ITEC2360

Overview: This site is clearly for students K-8 as well as teachers and parents. It is a site about the weather that is benefical to students, teachers, and parents. Students can explore the weather, teachers can find lessons and experiments, and parents can help teach their kids at home. Content: It provides alot of information about the weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, clouds, rain and floods, thunderstorms, lightening, wind, etc. There are lesson plans, experiments, and science fair projects ideas for students and teachers. It provides a lot of useful and helpful information by the author. She is a meterologist. She also provides games, flashcards, and facts about weather safety for students to help them learn. Design: This web site looks like it was designed mainly for students. It's got lots of graphics and I think it would be appealing to them. Since it's for kids, it's easy to use and navigate through. It seems like a fun site that I think kids would enjoy.

Overview: The purpose of this site is to serve as a professional development aid for teachers as well as a classroom tool. It covers all grade levels and all subjects which makes it useful for the whole school or a whole school district. Design: The design is kind of all over the place. There doesn't seem to be any unifying theme or color scheme. The home page is boring to look at and has too much coming at the viewer all at once. It was also difficult to figure out what the primary purpose of the site was. Content: The content is actually pretty good but the site is really more of an educational catalog rather than a free aid for individual teachers. This site then only becomes truly useful if a school pays for it. The "interactive" history section was dreadfully disappointing as there was nothing interactive about it. Overall I would not use this site in the future but it still has uses for some school systems.

Overview: This site is mainly for teachers to help improve their skills and knowledge and by providing information that is useful for them to view for free or purchase. Although this site can be helpful, I think it needs some additional work. It provides videos and workshops for teachers which can be beneficial. Content: The content is clear and easy to navigate although I had a little trouble finding the lessons for students or teachers. One problem I noticed was I couldn't find other links to web sites. The authors weren't clearly identified and there was no information on them. This site is also for others to use. There are lessons that students can learn from on their own at home. It covers Arts, Foreign Language, Literature and Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and History. Teachers and students of all ages can find lessons or material to learn from. Design: The design of the web site is good. The homepage is organized. Other than the homepage, I didn't notice many graphics; however, there are videos of workshops that teachers can view from their own home. The other pages could use more interesting graphics and this site needs to provide other links to other sites.

David D Castle 2/7/12 Overview: The site consists of a huge list of links to other sites that provide lesson plans, activities, resources, museums and exhibits. The intended audience is teachers, and most of the links are for Spanish and French classes. The site doesn't seem very professional, and is takes time to navigate. There are only three main categories of links, but every entry is just listed in alphabetical order. Content: Most of the links don't work, and there's no information concerning copyright, dates of revision, how to contact the creator, or if the site is commercial or solely informational. The categories are very broad, and it's hard to find a refined or precise link for what a teacher might need. Because most of the links are broadly named and described, it's difficult to find anything precise. This site is not worthwhile. Design: The site loads properly, but nearly all of the links are dead ends. There aren't any graphic or audio files, and because the homepage has so many links it's unappealing and difficult to use. Because the links don't work, there isn't sufficient information to make the site worth visiting. There's no date of revision or copyright information, and there's no way of knowing where the information came from. I'm no expert on web design, but this seems pretty terrible.

David D Castle 2/7/12 Overview: The site provides access to worksheets, lesson ideas, and other classroom activities, but requires yearly subscription. There are links to other educational websites (some free), Facebook, and Twitter. School subject pictures immediately grab your attention and provide links to worksheets, but without being a member it always brings up a "join now" page. Content: The content presented on TeachFuzz would be very useful for elementary teachers because it provides not just worksheets but lesson ideas, calendars, themes, and other miscellaneous activities. The links to other sites work well, but none of the links within the site are available without subscription. There is both a toolbar of subjects near the top of the page and a set of large graphics depicting the subjects. Design: The site seems well-designed and easy to navigate. The icons are large and clear, leaving little room for confusion. The site isn't cluttered with advertisements and links to tons of other sites which is nice. This site also has a custom search box in the middle of the screen provided by Google, which would be very convenient when looking for a specific worksheet or assignment.

