ITEC2360

Matt Goldman October 13, 2014 http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/ OVERVIEW: The intended audience of http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/ is for Math teachers from K-5. The purpose of this website is to provide teachers with a collection of free math resources, such as math games, and hands-on math activities which aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. CONTENT: Overall, the content provide on the website is current, easy to understand, well organized and is free of any bias. DESIGN: The design of the website is very efficient. Users can quickly navigate to any Math topic and what grade level it correlates to. Furthermore, each resource outlines what Common Core State Standard it addresses. FEEDBACK: I was impressed with this website considering it was a commercial (.com) website. It is free of any bias or advertisement, very easy to navigate and the creators of the site did an excellent job categorizing Math resource into topic and grade level. Another help tool is the Common Core State Standard identifier used in every available resource from this website. This tool reassure teachers that the content is specific to the State Standard intend to teach, it is a great quick reference tool.

Posted by Craig Shepherd on 9/16/09 Overview: Wikipedia is an open-authoring encyclopedia. The purpose of the website is to provide information about any topic to the general public. Content is generated and reviewed for accuracy by the public. Although public documents can include inaccurate information--particularly on hot topics, much of the content is stable. Links to other pages generally function properly, and content is easy to understand. Content: Although maligned by many individuals as a site that promotes inaccurate information, Wikipedia has much educational merit. However, based on the Wiki style of web design, anyone can make changes to articles and can do so anonymously. This means the learned as well as the ignorant have equal access to contribute. Although references at the end of articles may support the credibility of a work, they do not guarantee it and require additional time to peruse. Because authors can post anonymously, it is difficult to tell whether the article is accurate, timely, relevant, authoritative, and so forth. Yet, recent news events highlight the work of this organization to increase credibility of their content. Additionally, one of the purposes of a wiki is to foster collaboration and group authorship. Although individual contributors may not be listed, inaccurate information can be quickly corrected--though it takes some understanding of wiki syntax which may be difficult for beginners to learn. Despite potential inaccuracies, Wikipedia is a good place to begin your research if you realize that contents may contain biases, inaccuracies, and unsupported claims. Design: The site is well designed. A common look and feel permeate web pages, ads and other distractions are not posted, graphics and other visual elements often highlight important points, and links to related articles are prevalent. Several languages are also supported. Modification and revision dates are clearly displayed and the wiki allows you to

Trevor Lenell The first website I am going to evaluate is Wikipedia.org. The educational site that we have been told to never use for a paper because it is editable by anyone. The intended audience for Wikipedia is someone who just wants a quick overview of the subject they are looking for. It does not cover in-depth content or have large amounts of research in the articles. Everything is available on Wikipedia. All you have to do is search anything in google and Wikipedia article will almost always be in the top three links to show up. The design of Wikipedia is actually fairly good. It loads quickly there's a table of contents for each page and it is easy to find the information you are looking for. The content of Wikipedia is where things get a little shaky when it comes to looking for quality information. Since anyone can edit any page aside from a few that have been locked the information of Wikipedia is not necessarily the best way to find information. We do not know who has edited the site or what their credentials are and we have no way of knowing whether it is a great set of information or a joke put on by someone with an internet connection. There is however a bright side. At the bottom of each Wikipedia article there is the references. These are a great tool to find what was used and what is available to use outside of Wikipedia with the same information. These references are a great way to find academic information from good quality sites and can be used when searching through Wikipedia to find actual research. The design of Wikipedia is pretty good. It works equally well on my internet explorer, Firefox, and google chrome. It loads easily, is easy to navigate, and easy to read. Each graphic and audio file on the site serves a purpose to support the material being read. Overall Wikipedia is a great site to navigate and its shortcomings stem from it being able to be edited by anyone. The next website I will evaluate is NationalGeographic.com. An ed

Caleb Huber 10/13/14 The URL article is a news story about a teen suicide. I chose this website as an example of a potentially biased source of the effects of cyber bullying. Although it has some pertinent facts, I would want to use it with caution. The web page is intended to convince parents that cyber bullying can lead to teen suicide. Its intended audience is parents. I would rate the design of the webpage as good but the content as limited. I would rate the content of the overall website as limited and the design as exceptional. The webpage was last updated November 19, 2007. There is no available link to contact the website. At first look, the content of the page looks informative. The web page is an extensive new article, but it is a little outdated. Since it is a new site there are links, but they are mostly unrelated top stories. The article has quotes and facts from credible sources. The article itself doesn't seem biased, but it is always important to realize news articles rely on sensationalism. The individual author of the article is not posted, but it is clear he works for ABC news since it is posted on abcnews.com. The website doesn't have a lot of interactivity, but it is a well written article. As an example of cyber bullying, this article has good content. However, one article is limited in scope. A paper on the effects of cyber bullying would need more references. A large label on the top of the page shows that the article is funded by ABC News. The article is clearly labeled and easy to navigate. The design follows a typical news format and is not eye catching. As a news site, it is designed to put the hottest and latest news first. This makes finding older or more specific articles somewhat challenging. The homepage can be easily found, and the website loads quickly. The index for the website can be easily found, and there is a variety of media available. However, very little of this media pertains to cyb

