ITEC2360

Overview: Preschool Activity Box has many good, different ideas, tips, and activities. The intended audience is teachers or parents who are teaching pre-k children. The website is well organized and easy to navigate. As soon as you click on the link to the website, you know where you are at and can see the index of activities and worksheets. The website is up to date although many of the links are dead ends. I like this webpage, it has good ideas but since most of the links are dead I probably would not use it. Content: At first look I was able to distinguish the purpose and audience for this site. There were no authors listed for this site but the sponsors are listed at the bottom, the only thing they don't have is contact info for the sponsors. The information was updated in 2011, so it is very current. There are very good ideas, activities and tips. Design: The website is concise and has good organization. The homepage loads well and at a first glance you know exactly what webpage you are on. The copyright and date are clearly seen and there is a link to their sister site. The first links are live and lead you to some tips and activity ideas, but when you go any further, for printouts, the links go dead. This is very detrimental to the site. There is a huge mix of live and dead links, so it makes it a guessing game as to which link will work.

Overview: Notes in Spanish is a great teaching tool so that students can listen to a variety of topics in Spanish at home or in school. There are different levels of podcasts ranging from beginner to advanced with many podcasts in each level. There are also packets available to purchase that help to comprehend and test your knowledge on the podcasts. Content: The content of Notes in Spanish is relevant to Spanish listening comprehension. The content is presented in a profession yet fun manner. The authors contact and background information is readily available. Both authors are qualified to present the podcasts because of their background with Spanish and fluency level. The site does not present the date last revised but new podcasts are added often. There are not any external links presented in the site but the site does provide sufficient information. Design: The design of Notes in Spanish is attractive and simple. The tool bar on the top of the screen makes for easy navigation. The site is simple and there are not too many links; there are no external links present. The use of multimedia makes a significant contribution to the site because the main information on the site is in the form of podcasts. The site is simple in its design but is effective in delivering quality information.

Mary Goetz 9/10/11 Overview: ¿? Don Quijote is a great resource to Spanish teachers. The site has games, dictionaries, lessons, and other Spanish language tools. The site is also affiliated with a company for Study Abroad trips, which students can utilize. Students can also use this site, and its resources, such as the word of the day, games, and interesting facts, to expand their knowledge of Spanish. Content: The content available on this site is relevant to teaching and practicing Spanish. The content is also presented in a professional manner that meets the needs and purposes of the content available on the site. There are many internal links to a variety of resources. Interesting facts such as the word of the day and jokes in Spanish are great tools to engage students in learning Spanish. There are also external links, one of them is to a Spanish dictionary, that are helpful to both students and teachers. Although the latest revision date is not provided on the site the site does appear up to date and updated frequently. The content of this site is well organized with a side tool bar and a site map to help make navigation easy. There is a wealth of information and resources on this site that is useful to both teachers and students. Design: The design of this site is attractive and works efficiently. The side tool bar on the site is a clear and fast navigation tool. It is easy to go through the site and find the resources needed. There is sufficient information that is clearly labeled. The internal and external links used are also functional and relevant. The use of graphics and media enhances the site and its content. The overall design of this site is attractive and functional.

Kathryn Slothower September 11, 2011 Overview: The purpose of this website is to provide the knowledge and practice to students in math. The website breaks the skills into different sections which is very helpful however the information that they provide within each topic is not very detailed. The website is more designed for a brush up on the skill rather than learning the math skill. The website has numerous topics in math that students can use. The website has also broke the math subjects into the grade levels for students to explore the website through the grade that they choose. My overall impression of the website was okay. Content: At first look of this website the purpose and content are very obvious. There is information right away that tells what the viewer will find within this website. There was no information on the authors so although the information seems correct from my pervious knowledge I do not know if the author is credited. The content on the website is organized fairly well. The content is easy to find. The topics in math are separated however the website also separated the topics by grade level. It felt like this website was very helpful however it would be a website that was used for a brush up of knowledge because the information on the topics does not explain it very well. One of the better parts of the website is the practice that is available to use on each topic. Design: The design of this website is very interesting. On the homepage there is a paragraph about the purpose of the website and instructions on how to navigate through the website. Although this information is very useful it is the first thing that the viewer sees so the website is not very attractive. There are not a lot of other things on the homepage, which makes the homepage not very busy. There is an index on the left hand side of the page along with the top of the page. Even though there are aspects of the design that I do not like, I think that overall the

AAA Math features a comprehensive set of interactive arithmetic lessons. Unlimited practice is available on each topic which allows thorough mastery of the concepts.

