Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

Kacy BaileyDate reviewed: October 8th, 2012All Weather, all the time web questContent: The content of this website was very helpful, and useful for teachers. It was clear that the content was meant for 2nd grade students trying to learn more about precipitation. It is clear who the author is. Even though it is not clear who the sponsor is, I do not believe that there actually is a sponsor. The website is providing second graders with information that is required to learn. It also has a teachers page making it easy for teachers to have their students complete a web quest like this one.  Design: The design of this web quest makes it stand out from a regular website, but it is not super interesting to look at. I do think that it will get most kids' attention though It could use some more designing. This website is also very easy to navigate. Each link is up to date and useful. The homepage clearly states everything that is needed (title, author, what the website is about, etc.) The only downside to the design of this website is that it may be kind of difficult for second graders to navigate. This is kind of hard to assume though due to the fact that children become more technological every day.  Overall: Overall this website is another great web quest to use for students. Instead of learning on the usual white board and projector, this gives students a more hands on way of learning. And of course students love using technology so a web quest is always a good idea to get them working with it. The website had great information for students to learn, and many links to look up the things that the website may have missed. Overall the website seemed to be a great teaching tool. 

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

Hannah Streeter 2/1/2011 Overview- This website is colorful and fun. It has lots of games based on literary skills driven toward elementary school students. Its a little silly, and easy to use. There is also a really great teacher/parent link on the home page. Content- The content of this website is literary games with fun characters like monsters, animals, dwarfs, and other fun characters. The content is based on auditory explanations, uses simple words to explain the games, and then expounds into more complex concepts to help teach things like Poetry and the alphabet, depending on which category you pick from. The games are super fun, even for a big kid like me. Design- The design is bright and colorful. The games load quickly and the sound is clear. There are many different games and animations for all elementary grades. there are links to the home page, and other games to play and learn from. All in all, a really great site!

Literary Learning

Korinne Thoren 14 September 2011 NGA Kids Overview: NGA Kids is a site created by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. This website provides an interactive page where kids can make their own art and zoom in on the works of famous artists, providing an overall collaborative exposure to art. NGA is geared toward younger students, as denoted by the 'Kids" but I think there are tools and games on the site that could be utilized with students up to middle school age. NGA also has resources dealing with the National Gallery of Art available on its page. Overall, I think this is a very fun website and although it is geared toward younger students I really did enjoy playing the games, arguably making it a good way to pass time for older audiences as well. Content: The overall content of this website is good, although the immediate site is not super informative, it provides many educational and interactive games for kids. NGA does contain links to other portions of the National Gallery of Art, which are helpful and more informative, making them a good resource for older students looking for information. Contact information for the website creators is readily accessible and there are explanatory directions for the games and activities on the site. Design: NGA's design is well put together and almost reminds me of looking at a National Geographic magazine with its black and yellow layout. Information and games are easily accessible and labeled and the same basic format is used throughout the site. The links provided by NGA work well and are informative and the use of graphics and animations really bring the website to life for it's users. Overall, it is a well-designed site and easy to use.

Overview Spanish Teaching is a site for the teacher or student of the Spanish language. At first glance, it appears a bit basic. It is not super eye catching nor filled with an abundance of sights, sounds and fluff. However, its form and function are succinct. Every item on the page has a specific purpose and supplies exactly what it implies. The hyper-links are true to form and also supply additional topic related substance. It is easy to use, straight forward and would be relevant for all grade levels of instruction. Content The site is broken into four divisions; Spanish Members Zone, Online quizzes for students:, Teaching websites of the week and Lesson plan ideas. Each division contains links to topics suited to the subject. Design The design of the site is simple. Site name and purpose is scrolled down the left side of the page in a colorful bandana. The Main idea: Spanish Teaching is at the top , a picture reference for memory follows. Next comes the site topics, Learn, Teach, Travel. At the top of the site home page the words Teaching , Traveling and Learning are in different bright colors and open to related links. Athe design is easy to follow and use.

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.