Posted by Riley Kallhoff on 1/25/2010 Overview: The purpose of this website is to be a place for both teachers and students. It is a place where educators can prepare, plan, and teach. It is a place where students can read up on some current events or play some educational games. The audience of this site is both teachers and students. The nice thing about this site is that it is very well organized with very little advertisements and unnecessary things. It is very easy to navigate and it has a purpose behind every heading. Content: As soon as you come to the homepage you are able to determine that it is an educational site. You can't tell right away that it has games and reading, but you know it is for education right off the bat. You can also tell that it is for both educators as well as students. The authors of the site are not given right off the bat, but you can tell right away that it is part of the Smithsonian. The content is fairly well up kept you can tell from the copyright date. The purpose of the site is for entertainment in the form of games and it is also educational information. The site is very easy to navigate and has titles to links that work very fast. The site is laid out in a very easy to navigate setting. I would say that this site has educational value and is one that I would recommend. Design: I really like the design of the homepage and the whole website. The site moves at a fast pace and doesn't lead you to things that you don't want. The homepage is set up in a very clear cut manor and sets up the website in a very good way. You can tell right away what the website has to offer and all of the titles lay this out. There is a copyright date at the bottom of the page. There is no table of contents, but you know what the site has to offer from the links and titles on the homepage. Another great thing about this site is that it is very easy to navigate, and it takes you exactly where you want to go right away. The gr

Amy Andreen ITEC 2360 (TR) Overview: While searching for websites that would aid in teaching History to High School students, I found many great sources. It is no surprise that the Smithsonian has amazing resources to use. The site I found was entitled smithsonianeducation.org. Not only does it have great information for history teachers but for Art, Science, and Language Arts as well. Once narrowed down to the link entitled "History and Culture", I found that I could also choose between "Educators", "Families", and "Students". It has lesson plan ideas and information that can be used for many different areas throughout history. Content: The content included in this site is all up to date as far as I can tell. The last revisions were made in 2010. There are resources for different age groups that include different activities to utilize within the classroom. Also, the content ranges from Japanese interment in the United States to African History. The areas I found were very complete and useful, however, I found that the list of content is not as large as it probably could be or that I hoped it to be. Design: The Smithsonian site is really easy to navigate and very well laid out. I had no problems with searching for different eras, materials, or even different content areas. Everything downloads quickly and the attachments were very easy to find and download as well.

This website provides many different ideas for a teacher to use. There are lesson plans, gives you a place to search other topics and gives you a standards search as well. I feel the content is good. There are many resources to choose from. The design drew me in to keep looking at the website for interesting lessons-not even related to to my subject area.

Purpose of this site is to provide in-depth topic overviews of world history broken down by subject. It is directed towards the general public with different articles fit for different ages. The range and depth of the articles are wide. Almost any social studies topic you could ask for is presented, and in a fully explained manor. Over all, this site is a wonderful history resources that I could see being used in the class room or for research. At first look the website is clearly identified as a learning resource. Its search bar and featured links are all related to its topic. The information provided is backed up by a marvelous list of credentials and works cited. It appears to be quite verifiable. An entire page is given about the author's academic knowledge. The information currency is fairly relevant, being a history site, it is less of a crime to leave older information up. That being said, if you are trying to write a groundbreaking thesis, this is probably not the place to go. The quality of information provided is top notch. Every page I looked at checked out based on my prior knowledge. It is well organized and easy to follow. The information is fairly comprehensive. New topics are being added though. For further information an email address and names are provided. Although the home page downloads quickly, it lacks attractiveness. There are Facebook style ads on the sides of the screen that make the page look a bit homemade. Even so, the information that the site provides is easy to navigate and find. Links to related pages pop up quickly and are relevant. Pictures for each article demonstrate concepts tied to the page and help the reader gain interest. Besides this the presentation is consistent, giving every page the same basic layout, and there is a large amount of information that makes this site worthwhile.