This site is intended for Kindergarten through eighth grade, but is useful for both students and teachers. There is unlimited amounts of practice for various content for the students, but there is also lessons for the teachers. This website is very well designed. It's appealing to the eye and very easy to navigate for yourself. There is also a clear table of contents on the side which makes it easy to switch back and forth from different grade level or curriculum. This website offers a variety of tools for example games, practice problems, quizzes etc. There was also a clear author and sponsor for the site. The only thing I wasn't able to find was a revision date, but the type of math that was covered shouldn't have to be constantly revised. I think this website is very useful and if I end up teaching at the middle school level I will definitely introduce this website to my students and have them use it for practice.

Ben's Guide to US Government Overview: The purpose of this site is to either help students k-12 learn about our government and its history or help a teacher use it as a learning tool. The obvious intended audience is parents, teachers or students. The site has links to the government's web pages because it is sponsored by the government itself, those links and pages have thorough information as well. Overall my impression was positive, I think the way it is set up and targeting a more vast audience is efficient. Content: From first glance it is obvious what the site is about and who it is intended for. There isn't a direct author, but a page sponsor who put it together and revised it, the Government printing office themselves. They provide a link to contact them as well. The site was updated in 2009 which is pretty current, not much has changed if at all with the government and its history in the past two years. The quality of all the information is outstanding, providing links to each grade level for information for them as well as teaching tools for teacher and parents. In order to learn a few different things it takes interacting by clicking through pages which enhances the use. Further information outside of the site is shared through links on a separate page. Design: The basic design of this site is directed towards kids with a cartoon image of Ben Franklin displaying the page for viewers. The page is clear and easy to navigate; everything seems to work correctly. This guide to US government is presented in a well organized way with plenty of information making it worth visiting again.

Billie Slyman, 9/11/11 Purpose The purpose of this site is to give students a resource to learn about weather and how it affects people. There is enough information to be useful, but it's not overwhelming. There aren't any links to outside sites, which is a drawback. However, I still think this is a valuable site because it has good information, interactive content, and is well designed for students to navigate. Content This site does a good job of achieving its purpose of providing information for students. While there is a good amount of information, it is put in simple language and organized in a way to make it easy for students to understand. Many of the sections have interactive multiple choice questions, where students can click on a button and a text box will pop up and tell them if they are correct. The content seems accurate to me, and the developers (the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, for example) seem qualified to present this information. Design This website has a very nice design. Everything looks interesting for students but is still well organized and not cluttered. It is easy to find the information you want and navigate around the site. Also, the information on each page is split up into sections and has lots of pictures interspersed, so it isn't a huge block of text that could be intimidating to students. The pictures and charts are all relevant and aid in understanding the information given.

This website discusses the role of play in early childhood education

Kristin Gaines September 11, 2011 Overview- Overall, this is a very up to date and useful website. The purpose of this site is to learn about early childhood and what the research is telling us. The intended audience for this site is parents, teachers, and theorists who are interested in young children and how they develop. Content- The content of this site is very up to date and the information providers are credible as well. At a fist glance, you can tell what the basic content is and that it will be useful. Design- The design of this website is pleasing to the eye, although it is not a busy web page. The site has a clear table of contents and is extremely easy to navigate. There are many links associated with this site and they are all working and useful to the content of the site.

Overview: This website is targeted for students and is proken up into categorys these category's are ages 4-11, 11-16, and 16+. This website offers educational tools for subjects such as: geography, literature, science, math, music, numeracy etc. Content: Since I am focusing on math once you click the math tab a list of activity comes up (depending on which grade level you chose) under some of the activities there are sections where parents or teachers can have lesson plans, worksheets in order to help your student or child. Design: The design is fairly easy, if you were going to allow your students to use it in class you might need a fast tutorial so they are comfortable but all in all it is very easy. The site uses fun and bright colors so its appealing to students. Each activity has a description so once the student has read through each description they can decide what activity is most appealing to them.