David D Castle 2/7/12 Overview: The site provides access to worksheets for K-12 teachers but requires a subscription to access the majority of the content. There are links to other sites for free worksheets, but access is limited without a subscription. Though at a cost, the site appears to be worthwhile. You can generate your own worksheets within the site, as well as upload pictures, submit artwork, and play brain-training games. Content: The site covers almost every subject and provides worksheets for all of them. The purpose is clear, and a subscription can be purchased directly from the homepage. The site looks professional but isn't clearly organized. It has copyright information and a 'contact us' button, but doesn't say exactly who the site creator is. Design: Without subscribing, the site doesn't provide sufficient information to make it worth visiting. It does provide links to free sites and gives you a pretty clear idea about what the site contains, but it overly organized. The directions to subscribing are clear, it appears professional, and it offers multiple resources.

Katherine Kerpchar ITEC2360 I found this site to be very easy to navigate and easy to understand. This site also had a lot of good information about the elements and principles of art. This site was not very visually appealing though and did not have very easily found contact information. I couldn't find any information on the last update or the author of the information. It was also impossible to find any contact information to the site with no "about us" page  or anything else of that sort. 

Katherine Kerpchar ITEC2360 I found this website to be incredibly helpful, but very cluttered and hard to navigate. The information I found was very helpful and recently updated, and the links to other sites worked properly. The content was not very organized and was not very easy to understand. And the external links had very little to do with the content of the actual webpage. It was hard to navigate between the different links, and there are little to no instructions on how to go from link to link. The content was hard to find and the good information was overshadowed by the poor layout of the site. 

OVERVIEW: The purpose of teachingbooks.net is to give teachers (as well as librarians) good book ideas. One helpful resource the website includes is a search area in which you can type in a book or an author. There is also an area where you can look up different author websites (you do, however, have to be a member of teachingbooks.net). My first impression of this website was fantastic! The book search engine alone would make me want to return to this site. CONTENT: I did not find any problems with the content of Teaching books. There were links to other sites and the content is well organized. It is clear to anyone that the website provides an informational purpose. Teachingbooks.net is also updated daily which can be seen at the bottom of the home page. DESIGN: Like the content of this website, I did not find any problems with the design . Navigation was extremely simple. When a link is clicked the page downloads quickly. The home page has good eye appeal. There is a neat table of contents at the top of the page and the author/title search engine is front and center and easy to see. The information is helpful to anyone aspiring to be an elementary school teacher or librarian which makes the site worth visiting. Overall, teachingbooks.net is a wonderful website that I would recommend to others.

OVERVIEW: The purpose to explore readingrockets.org is to learn how to teach small children how to read and to see research that has been done on children reading. The audience for this website includes parents, teachers, principals, librarians, school psychologists, school counselors, and speech pathologists. If you fit into one of these specific categories all you need to do is click on the link at the top of the home page. There are numerous resources available on Reading rockets ranging from videos on how to teach reading to resources for school psychologists helping struggling readers. The Reading rockets website gave me a fantastic first impression. One of the first things I did on this site was watch a movie and I learned many new and interesting things! CONTENT: Like all of the other websites I reviewed, the content of readingrockets.org was fabulous. The information given seemed to be accurate and the content is complete. The information was easy to understand and extremely interesting. If anybody was struggling teaching a child to read, this is the first site I would direct them to. It does a wonderful job satisfying the need of teaching literature and reading. DESIGN: There is a lot going on at the home page of readingrockets.org, but it is well organized and easy to navigate. There is a table of contents bar with links not only on the top but also on the left side. All of the links work great. I did not experience any problems with getting to a specific web page on the site. Finally, the website is current with a 2012 copyright date at the bottom of the home page. Overall the design of Reading rockets is fantastic.

