also the fact that it is a .org site and not a .com shows it actually has a lot more legitamacy then most other sites.