A story on NPR about community colleges and failing math scores

A story on NPR about community colleges and failing math scores

Justin Sanchez Reviewed 10-21-13 www.biomanbio.com Purpose: To provide fun original games and quizzes to students. Intended audience: The intended audience is students who want to have a fun way to learn different biology facts. They can also quiz themselves later with quizzes provided. Available resources: There is a link to Apple Store to download games on the site. There is no other links. Overview: The website is a little basic. It is easy to navigate though and loads fast. The games seem to be very original but can bug up sometimes. The games seem like they are suitable for students of all ages. The quizzes seem to be upper level and would be more appropriate for high school students. There are many different biology topics this website covers. Content: There are many different games and quizzes that could keep students entertained for a long time. The content seems to be mostly suited for high school students. The content is also over a wide range of biology topics. Design: The design of the sign is very basic. The site is eye appealing and easy to navigate. There is a clear lacking in links and information about the site. This site seems like it needs some improvements it's a little basic.

Peggy Hall August 31, 2010 Website Evaluation Overview: I reviewed the website, Reach Every Child which is a website that helps teachers establish lesson plans. I believe the point of this website is to link the viewer to other websites that have information (i.e. lesson plans, facts, and data) about certain subjects. It is mostly a resource for teachers and students looking for information in whatever subject they need to discover more information in. I feel like this website could use some more content in explaining its overall use, but it does have a lot of great links for the viewer. This website needs to be enhanced, but the meaning behind it is good. It took me a little while to completely understand how this website works and the author's credibility and contact information is lacking. Content: As I previously mentioned it was not easy for me to decipher the overall objective of this site, I knew it dealt with lesson plans, but how those lessons plans were presented and used on the site was a little confusing at first. It is known on the webpage that Horace Mann developed it and that it is founded by educators for educators, but it does not have a bibliography page or link describing who Horace Mann Company is. It addresses in its disclaimer that if there are any questions to email them, but there is not an email address. This website does have over 5,000 resources and different links which I do find beneficial. However, it does also mention that you could hit a dead end and to not be discouraged. It is not apparent how current the information is that is being displayed on the webpage. This site does have some organization, but lacks a clear homepage. There are a lot of links which do not clearly explain where they will be taking you next. Design: The design is lacking. It did not catch my eye appeal when I first looked at it. It is all one color and has a simple font. Nothing really stands out to me or makes me want to visit this site. In fact the desig

Overview: Education world is a web site for educators to find up-to-date resources such as lesson plans. It's really easy to use. It provides users with valuable information or material that teachers can use for their benefit. It's free for all to use and provides other helpful links. Content: This site provides lesson plans, web resources, tools and templates, technology information, infomation for new teachers, professional development, etc. It provides tips for teachers to meet the common core standards. Teachers can look up site reviews and see which sites education world thinks are good sites for them to look at to get more information. Design: The design of this web site is fairly easy to use. It is well organized. It can be a little intimidating because there are a lot of links with information, but it's easy to navigate through if you're looking for specific content. It's got good graphics and easy to view.

Educaiton World has so many resources. A teacher could look for hours for find lesson plans, subjects, and worksheets that could fit in with their lessons. The content is excellent, but it is a little it overwhelming when you look at it. Just take your time. The design is okay. It may take you longer to go through to find what you are looking for.

Kidport provides a unique, multi-step program to teach K-8 students thinking and learning skills. Kidport also provides math, science, social studies and language arts interactive education modules and reference materials.

This Web site is great because it allows you to create custom worksheets for several different subjects including math, science, social studies, foreign languages, and handwriting. You can also choose the grade level you wish to customize for--everything from pre-K through middle school.

Softschools.com provides free math worksheets and games and phonics worksheets and phonics games which includes counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division algebra, science, social studies, phonics, grammar for 1st grade, second grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade and 6th grade.