Jonathan Krajnak 9/14/11 Overview: Scholastic's site covers a seemingly incredible amount of useful information for educators. It's pretty clear and straightforward, none of the information buried or misrepresented. There are a few sections that require a subscription, but most of the information is readily available. Content: The site includes several things that can be valuable to teachers. Among them you can find lesson plans, tools, tips. There's even a section for new teachers. There's an area dedicated to parents which helps educators because it gives parents a general knowledge of what kids need socially, cognitively, and physically. It also promotes and helps parents understand how to get involved in this aspect of their child's life. For the kids, there's a large interactive section. However, it's mainly geared towards ages 8-12. Design: The site easy very easy to navigate and professionally presented and designed. The presentation itself is appropriately tailored to whatever section you're viewing. (Namely between adults and children.) Couldn't find anything wrong with it.

OVERVIEW: The purpose of the Scholastic website is to help children to learn to read and also to provide teachers with lesson and book ideas. Librarians and administrators can also take advantage of this website to learn to teach certain students and learning of the newest authors. Some of the resources this website provides are tips on how parents can teach their children to read, as well as games that kids can play. The Scholastic website gave me a wonderful first impression. I would definitely use it in my classroom or library and recommend it for others to explore. CONTENT: The content of scholastic.com was amazing. The general audiences are easily seen in the table of contents on the top of the home page. Grammar and spelling all seem to be correct and the information on the site is simple to understand. Like the last website I reviewed, it was difficult to find a sponsor. This was the only flaw that I was able to see. DESIGN: Scholastic has provided the public with a beautifully designed website. The home page is neatly organized with easy to read font and not too much going on. It is nice and simple. It is easy to navigate between pages and there are no incorrect links. There is plenty of information that makes the site worth visiting. The same format is used consistently throughout the website which makes it even more professional and organized.

OVERVIEW: The purpose of this website is to provide teachers and librarians with good book ideas. Some of the resources the Children's Literature Network's website provides include recommended authors and new book ideas. There are videos that discuss the general plots of books to help teachers and librarians decide if they should include that book in their class room or library collections. My first impression of this website was that it had a lot of useful information that I would use in my classroom. This was a fantastic and helpful website. CONNTENT: As I filled out the website content evaluation form for the Children's Literature Network, I saw that I hardly marked anything in the "No" or "N/A" columns. It was easy to see who the general audience was for the website and what its purpose was. The content was well organized and the author (Children's Literature Network) is given. The one area that I did not see on the checklist, however, was information on the author. Otherwise, the content of the website was great. DESIGN: The design for the website was wonderful as well. The home page (and all of the other pages) was attractive and there was a clear table of contents at the top of each page. It was simple to navigate between pages. When I clicked on a specific link, I was taken to where I expected i was going to end up (there were no dead ends). The Children's Literature Network also updates its website every day, so you know you are getting current information.

Overview: This website is designed to assist teachers in making lesson plans for their classroom. This website is usedful because it is intended for a large range of audience from Pre-Kindergarten through 12 grade. Content: This website is organized so that users can quickly and efficiently find their needed subject lesson plans. This is also dependable because the sponsor and the authors are listed, along with contact information. The links that are posted are current and work properly. There is a lot of information, the only argument could be that there is too much and it may distract the user. Design: This website has much color and many designs. It is appealing to the user because it is navigable because of the graphics. It is also very organized so that the user can quickly find the section they are in need of and click on the link that leads directly to the needed information.

Courtney Lovell February 2, 2012 Overview: The purpose of this is to give teachers materials and lesson plans. The intended audience is educators in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. This site allows teachers to past lesson plans they have used so that others can have them for their resources. I think this website is great the only drawback is you have to sign up to use it. This is a free website and I will use it for my future references. Content: This site is very useful. At the first glimpse it is very clear what the website contains. The author of the site I available and so is a way to contact the author. The site is very organized and easy to use. The information on this site is very reliable and easy to understand. The only quality this site is lacking is the revision dates. Design: The design of this website is fantastic. It has great speed and the homepage is eye appealing. The links on this site work properly and are useful. Multimedia works well and the browser compatibility is effective for multiple browsers. Information is easy to find on this site and is easy to use. The site is lacking directions for using it properly but is a good tool for teachers.

