ITEC2360

A website guiding students to how the constitution was influanced and molded.

Over View: Activity Village is a website that allows children to explore various subjects from Thanksgiving, to Steve Irwin Day, to Japan. It gives children examples of activities that they can do to learn about their subject which includes color pages, crafts, some youtube videos, and geography if they are learning about a country. Content: This sites purpose is easy to determine. It is a free site where children can learn about various topics and subjects. Everything is free and can be printed easily. The audience is for younger kids, but there are subject areas for all the grade levels. This site would give kids a good introduction into a variety of subjects. Design: The design of this website is very child friendly. There are a lot of colors and the text is fairly large. I think that it is probably meant for teachers and parents to find the activities and give them to the children, but an older child would be able to navigate the page with little supervision.

Chemistry Professor Overview: Chemistry professor is a website that sells DVD's and chemistry notes intended to help a chemistry student. The website was recommended to me by my chemistry teacher from high school if I ever need good, extra material. I used his DVD's to study for the AP exam, and they were extremely valuable. They presented content in a unique way, however free general chemistry information can be just as good, such as the other website evaluation I submitted, General Chemistry Online. Content: The site's purpose is easy to determine, and it's also easy to determine the site is not free. The information is cited in the DVD's themselves, but not on the website. The courses offered by the site are well-organized and it's easy to determine what information will be covered in each course. The information quality is very good, and more in-depth than free informational websites. Somebody could learn enough chemistry to be almost as proficient as through college courses. Design: The site's design is minimal, and uses a simple color palette that makes information easy to see, and the site easy to navigate. Checkout directions are easy to follow, and are secured through PayPal. Information is current and well-presented, and the authors are available for contact through phone or e-mail.

Overview This site is made to teach children about art materials and how they are used by most artists. It gives examples of the types of art that can be made with each material, where the material comes from, how to use each material, how to care for each material, and the different types of each material, as well as a fun activity to bring them all together. It also has a teacher tab for each material that gives various activities you can do with each material. Content The content of this site it very accurate and the authors of the site are well informed. I rated this site as extremely useful and I would definitely bookmark it for future use. Design The design of this site is very easy to use and the content is easy to access. I rated the design very well designed and easy to use.

Overview This website is intended to teach children about the basics of preschool (colors, shapes, numbers, etc.) There are lots of fun games and the site has a voice to read to the kids if they can't yet or if there isn't an adult to read for them. Content The content of this site is very accurate and informational. Everything is easy to find and easy enough for children to navigate. I rated the content of this site as very useful and definitely worth bookmarking for future reference. Design The design of this site is very easy to use and the content is easy to access. I rated the design very well designed and easy to use.

Overview This site is intended to be a resource for parents and teachers to find activities and learn about different issues that can come up while working with kids. This site also has lots of valuable and fun games and activities for children to learn about preschool basics. Content The content of this site it very accurate and the authors of the site are well informed. The information for adults is easy to use and very informational while the information for kids is simple and easy to understand. I rated this site as extremely useful and I would definitely bookmark it for future use. Design The design of this site is very easy to use and the content is easy to access. I rated the design very well designed and easy to use.

Hannah Clucas. October 10, 2012. Overview: This website is a website that has educational powerpoints for teachers to use. It also has links to free templates, clip art, tutorials, and videos. The site is highly useful for teachers who are teaching grade levels from kindergarten to eighth grade. Some of the links, however, are useful for highschool grade levels. I found the site helpful but overwhelming. Content: There is an exhaustive list of powerpoints for all sort of content areas for grades k-8. There are also free templates and clipart for teachers to use. The external links are useful for teachers, parents, and students. There are links to educational gaming sites and to educational video cites as well. There are also links to sites that talk about topics and authors, such as F. Scott Figzgerald, which are for grade levels of ninth and higher. All of the content is useful and relevant. The only problem that could come up is that there is so much to choose from that it may take a lot of time to find what you want. Design: The design is colorful but very simple. It is well organized but it can sometimes take more than three clicks to get to what you are looking for. The powerpoints are very simple and not that aesthetically appealing. All of the links are in areas that are apparent but do not break up the logical flow of the website. Unfortunately there is no search bar and it can take quite a few clicks to find the information you are looking for.

