ITEC2360

Regene DePiero 9/5/2011 Overview: This site is geared toward students in math courses.  It provides a number of online calculators to help solve anything from equations to derivatives.  Its layout is a little confusing after in depth exploration.  Some links do not work or content listed is not what is actually provided.  Also calculators do not offer step by step explanation which only helps students get an answer, and not learn anything about the process.  From a teacher's perspective, not an ideal tool for actually learning math. Content: There is no clear author or sponsor listed.  Information appears to be correct but many of the calculators do not return answers for many problems attempted.  There are almost no actual math explanations provided, only tables and answers.   There is no revision date listed, merely a copyright date at the bottom of the page.  There are links to other pages on the site but most are actually ads and not specifically sponsored but the site itself.  Several links are broken, however there is a link to contact for more information.   Design: This site is confusing to navigate.  What appear to be links to other pages on the site are actually ads.  Several links either do not work or bring you back to the page you were on.  The calculators seem like helpful interactive tools until put into use.  They are difficult to use and there is not a good explanation as to how to input the problem so that they are solved properly.  Also several calculators don't even return an appropriate answer.  Links to "courses" and "lessons" actually only bring you to pages with tables of equations.

The content for this site is very well put together. It is a site where you can go and start a new language and you can either start a free trial or pay to use it. It might be similar to Rosetta Stone. It has a easy to use box that will start you with the basics of the language you are trying to learn.The design is simple you have the unit and lesson at the top of the square saying what one you are on. On the left had side there are boxes with learn, review, write, and speak. Once you have completed all of those levels you are able to use the skill builder exercises to improve your skill. In the middle of the box is a picture with the word of phrase you are trying to learn. Underneath is a rewind play and fast forward button so you can move back and forth from picture to picture. I think that although this could be done from beginning to end I didn't find a way for someone who already knows some words. I also don't think that the exercises were very fun and one would get bored after a while and either stop paying attention or their motivation would die so they would want to do something else.  I am also not sure who the author is or what date it was updated, the only information it said was copyright in 2011.

Brick Cegelski 9/5/11 Overview: For Geography Teachers is a website that is designed to help teachers. It is hard to follow and is overloaded with links. The content is jumbled and it takes some time to find what you are looking for. I would not use this site to help me as an educator. Content: At first look the website doesn't look very good. It takes a while to find the content that would be helpful. The author is clearly identified and information is given about the author. The sponsor of the site is not identified and there is no information on how to get into contact with anyone involved with the site. There is no revision date and some of the links are broken and/or do not lead to anything that is helpful. Some links are useful but most that work are too simple and do not pertain to my needs as a teacher. The content is not well organized, making it hard to understand and to navigate. There isn't any interactivity on the site that makes it better. Design: The homepage is bland and does not catch your eye. The site sponsor is not clearly identified and there is no contact information. There aren't any directions for using the site. Many of the links are not useful and/or are broken. The sites graphics do not serve a purpose and do not contribute to the site. There is insufficient information and I would not use this site. The information is hard to find because of how many links are present.

Overview: the Between the Lions website is a very good website for both students and teachers. It gives teachers ideas to make reading and learning more fun for young students. It also has games right on the site that students can enjoy and learn to read without really knowing they are learning. The games do take a little long to load though and I'm sure children would get very impatient with that Content: The content of this website seems to very reliable. There are stories kids can read themselves, there are video clips and games. They all seem to be helpful and very fun. If I found them helpful I'm sure the young learners would too. The website also offers tips to teachers and parents about how to help their children and students have fun while reading. It does not give a specific age group. Design: The layout of this website is very user friendly. It is very easy to navigate. Children using this site would have no problem at all figuring it out. It is very colorful and designed cleverly. On the home page when you scroll over the picture they talk to you. For example, if you scrolled over the words stories, the character would say "stories". I think the design is great I would use it in my classroom.