This is a poor website about early childhood education

Kristin Gaines September 11, 2011 Overview- The purpose of the site is to inform users of children's play in early childhood education. The intended audience is parents and teachers. There are no available resources for this site and all the sources used are very outdated. This is not a credible website and should not be used. Content- The content of this website is outdated by over 13 years. It has not been updated since it was originally created and there is no way to contact the author of the article on the website. The purpose of this website is not reached, because the content can't be used since it is old data and research that the information was based on. Design- The design of this site is about as poor as its content. The site is lacking about everything a site needs to be considered a website. The only content on the whole webpage is a very outdated article about children's play. There is no table of contents, sponsor, contact person, multimedia, or links. Nor has the site ever been updated. Overall, the design of this site is lacking in every aspect possible.

Overview: This site had many games involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It could be used for all grade levels because you can adjust the level of difficulty on each game. There were daily puzzles, word games, math games, and printable activities. The site is meant to make math fun and it uses creative games to do that. The ability to adjust the difficulty level makes it great for a classroom because you can make the activities grow as the student's understanding grows. Content: This website loads quickly and has an eye appealing front page. There are suggestions of popular math games but there is also a website index at the top of the page. The index was organized into understandable categories. The games uploaded and played without pause to load. The brain teasers and games were correct to the best of my knowledge. There were also links to math trick videos and other game ideas. This website could be used in the classroom as a fun reward for students who finish their in class homework early. Design: The homepage downloads efficiently. The site sponsor, contact information, and date of last revision are not easily accessible. The website also does not run as well in other browsers. I was using Google Chrome. The list of links are very well organized and easy to use. Each link had a description of the game before you click on it to see what it is. The instructions for the games were easy to follow and very logical and concise.

This website provides educational games, daily puzzles, word games, and math games.

Aylin Márquez 13 September 2011 Overview: The Problem Site.com provides educational games, daily puzzles, word, and math games designed for teachers and Pre-K-12th grade students. Reference and printables tabs provide a free educational source for teachers. The site provides mathematical problems from previous years with their solutions included that influence students' analytical thinking. Interactive games are also designed to improve students' memorization. Content: Although the basic content of the site is easily determined, the user needs to check internal links to determine the intended audience of the site. If the audience is young children, they may need adult assistance to navigate within the site since the site has advertisements that can be considered inappropriate (games, dating sites, and etc.). The site has an overview that explains how the site was started and what it is about. A contact person and address are also available for users to ask questions. Both the site overview and contact information are located at the bottom of the site. Overall, the purpose of the site is clear, and the information appears to be accurate. Design: The homepage is designed well and downloads efficiently. It is appealing for mainly high school students and teachers. The user is able to navigate easily. The internal links work properly and are helpful and appropriate. However, there are advertisements that may not be appropriate for young children. The graphics and animations serve a clear purpose. A list of links is well organized, clearly labeled, and easy to use. The site also includes a search area where users can look for other educational sources.

Mandy Toll 9/11/11 Overview: I thought that this website was very useful in finding more information on presidents of the United States. This website's audience is mainly teachers who are looking for lesson plans on U.S. presidents. It tells you information about where the presidents are born with a lesson plan to teach students in grades third through fifth. It also tells you when they were presidents and how long they were. At the top of the page there are also other lesson plans on social studies units that you can choose from the drop down and also choose your grade level that the lesson plan is geared toward. I thought that this website was very easy to use and that it would be good for other lesson plans in the future for other social studies subjects because there are a lot of resources available on the website. Content: This website from National Geographic is easy to tell the content and audience of the site. Because it has lesson plans its audience is more likely teachers who are looking for lesson plans on the U.S. presidents. The information on the site is up to date and has material on it that is appropriate for learning more about presidents. The links to other sites are current and work well. The other lesson plans on the page for other social studies units also work well. The information on the website is well organized and easy to understand. The information on the website is also accurate and consistent with similar information in other sources. There are many links to other sites that have to do with the U.S. presidents from this website to help you further your knowledge and gain more information for doing a lesson plan on presidents. Design: I thought that the website was not very attractive however there are images and other things to engage you and let you know what the website is about. There are clear indicators all over the page to inform you on the contents of the site. I liked that you could choose other subject areas and choose you