Bradley Sharpski 2/6/12 Overview: This site is very helpful to any teacher. I have used this site before and it comes in hand when looking for any type of lesson plan. From what I have found, this site contains just about everything a new teacher could want. It has lesson plans on all subjects, helps you even create lesson plans, gives you links to other educational sites and just a community base when you need help with anything. Content: This site is easy to locate and uploads very fast. The information providers are not really easy to locate and this site shows it hasn't been updated in the past few months. The quality of this site is very good. The content is correct and offers sufficient information to the subject at hand. This site seems very organized and seems to have no grammar errors. There are links to other sites which have helpful lesson plans related to what you're looking for and provide them to all. Design: The homepage is very easy to navigate through and allows the user to find almost any lesson plan on any subject. The homepage contains the sponsorship and when it was first created as well. The navigation of this site is great. There are links to everything which is very helpful. The multimedia of the site is hard to find. I had trouble with this but looking through some lesson plans, the site provides links to multimedia sites which you can use from there. After looking through this site, the content seems to be in working order and presented very well. This site seems to be up to date and has tons of links to follow which could be very helpful.

Bradley Sharpski 2/6/12 Overview: This site is very interesting to look at since it has so many links to what parents can do, teachers and even students. It has a statement upfront to why they have lesson plans and how they will be helpful and who wrote them. This site offers plans for all subjects and all grade levels which is very helpful. Looking through the lesson plans, it's easy to see that there easy to follow and gives you everything a teacher could need. Content: This site contains information on every subject and very easy to follow. The website has the information of who created it and providers. If there is any question it gives you links to follow and can ask questions there if needed. The quality of the information is good. This is a Discovery site and from what I know, they always keep their sites up to date and have correct information. The site is very well organized and consistent. I found there to be no grammar errors or really any mistakes. The site also provides links to other sites which could be helpful for more lesson plans. Design: The homepage of this site is easy to locate and navigate in. The multimedia of this page is very good and has interesting videos. The content of this site is presented very well and gave me no troubles at all. This site seems to be up to date and revised thoroughly. It even gives links to other sites that may have similar lesson plans that could be helpful.

Bradley Sharpski 2/6/12 Overview: This particular website is for teachers to look at and get ideas for lesson plans on science and biology. This website contains tons of helps lesson plans and activities that all grade levels would enjoy. This website would is very fun to look at already and would be perfect for an incoming teacher that is just starting out and needs some good ideas. This site has interesting lesson plans and gives you activities and other helpful plans even for what to do on the bus. Overall this site is worth going to and looking at these great plans. Content: This website is very is to locate and very easy to find where to go for teachers to find lesson plans and other activities. This site doesn't have its author's right up front for you to look at but if there is any trouble, there is a contact tab that will take you to some one that will help you. All there is not an exact date as in month and day; it does tell us that it is updated in 2012. So I believe that would work. The quality of the information given is appropriate for school age children and helps provide teachers with great ideas. This site is very organized, easy to understand and the information I found to be sufficient related to the needs at hand. Design: This site is very is to use and uploads very fast. The lesson plans that need to be downloaded are fast and I didn't seem to have any problems with them. The homepage attracts you and the sponsors are provided and copyright is given at the bottom of the screen. This site is very is to navigate and gives you no trouble when looking around. This site works on macs as well and multimedia is awesome. This site contains tons of videos about animals and other great things. This site has it information located at the bottom of the page is easily located and up to date. There are links to other sites about animals but not helpful things a teacher could use.

Overview: This website serves as a creative online music environment for children of all ages. Kids are able to compose music and play with musical performance. It also includes many music games and puzzles and educational facts about music. I think this is a great site for children learning music and expanding their music knowledge. The content of this site is very educational and the design is very kid friendly and of high quality. Content: The information provided in this website is straight to the point and its purpose is easy to determine. Author information is clearly identified and easily available. The purpose of this site is clear and the overall content is great for children learning aspects of music. Design: The design of this website is very kid friendly and easy to navigate. It is definitely a site aimed more for kids than for adults including many graphics but very little text. All information is organized and labeled well and can be found easily. The information is sufficient making this site worthwhile.