Overview: The website is great and has many different websites that teachers can use for free to assist them in their everyday teaching. Diigo.com is number three on the list. This website is not only just for bookmarking but gives websites for research, different apps on Google, and even lesson plans. Content: The content of this website is very helpful. It gives teachers so many good tools. There are websites for templates and lesson plans, research and reference, bookmarking, games, reading and writing and the list goes on and on. I think it is a great tool, maybe for more than just elementary school teachers. Things such as Diigo and Google Maps can be used at any level. I would use this website in my classroom and for my own benefit. Design: The design of the website is lacking in flare which could cause people to easily overlook it. It is very easy to navigate though. It gives you the link to the website and a short explanation of what the website is used for. All of the links are up and running and work how they are supposed to. The one thing I really didn't like about the website is the amount of advertisements that were on it. It could cause someone to question the credibility of the site. Overall, I think the site was designed well.

Kandase Quinn 9/5/11 Overview: Made for teachers teaching K-12. This website gives lesson plans for all different grade levels and all different subjects. It is clear and easy to use and I found it useful when thinking of new ways to present different material to students. Design: Lay out is easy to navigate throughout the different links. They have a contact link and the copyright is clearly stated. Texts are all readable and all links and pictures worked. Content: This site has printable, assessments, special needs resources and lesson plans by subject and theme. There are also many other links on this site to get more information that this site may not have.

Katrina Swanson February 26, 2013 The intended purpose of this website is to provide teachers from many different grade levels access to creative and fun lesson plans, printables and other fun activities to include in their classrooms. Content: This website contains a lot of material that is very informational and helpful to teachers. There are links to almost any subject and more to incorporate into a classroom. Design: The design of this website is attractive but pretty basic. It is for teachers to use not students, and this is very clear just from looking at the different pages. Everything runs smoothly and the links seem to be working properly!

Kandase Quonn 9/5/11 Overview: This website is where all teachers can go look and share lesson plans. There where so many ads that I could barely tell what I should be trying to look at. I don't see myself going back to this website anytime soon. The idea behind this site is great but it needs more work! Content: There are many lesson plans and ides on this website that it seem like it would be a really great place to go as a teacher to share ideas and find new ones. The links are all clumped together and some don't even work. They do have contact links and the copyright date. Design: The lay out is simple when you get pass all the ad's and extra links they have on here. It was easy to navigate when using the tabs located at the top. Besides that the rest was just list of links without any real order.

Brian Peterson9/6/11Overview K5learning.com is a website targeted at parents who want their children to do really well in math or reading at a young age. Many resources are available to learn about the website before becoming a member. In my opinion this is a very good website for parents who want to actively be involved with their children's learning.Content As a nonmember of the site only a few things are accessible. These things help tell you what the site has to offer and even allow you sample the lessons available on the website. This makes it very nice to see if it is in fact something you would like your child to learn from. Design The design of the website is very simple but has enough flashiness to bring you into it. With a simple way to navigate the pages most anyone can figure out how to get around it quite easily. This makes it very nice for parents and their kids to be able to utilize this website more effectively.

Overall: The website that I chose for my good example was Mrs. Herbies Kindergarten Web site. This was a website for teachers to go to get help setting up their own websites. It had links to example pages with ideas of what would be helpful to parents to know what is going on with their kids' school day. I tihknk this is an example of a good educational website because it was organized well, it was bring and had relevant graphics. The website also showed that it was recently updated and had contact information in case of questions. Content: At first glance it is easy to determine basic content, you know that this is a teacher website creator by the graphics and titles. Both the author and sponsors are listed through titles and at the bottom. All of the links were up and running. They all were worthwhile examples of her work or links to email in case of help. Design: The website uploaded quick and efficiently in multiple browsers. It is colorful and really catches your eye even as it begins to download. As I mentioned copyright, sponsors, author and clear titles were all present. Information and links were easily directed through and were current, useful information. The same format was used throughout the whole site. Last date revised was listed as 2011.