John Ripley 9/12/11 Web Rangers Overview: This site is produced by the National Park Service (Department of the Interior) and I found it through the Yellowstone National Park website. It is listed under the heading "for kids" on the YNP homepage. The intended audience is kids, and not necessarily kids who have been to YNP or any other park. Content is varied and covers several different fields pertaining to history and natural science mostly. Content: The basic content of the site is not immediately clear, but once you navigate into the site a table of contents appears. While I could not find a date for the most recent revision, all the links of the site worked properly and I have no reason to think that anything on the site is out of date. The information is accurate as far as I can tell and fairly diverse. There are several different games under each subject heading. Design: This website looks like it was designed by the National Park Service with the logo in the top right corner of each page and the colors of the NPS on all the pages. The home page is not especially catchy and if I were not doing this assignment I would not go wandering around this site. However, once you get into the site to the contents and the games it gets a little more interesting. It's still not what I'd call exciting though.

Interactive tools are used for literacy learning. Many grade levels available and many different types of reading and writing skills.

Overview This site has so many useful tools for both students and teachers. Current teachers are the authors of this site which is very unique and useful. Teachers that are currently in the classroom know from experience what works and what doesn't and this site helps them share useful resources for other teachers. Not only is this site great for teachers and students but also for parents who want to get my involved in their student's education. Content This site is phenomenal in the amount of useful tools it provides. It has a tab for classroom resources which has lesson plans, student interactive, calendar activities, and printouts. The student interactivities section has a lot of resources for students who need assistance in writing. All grades are available on this site which is useful for all teachers. There is also a search bar along the left side that helps to narrow done the content and grade level for fast and easy findings. The parent section also has many great things that parent's can use to help their students. It's great to have a site that allows the parents to get involved even with their high school students. Design The design of this site is very organized and neat. It's really easy to find what you are looking for especially with the help of the search bar. The grade levels are categorized for easy use also. The interactive section is really easy to use. The directions are very clear and use to understand which is great for younger children. It's just a very user-friendly site and it's very professional looking.

Ryan Magrum Sept 15th, 2011 Overview: This site is a tour through the exhibits of a natural history museum. The purpose is to experience the museum without actually going there in person. There are many menu options on the home page for kids and for educational purposes. I like this site personally because for students it's like a field trip without ever having to leave the class room (computer room). The site seems fairly main-stream and appropriate for all ages. Content: This is the basic museum home page on the internet. The site has all the information for the museum (contact info, research and curation, business…). There are many links to other similar sites as well as games for kids and to resources for teachers and to merchandising. There are many pictures to lure the user into the site. In terms of the galleries page, The site is a basic tour with captions for each of the interactive picture of real things in the museum that explain what you are seeing in the picture - what a tour guide will tell you. The pictures are mostly for highlights of the museum geared to getting you to visit in person. There is a plethora of information within that is very easy for students and the public to learn from. Design: The site is easy to navigate. All the pictures and colors make the user feel welcome. At first, getting into the specifics of the site and finding what exactly you are looking for is a little difficult but the ease of navigation allows the user to orient their self in the contents after a little exploring. There is a search box so the user can search the site for specifics contributing even more to the ease of navigation. All the advertisements in the site are relevant to education and/or the museum and appropriate for kids.

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.

Overview: Knight Cite is a bibliography maker. You just plug in the information into the specified box and it creates a proper citation in MLA, APA or Chicago style for you. This site is intended for those needing guidance on how to cite their sources for any research project that requires one of the provided formats. I have been using this website since 5th grade and it has always been useful and correct. The sponsor updates the page on a regular basis, when the new handbooks come out. A very useful site for those needing help with their bibliography or teachers trying to instruct their classes on how to properly cite sources. Content: Overall Knight Cite is pretty skin and bones. It does not have many fancy features, but it serves its purpose well. The page is clear and easy to navigate. It allows you to cite practically any reference you can think of in the three major writing styles. Since the sponsor is a University, it is assumed that they are qualified to provide this information. The intended purpose for this cite is clear upon opening the page. They have links where you can contact the authors, and the information aligns with other bibliography websites. Design: Knight cite downloads nicely and is designed for streamline efficiency. Although there is no "welcome page" it is immediately obvious what the intended purpose of the site is. When you open it, it immediately gives you the blanks to fill out to create your bibliography. There are instructions incase you are still unsure how to use it, but it is not difficult. To move between styles, it is as easy as clicking a tab at the top of the page. Same for changing the type of resource you are using. The site is extremely helpful if you have many citations as it will save them as you go and then when you are don you merely have to copy and paste your completed bibliography.  