Overview: This website is awesome! It makes me want to learn all about the Colonial Times. This website is designed specifically for 3rd graders, very entertaining and kid friendly. I would have my students use this site to gather accurate information about Colonial children, it is super fun but educational, and it is really easy to navigate around. The site is a little older (2000) just because it was made by a class and it was a one time thing. Luckily the information is accurate and the class that created the site actually won an award for it! I could easily contact the creators and there is a sponsor (top left hand corner), it is very clear and precise information. Content: The information in this site is easy to understand because it talks about home life, schools, and clothing of the children during this Colonial time period. The quality of this information is entertainingly informative. The site is very specific and stays focused throughout each page. There are different links in the site that lead you to explanations of different things (clothes, school, home) and then there are links that take you to different activities. All of the content is complete because it was made at one time. I know that the information is accurate because there is a citation page that takes me to different outside websites. If I were to do a project with my class that had to do with Colonial Times I would use this site. Design: The homepage downloads really quickly and it looks awesome and easy for any 3rd grader to use. There is a specific link that is called "Contact Us" so if I as a teacher, had any questions I could easily email them. The about site is an external link but it isn't posted on the home page so it might be a little tricky to find it at first. There are different sections of the web site that are focused and have very clear directions. The class that made the web site made their own videos to demonstrate a task, very cute! Web site is accessible by any

Shea Mangold September 1, 2010 This website is fantatsitc. The content it well organized it has a tool bar at the top to access exaclty what you need from articles, to tips, to discussions, to lesson plans (!) even a search engine. The targeted audience is hard to tell, many lesson plans can be used for a lot of different grades, but with the photos and extra's it could be more targeted at elementary ed but could also work for secondary. This website supports a bunch of other teaching websites and it is listed on the page. I cannot find where the author is listed but at the bottom of the page it has (© 1997- 2010 A to Z Teacher Stuff, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.Use of this site signifies your agreement to the terms of use.Send questions, comments, and suggestions to webmaster@atozteacherstuff.com) So there is a place to talk to one of the authors. It doesn't have where the whole website has last been updated but the copywrite shows it's been updated in 2010. The teacher discussion forum is uploaded with new discussions every hour. And the lesson plans are updated frequently. All of the content is complete, the conection works very fast, and most importantly all of the super helpful stuff is free, no gymics saying it is the first time then you have to pay. The design meets up the the content perfectly. It is 100% professional. It makes you feel comfortable that you are on a trusted website. The graphics are appropriate for any grade of teachers, The store is appropriate and all of the sponsors look great on the page. All of the information is useful, clearly presented, and is easy on the eyes. I would give the content and design both an A.

A-Z Teacher Stuff - Review on 10/4/12 Diigo i.d= Jessle33 A-Z Teacher stuff's purpose is to provide a way to help teachers find online resources more quickly and easily. It helps to find lesson plans, teaching materials, worksheets, books etc. for the everyday teacher to help them out in the classroom. The site is designed for teachers of pretty much any grade level k-12 and any subject they teach. There are various resources available to them such as: themes, lessons, tips, articles, discussion, printables, and ages. All of these tabs at the top of the site take you to where you want to go and help to narrow your search in the area of your necessities. My overall impression of this site is that it is very helpful to teachers and can really help them find the things they are looking for in their classrooms. There was so much to choose from and so many categories that are available. Teachers need help to and this site does just that.

Jessica Chandler January 24th, 2011 *Overview: This website is to help kids with their math skills. The ages are from preschool- eighth grade. There are very many links to click once you choose the appropriate age group. It seems to be quite simple if you know what you want to expand your learning on. It may be difficult for the younger kids to read the different types of things to learn, but the requirements for each are quite simple. *Content: There are several skills to choose from among each age group. This is just a math website, so it deals with different sorts of categories such as the Pythagorean theorem, shapes, fractions, exponents, and etc. The games are very educational and help the students to learn the content. I especially liked this website because it gives explanations to the problem you missed by going through step by step. It also gives the score and how much time was spent doing that certain exercise. You can complete the different skills in however much time you prefer. It will give you feedback once you hit submit and finish. Otherwise, you just keep practicing! *Design: The design of this website is very clear. It opens by stating, "Where your math journey begins." It is very eye appealing and colorful. There isn't too much content to overwhelm the users. It is very easy to use. The grade levels appear right on the home page, making it clear for students to use on their own. Once the level is chosen, different skills appear-all categorized, and then the only thing left to do is select what you would like more practice on. The site looks very professional and up to date. Overall, the design is catchy and great for students to use!

Overview: This website is designed for K-8 aged children, and it includes several different games primarily focused in math. The website is highly interactive and clearly represents the idea of integrating education and fun. Each game has a clear purpose, and they are actually very entertaining. Content: The purpose of the site is easily identifiable in the homepage, where bright colors and very childlike design catches your eye. The content is organized primarily by grade level, so it is easy to find appropriate games for whatever grade you are teaching. Although it is unclear when the website was last updated, the information appears to be up to date and relevant for elementary education standards today. There are not outside links to similar or relevant websites to enhance what is being presented on the site, but the content on the site is very thorough, so other resources aren't really necessary. Design: The design of the site is obviously very child-centered; however, it is well done, not cheesy or obnoxious. The homepage catches your attention, and the information is easy to access. Each game is unique, has its own fun, vibrant design, and is highly educational. Since the website is primarily organized by grade level, the design enhances the user-friendliness of the website. I believe this website would be good for use in the classroom because there are minimal advertisements, and children could easily find a fun and educational game that suits their needs.