Overall: The website I used for my bad example was called Kindergarten Games. The game for this website is unclear on what teachers or students are supposed to learn. It shows some requirement for multitasking but is not complex enough to really take something from this. Where to go for help is not clear and only the sponsor is listed. The author was not listed; only the game is "information" on this website. Content: The basic content is unclear for whether this game is for teachers or for students. The author is not stated nor links for help. The sponsor is listed as a game site for teachers' and children. Since the author was not listed I cannot determine if he or she is qualified to give information. The website also failed to give dates to validate currency; the purpose is not clear for who/what is going on. The game is not complicated enough for teachers and too much is going on to explain to kindergarteners. Overall too much is missing from this website for it to be a decent, valid place to seek help/information. Design: The website downloaded efficiently and has strong eye appeal; the sponsor was identified and there was a space to leave comments but no information to contact. The copyright date was not established nor was the most recent update. There is a tutorial telling directions how to play the game but not who it is directed towards or the objection of the game. The only links were leading to different games by the sponsors; the music went along with the game as did the graphics. It was not a big enough site and did not contain enough information to navigate through it.

Overview: Even though the URL, on this site appears to be of a significant source, it is not. The site goes into detail what cyber bulling is, but it doesn't present any facts or statistics about cyberbulling, or states where it had obtained its information from. It also tends to take a more emotional view on the issues, instead of presenting information. Content: While it is easy to identify the basic content that is presented, and identify who the audience is, it doesn't provide specific material as to whom the author is in this site, as well as where they obtained their information from. The sponsor is not clearly identified as well, and it also doesn't state how current the information is. There is also a significant amount of bias presented in this article, and there are no obvious links at first glance. Website Design: Overall, I wasn't impressed with the design of this website. Even the the homepage, has a strong eye appeal, and makes the purpose of the website well know, it doesn't provide a clear method of organization such as an index or table of context. This site also doesn't clearly identify the sponsor of the site, how to contact them, as well as the copyright date. This site does use a significant amount of multimedia, and has browser compatibility, but the way the content is presented, is lacking. The information is not easy to navigate through, and the list of links are not easy to use. It also doesn't date when the site was last updated, or provide you with other links.

Overview- This site overall is a great resource for teachers looking for a lesson plan about the United States Presidency. There is not much question in its credibility, due to the fact that it comes directly from the US Mint. It can help any social studies teacher, no matter the grade level because it offers a variety of lesson plans. Though, it fails to offer anything interactive for the student to partake in. The only thing it gives is factual information, with very little interaction. Content- Within the site they make it very easy for a teacher to identify where they can access lesson planes. It also gives lesson plans for all ages. So no matter what grade you teach you are able to find the lesson plan that fits your age range. The sponsor is clearly labeled, but I was unable to find an author for both the site and lesson plans. Other than that, the website content is very helpful if you are looking for a lesson on the US presidency. Design- The design is easy to use, but it is not very eye catching. It uses basic graphics that get the job done, but overall not too great. Its main focus is to deliver content and help with information. All links work well. Not much time spent on trying to make it look good.

Overview- This site provides relevant and educational news stories for both kids and teachers based on the selected subject. The content is put together from many sources and reviewed by members of the site. Credibility for some news sources is pretty questionable at times. Though, they still always site all information for all news stories provided. They even have a part of the site dedicated to teachers, but could not get into it because it takes a membership. Content- A lot of information on a variety of subjects solely designed to inform kids. The only problem with it is some of the news sources have questionable credibility. Also, they do not fully specify whom the person is writing the article. It would be a great way to inform kids on current events, but it is just hard to tell whether the information is accurate. Design- The design is pretty great. It has an easy to use format that allows kids to look for articles they are interested in with ease. It is very eye catching and just has a fun design that keeps you interested. Many images to go along with each article provided.

Overview- This site is another great find. Overall it is a great research tool for both teachers and students in a closed encyclopedia format. It is a credible source and allows you to see the credentials of all contributors to the site. When you look up content it shows you the information and links to other credible sites with similar content. The only draw back about the content is the fact that it provides little information on mathematics and science. Other than that, it is a great tool for researching information. Content- This site is a great research tool. Every search made brings up relevant information. When you do find what you are looking for, the information is clearly organized, and easy to get main topics. Also, all information is usually backed up by some source, and even gives links to those sites that help contribute information. The site even has a dictionary link that can be used right on the spot. It is an amazing research tool for any teacher and/or student looking for information related to the social sciences. Design- This is a site that has put a lot of work into making searching for information easy. Everything is easy to find, and clearly labeled. It is pretty eye catching. They put a lot of effort in this site and it really does show in its easy to use, functional design.