Korinne Thoren 14 September 2011 The Artist's Toolkit Overview: The Artist's Toolkit is a site for students around grades 5-8 that provides an interactive way to study the elements and principals of design. The site is a fun way for students to learn about important art concepts that are at the foundation of all works of art. Overall, this is a fun and educational site. Content: As previously mentioned, The Artist's Toolkit is a site designed to teach students about elements and principals of design such as line, space, balance, and movement. Examples and interactive games are provided for each concept giving the user the ability to see examples but also create their own work. The website contains a link of credits to the creators of the games, etc. but users must link back to the sponsor's page to find any contact information. This site would definitely be beneficial for younger students learning about basic design but would not work well for older students. Design: The design of this site is very appealing and student friendly and the same basic design is used throughout. The website does not, however, contain external links to other educational websites and some of the games did not work on the first loading. Information on the site is well organized and informative and there are lots of good graphics and sounds that enhance the overall site experience.

Trevor Santy Sept 14 2011 Overview: This site covers a multitude of subjects for varying grade levels. It is extremely user friendly and very easy to navigate. The main page has links going to individual subjects matters such as history. This site is very presentable with almost no ads, except for a few educational ones, on it and nothing to really distract students while on the site. My overall opinion is that it would be great for teaching as it also has a few recreational activities as well giving the site a multipurpose function; to teach and to be used as an extra activity if the time arises. Content: This site contains different activities for different subject matters such as history, math, science, and a few others. It also has a games tab that contains learning games for all ages ranging from the easy to some that are very challenging. Design: This websites design is extremely user friendly. With tabs to each subject and then banners to different activities. On top of that it has reference pages to other sites as well as a parents area and a preschool area. It also has contact info in its own tab. However, this site may be too flashy and distracting for some of the younger students so supervision while using this site is advised.

Oct. 7th 2012 Overview: This site is designed for educational entertainment and gaming. The content and design of this site make it evident that it was designed for children. This site offers many different resources for kids to access and use. The site includes games, pictures, polls, and even a parent teacher section. Content: While the site is obviously designed for children it contains many different categories and levels of learning. I would say the content ranges from a Pre-K to a fifth grade level. Although there is no clear indication of what game or program was designed for what level of student it is clear that some games are meant for the older elementary student. The site is also packed with seasonal games and activities, for example all of the Halloween games are broadcasted on the homepage right now. Design: This website is very eye appealing. The background is not just plain white and there are tons of interactive pictures posted on the homepage leading you to games and activities. All the designs are age appropriate for students in elementary although the load time could be faster.

Ryan Magrum Sept. 15th, 2011 Overview: The site is an online game site known as Armorgames.com consisting mostly flash games aimed at wasting time. However, there is a game Armorgames offers called CellCraft. While CellCraft is fundamentally a game, there are many aspects of it that are very educational. The goal of the game is to command a cell to grow and function as an animal and/or plant cell would and utilize all the functions and organelles as would an actual cell. The game explains all of the functions of the organelles you control and gives some information on the different parts of the cell, how the cell utilizes energy, and reproduces and fights off attack. The instruction in the game is similar to a high school biology class. Content: The game has multiple levels. Each level has a specific goal for the cell which the user controls. Each level also give some explanation of the new organelles available for use as well as the intentions of the antagonistic elements that an average cell has to deal with on a regular basis like infection and replication. The game has instruction for both plant and animal cells and all the included features of cells. It focuses on teaching the user how a cell operates and how to create a strategy to help the cell survive. The effects of the game are very close to reality - neglecting the very fine details. Design: It's a game. It comes with instructions. The game goes chronologically, so to speak, beginning from a time where the user can only move the cell around, to growing and fighting off infection, then to exploring new worlds and avoiding extinction. Just like in a biology class room, the student is expected to learn the basics and then think critically about problems using the basic knowledge to solve the problem, so does CellCraft. The game takes the user, educates the user on how a cell works (and I mean just about everything one would learn in a general biology class), and sends the user off to ke

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.