Dr. Arlys has put together a bunch of sites that are great activities for children to do in math, literacy, and science

K-3 SmartBoard Sites created by SmartBoard 1. Click on an Activity 2. Click on Download this Lesson Activity **It will download it to your computer and it will open the lesson on the SmartBoard

Dillon Karajanis 10/22/13 The Great Body Shop Review Overview: As soon as I accessed this site I knew what it was for. The purpose of this website is to provide teachers with certain materials, advice and other resources to improve or assist with educational instruction. The audiences intended for this website are Pre-K through middle school teachers and there are multiple resources that are included in the site; such as lesson plan ideas, trainings and tools or materials for multiple grade levels. Over all I thought this website to be the most beneficial to me as a teacher because I can use it to assist me in my teachings and refer to it for help or additional ideas. Content: At first look I am quickly able to determine the basic content of the site and its intended audience. I was able find the author of the site quickly as well and there is contact information provided easily as well. Even though the latest revision date wasn't clearly provided, I thought this site to be very useful information based on my needs and purposes. The site was accurate, the punctuation was correct and in general even though some basic information was unclear this is the most useful website I evaluated. Design: As far as speed goes, I was able to access the home page quickly and easily. The design of the home page is attractive and has the entire site's content listed on the side making it easy to navigate as well. The copyright information is easily spotted at the bottom the page as well. The site has useful links about them and who they are associated with making them appear as a credible source. The site format is consistent and easy to follow and the content involved makes the site worthwhile to visit. The website's overall impact had a positive effect on me and I thought it was well designed and an awesome educational resource.

Dillon Karajanis 10/22/13 Review of SendMyTeacher.com Overview: When I stumbled across this website I almost decided not to evaluate it due to its content but as I read on I saw that it could possibly be used as a teacher resource. The purpose of this website is to get teachers to participate in a five day program that provides them with the knowledge and techniques to motivate their students to pursue math and science careers. The audience targeted for this website is third through fifth grade teachers and the resources available for this website is the application to participate in this program, and a section where the students can apply to send their own teacher through the program. Overall I thought that this website was worth bookmarking because this experience could be beneficial as a teacher resource but not as a classroom tool. Content: At first I was unable to tell exactly what the website was about but as soon as I started reading the introduction I found out exactly what it was for. As I explored the site I found out the author of the site with ease because they are directly displayed as well as the latest revision date information. It seemed updated frequently and easy to understand. The content is clear and states its purpose so the user is not unclear of what the site is for. Even though I cannot use this site in my classroom I decided it was worth bookmarking for future reference incase I wanted to apply for the program. Design: The home page along with all the other pages of the website seemed to load successfully with no images or text not viewable. I noticed the sponsor right away along with the copyright information at the bottom of every page. Even though I did not see an index on the site, it is easy to read and navigate creating minimal problems. There is minimal sounds and videos in the site, but regarding the purpose of the site and the images it does have I believe it has a decent visual satisfaction. In general I thought this site to b

Dillon Karajanis 10/21/13 Review of ChooseMyPlate.gov Overview: The educational site I chose was ChooseMyPlate.gov and from what I observed I was able to determine right away that the website had to do with health and nutrition. The purpose of this site is to inform the users about the United States Department of Agriculture's regulations regarding a balanced diet, healthy recopies and nutritional activities. After just a couple clicks I learned that this site can be for educators, parents and children as well. ChooseMyPlate.gov provides interactive games, songs, videos and activity sheets that the users can engage in. My overall impression of the site is positive; there are just a few concerns of mine but in general I like the site and would use it in my classroom. Content: I decided to rate this site worth bookmarking because it does have very useful information that can be used in my class in the future. The sponsor and author are clearly displayed in the site and in this case they are the same source, the USDA. Contact information is also displayed inside the website for users to ask questions or verify topics. The content looked very well organized and complete with no spelling or grammar errors. The content of the site was complete and finished. Design: First of all the design of this website was very well put together. The homepage pulled up very quickly and was extremely visually appealing; with a slide show, bright colors and bold, easy to read text right on the first page it really draws the user in. One thing I did notice was that the copyright date and the latest revision date were not displayed and were not that easy to find. This raised a concern for me. Other than this I thought the information was well organized with a directory if needed as well. The additional links in the site were active, did not lead to dead ends and were all relevant to the subject. I thought over all it was a well designed website.

Lauren Peterson 10-21-13 http://netvet.wustl.edu/ssi.htm Overview: This website; directed toward elementary science, makes attempts to help educate students about different animals and organisms. It does this through links that lead to information on animals that are provided in a list on the homepage. Ultimately, the website appeared to be unsuccessful; with dead end links for most animals and organisms listed. Content: As the website offered various links to further information on animals and organisms, it failed to follow through. Some links managed to reach rather reliable resources and informative pages; while others were not as lucky. The remainder of the links on this site lead to dead ends; pages that no longer existed or pages with nothing on them. Design: Looking at the design of this website, there is little attraction and interest put into the homepage. Although there are graphics, they are small and bland. As for the navigation of the website, the links were easy to use and simple, but did not successfully link to sights that were usable. These "dead ends" may have been a result of being an old website that has not been updated for years. Overall, the design could use updating and correction.