Overview- The site itself does not have much content regarding information at all, but it still is a great research tool. Rather than having information on the site, it acts as a home base in finding relevant and credible sites and tools for kids. It is easy to find other sites regarding the content you are interested in. Everything it suggests for you can become a great tool in either research or studying. Content- This website overall is pretty good. It is very credible for the fact that it is created by and maintained by Kent State University to help provide information to students. The site itself gives you links to information and research about any subject relevant to a student in grades K-8. It is like any other database used in libraries around the country, but is centered on helping kids. It allows them to search for information without worrying about if the site is credible or now. Design- The design is very kid friendly. Everything is easy to find and visually appealing. There was a lot of work done to this site to make sure that kids would be both interested and able to use the software. Every link was usable and always came up with a credible source.

this is a great collection of quotes by the one and only kurt vonnegut jr. not entirely informative, but fun to read.

Ryan Magrum Sept 15th, 2011 Overview: The purpose of this site is to provide information and updates in science in the form of news articles to the general educated public. There are links to scientific news magazines as well as links to other scientific web sites. My overall impression of this site is that it is easy to read and navigate and there is a plethora of knowledge available within the contents. It's great for students studying specific topics in science to read. Content: PhysOrg, at first glance, is not flashy and aimed at consumers. The main goal of the site is general knowledge and entertainment in the form of scientific reading. The articles, with topics ranging from nano-science to medicine, are written with very few technical terms making the content easy to comprehend by the average educated individual including high school students with background instruction in the topic of interest. The articles are news updates on the emergence of new things in science sometimes with a brief explanation of the mechanism behind the new discovery complete with figures. Such articles would be a great starting point for a research paper. The articles also include hyperlinked citations to the primary sources. There are many links to other scientific news sites. Design: This site is not aimed at attracting a passerby web surfer. The target audience is attracted to the content within and already has a general idea of what they want to get out of PhysOrg. Therefore, the site is made easy to navigate and less flashy with few advertisements and the ads on the site are related to the scientific topics and links on the site. For example: an ad for paper that is really white for printing off the articles to read as a hard copy while making the articles easier to read. The links to the articles are strait forward not to bias clicking on any specific article if in the "spotlight stories" area. All the articles are arranged for the navigator to find specific arti

Overview: This website is a good website for teachers who need fun and creative ideas for many different activities and lesson for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners. The last time this webpage was updated was in 2010, this is fairly recent, since that is within the last year. There are a variety of activities, games, quizzes, and many printouts. The intended audience is teachers who are looking for ideas. I love this website. It was easy to navigate and gave me a ton of great ideas and printouts I can use. Content: This website is full of links, all of which work, that lead to many different types of content from letters and numbers to animals to coloring pages. Within each of these sub-headings there are many activities and ideas to use for the children in your class. Each section and sub-sections are clearly defined and have pictures that correspond. The last update was last year, this seems to be a while ago, but since material for pre-k does not change drastically in a year, it is still up to date. There is not any information on the author, so that is lacking, but overall the content on this website is up to date and easy to access. Design: The design of this website has all links well defined and organized. There are pictures that also correspond to all of the links and headings. There is easy navigation throughout the whole website and everything is easy to access. Everything is up to date. There are a few varieties of media, mostly in the form of words and images. There is a copyright, also with a description as to how the website can be used for educational purposes.

Lacey Glenn September 6, 2011 Overview: I found this website through my special education class. It gives resources that are available for anyone looking to find positive behavioral support and ideas. I found this website to be very informative and helpful. Content: The information in this website is reliable and helpful. I was able to easily find information on behavioral management that I will be able to use as a reference when teaching in the public school setting. Design: The home page of this website is inviting and easy to look at. There aren't any ads that pop up and prohibit you from looking at the content of the site. The tabs are easy to identify and take you directly to the related fields. I really like this site and how easy it is to navigate.