Kacy Jo BaileyDate Reviewed: October 8th, 2012 Content: The purpose of this website is to get third grade children to work together to learn more about a specific planet in an engaging and interacting way. The content of this website seemed very informational. There were many links that lead to gain more information if anything was missed within the actual website its self. The content was easy to spot right away, and was very clear who the audience was. The website had content that was meant for the correct audience that was listed. The content of this website also had a page for teachers which made this website not only seem like a good tool for students, but teachers as well.  Design: Because this website was about planets and space there were space ship animations and there was also a starry background. This website also had a very attention grabbing homepage, which is great to get students interested in learning. This website was very easy to navigate for kids and adults as well. Although the website did not have a "how to navigate" page, it was not really needed. The website did have a table of contents for navigation, but you could also get to everything by simply continuing to scroll down the page.  Overview: Overall I thought this website was great, especially for a teacher! Teachers are always looking for inspiration and new ideas to make their classroom more interesting. They are also always trying to find new ways to get kids involved in learning and actually have some fun while doing it. I thought the website had some great ideas, some that I myself, as a future teacher would like to use someday. 

Kacy Jo Bailey October 8th, 2012 Content: The content of this website is for second grade students learning more about sharks. This website is a good way for kids to learn more about the diversity of animals we have in our environment, and how sharks are similar and different from other animals that we see everyday. The content of this website is clear, easy to understand, and easy for second grade children to work with. Some of the content is a little old, but for the most part this website still gives teachers the ideas they need to make a web quest similar to this one Design: The design of this website is relevant to it's topic. It is a website about sharks and it has sharks for animations, and a blue background to represent the ocean which sharks live in. This website is easy to navigate with it's layout. Things are clearly labeled and easy to find.  Overview: Overall this website is a great way to get kids involved with learning about sharks in groups and not just getting information from the teacher lecturing. The website has good information and links that are useful to further investigate the information that may not all be included on this website. 

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. 

brief overview of Alexander the Great.

Reader Response Criticism

An interactive tutorial for learning trigonometric identities, their uses, and trigonometric functions.

American Chemical Society Overview: The website is for all chemists, including members of the American Chemical Society, chemistry teachers, and students as there is chemistry information as well. There is also a 'new and research' scrolling bar that includes scientific news other than chemistry, as well as 'molecule of the week.'  Content: The site's purpose is not clearly defined at first besides that is is chemistry related. A little bit of digging is needed to find what a user is truly looking for, whether it is information on chemistry, chemistry careers, or the section for members of the American Chemical Society. The author and copyright date are easy to find. The education tab is very useful, providing links to science experiments for kids, programs for undergraduate and graduate students, workshops, and funding and awards for chemistry students. There is also funding for researchers and applications for having information published.  Design: The website's design is good, but has some holes. For one, the website does not load effectively in Internet Explorer, and the homepage does not load efficiently. The homepage has strong eye appeal, however it has a lot of information in a small space, and makes it hard to find or even determine what a user is looking for. The homepage's visual appeal and interesting sections such as 'molecule of the week,' 'cool science,' and 'everyday chemistry' make the site eye-catching and cause the user to stay and take a look around. 

General Chemistry Online Overview: General Chemistry Online is a website for general chemistry students intented to help students learn general chemistry basics thought FAQ's, featured articles, tutorials, and other tools. The article included are incredibly interesting, from a chemistry standpoint, and can spark interest in chemistry. There is also a Common Compound Library that has over 800 common compound names, formulas, and structures, which could be useful past general chemistry and into organic chemistry. Overall, the site is a very valuable tool.  Content: The site's purpose is easy to determine with a quick look at the home page. The information is liberally cited when necessary, and the author is qualified to be publishing such information. The sponsor is Frostburg University, and that is clearly identifiable. The information is current, as general chemistry does not change frequently or quickly. The content of the site is well organized, and it is easy to find the information you are searching for, as the homepage is somewhat of a table of contents.  Design: The design isn't fancy or even eye-catching, however it does not need to be. The design is simple, and easy to use to find the information desired. It was designed for an older audience learning general chemistry, and bright colors or fancy graphics would get in the way of information and be distracting. All of the internal and external links are working, and each section of the site and each link serves a clear purpose. 

Content: The content of this website is clearly displayed at the top of the page. The ages of audience is not displayed, I would estimate the information useful for grades 5-8. The author is displayed and some background information is given, but, there is no way to contact him. I did not see a date of latest revision. The information is pretty timeless and so does not need revised much. The site does have advertisements that are not related to education, which may be bothersome. There are some links to other science related websites by the same author. Design: The homepage is quick to load and easy to navigate. There are a few graphics and images that support the information, but, not so many that it becomes a hindrance. The site seems compatible with different browsers. Included at the end of the lesson there are additional links to more topics. Purpose: To give information in regards to Astronomy and the Universe. It is well laid out and gives information in a logical order. Audience: Based on the content I would assume that the grades that would make the most use of this website would be 5th-8th. Resources: At the end of the lesson there are 11 links to related materials. The links work and are to reliable sources of scientific information. Impression: I like the website, it presents information that may be daunting in a relate able way, and even gives real world examples. The quizzes at the end help students to solidify the information they have gathered

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.