I really like this website; I will be using it in my WebQuest design!

Jessica Chandler January 24th, 2011 *Overview: This website is to help children with the science skills. There isn't a specific age listed for this site. It seems to me that it looks appealing for younger kids, however, some of the concepts seem like upper level science questions. The website is not as easy to operate because it seems rather slow. There are three major types of categories to choose from: experiments, field trips, and adventures. Each of these categories is to teach the students more of a certain subject most interested in. As well as that, there are a few side links to click on: Curious About, Live Cams, Now in Focus, and Citizens for Planet Earth. *Content: The content seems well organized. The only thing that I found to be super beneficial though was the experiments. This could make a good project or could just be something good to learn, helping to develop better skills for science. I cannot say that I am too particularly fond of this website. I do not appreciate the amount of time I have to wait, but I think that once you get into it, it could be a great website for teachers to use to get certain experiments and ideas from. A lot of the information is interesting, but is harder for the younger students to grasp with the detailed and complicated explanations. *Design: I love the colors from this website. It was very eye catching. It has a lot of links shown, but there aren't too many that you get distracted. There isn't necessarily a title though; it just goes right into the links to choose from. I think that the website is up to date based on some of the content I read. The design is enough for the kids to get involved and isn't overwhelming for the content shown.

Lyle Wiley September 10, 2011 Overview: Shakespeare Online is an informative site focusing on Shakespeare's work, life, plays, and scholarship. The site seems most geared towards students of Shakespeare of all ages and Shakespearian scholars but contains a good many resources for the educator as well. This frequently updated site has a girth of articles to fill the Shakespeare friendly palate, including play summaries, current Shakespeare headlines, study questions, quizzes, and tips for studying Shakespeare. Shakespeare Online is a useful informative website that could benefit from more interactive media influence and external links, but the site exists as a useful educational resource nonetheless. Content: The content of Shakespeare Online is outstanding. It is easy to determine the purpose and organization of the site and the authorship of the site and contact information are readily available. The author seems qualified to present the information and, by all accounts, produces an ambitious amount of Shakespearian material which is updated frequently. While there are few external links, the information on the website is well organized and grand in scope. Design: While the general design of the website appears rather plain and primarily text based, the fast downloading homepage is well organized and indexed with numerous links (if a little crowded with text). It is very easy to find the website content and the authorship information as well. The frequently updated information on the website is excellent, yet the design could certainly be improved. There are few external links or media resources, both of which would help the interactivity of the site and its general appearance as well.

Tessa Kaufman Shakespeare Online Overview Shakespeare Online is a super useful website. Any teacher teaching Shakespeare should take the time to look at this site. It has useful everyday information such as the word of the week and quote of the week, which pertains to something from the Shakespearian age. There is also a proverb of the day which shows that the author updates the site daily. It has useful information for both students and teachers. I feel teachers can get ideas on how to teach the plays in a better way and also to teach students useful vocabulary. Students could utilize this site to get a better feel for Shakespeare. They can look over study guides and reading the plays online has explanatory notes at the bottom for better understanding. Content The amount of information within this site is amazing. The home page has many things that can be accessed that are useful. Every play and sonnet is in on this site with study guides available for some. There is a place for famous quotes. It explains the sources of the plays and where they originated. There is a biography, glossary, and even quizzes. Teachers could utilize the quizzes in class and maybe use them for a supplementary tool along with the in class paper quizzes. Design When the page first popped up I thought it was a little too cluttered with text. The text on the home page is organized and very easy to understand with the purple lines separating the text. The side clearly gives links to other pages that are useful. There is also a search bar for easy access of information. You can easily find the author and contact information. Besides the overload of text at first it is clearly easy to understand and navigate.

Overview: This site is a free site that makes a lot of everyday teacher tasks easy. It can also help teachers generate games to play with their class. It is something that I would definitely use in my own classroom. Content: This site is easy to navigate and is generally aesthetically pleasing. Some things that the site can help teachers do is make seating charts, make groups, and randomly "draw" names. It also allows a teacher to enter content and generate a game like Jeopardy, Who wants to be a Millionaire, and others. Design: The overall look of the site doesn't really match the content, but it isn't ugly either. The site is easy to navigate and isn't complicated to operate.