Lauren Peterson 10-21-13 http://www.abcya.com/kindergarten_computers.htm Overview: This website provides games and apps that can be used as educational activities to further a kindergarteners understanding of letters, numbers, and more in an enjoyable and interactive way. Content: As mentioned previously, this website contains various links to games and apps that make use of incorporating letters, numbers, and more; introducing these areas of content to the young kindergartener students. Examples of a few of these games are "Alphabet Bingo" and "Birthday Candle Counting". Design: When considering the design of the website, it can be said that it is fitting for its audience. The website is full of bright color and graphics of fun activities do! The links and activities work successfully with the exception of Adobe Software being needed. If the computers or internet source did not have access to Adobe Software, this website would be of little use to the teacher and students.

Erin Kirby January 23, 2011 Overview: The sight http://www.brainpop.com/is a good sight for older elementary students, and middle school students. The homepage offers different subjects that a student would learn everyday in school. Each time you click on a link it keeps breaking down into certain subject. This makes it simple for students to use, each link is filled with helpful information. The site is very 21st century based and there are many different things to do such as read, play games, watch movies, and more. The content on this site would be helpful to use in a classroom and would get more students interested and involved in certain subjects. Content: Everything on this site seems simple to use, easy to follow, and has very reliable information. There is a link that allows parents, students, or teachers to see what brain pop is all about. It tells you that there are other brain pop sights that are for younger children and even some for teachers that will help them create lesson plans and other activities. It is an educational website that contains a lot of material that all seems accurate and easy for children to understand. One thing that could be a problem is that on some things on the site you need to subscribe to get the full information, but they do have tutorials and lots of other helpful information. I think that most students would enjoy looking through the subjects on the sight and finding something that they are interested in to learn about. This sight is easy to get involved in and enjoy it at the same time. There is so much information that some kids might stay on for hours! Design: The websites speed is fast and works smoothly link to link. All the videos and games that I tried ran great and I had no problems. The graphics are clear and entertaining for students. When starting at the homepage, it is simple to follow and not distracting at all. There are no pop up that get in the way or take away from learning. This sight is great for

Overview: This website was very visual and very organized. This website was good for educational purposes at the high school level. There were many different subjects with interactive games involved. Content: Each subject that this website offered had alot of information in it. There was a wide range of topics under each subject which helped the viewer get a better understanding. THe content of the site was clear and obvious. All of the information for the providers of the website was easy to find. I couldn't find the lates revision date, but other than that, the information quality was accurate based off of my knowledge. There were few links to other sites. Design:Everything downloaded efficiently. The hompage was very organized. The copyright date was obvious. Navigation was easy and clear cut, it was easy to move around the site. There was alot of interactive games that consituted as multimedia. This website had plenty of useful info. that made the site worth visiting

Lauren Peterson 10-21-13 http://www.brainpop.com/ Overview: This website is a multifaceted educational website that contains numerous subject matter. The site provides educational tools that can be utilized within classroom activities; furthering understandings of various subjects. In order to simplify and further education in particular areas of study, this website makes use of games and videos. Overall, this site seems to be a rather useful tool for a classroom, as it is easy to navigate with content that is clearly understandable. Content: The content seems to be geared towards Jr. High students, although there are other websites from BrainPOP that offer similar content more appropriate for younger ages. This site makes the various subjects within Math, Science, English, etc. very clear through explanation and visuals in videos, as well as interaction through educational games. Design: The use of color and animation throughout this website seem to be rather appealing to the eye. Not only does this sites appearance have the potential to intrigue a viewer, it is also easy to navigate. The links and activities function successfully with very few issues.

Whitney Reese Reviewed: 2/4/12 Overview: The purpose of this site is to help children learn different math skills through games and word problems. The intended audience is school age children from grades 2nd through 5th.  The available resources include several games or "challenges". Each challenge has informational hints and fun facts to go along with it to help the user figure out the problem. I think this site has good resources for helping children learn a wide variety of math concepts. However it doesn't seem as kid friendly as other sites and may be hard for kids to understand how to navigate the site.  Content: This site has several useful tabs for navigation. The website has clear and credible authors and the information seems fairly up to date.  The challenges and games make learning math fun for children and demonstrate how math is used in everyday life and why these skills are important. It even includes a tab that changes the content of the site from English to Spanish.  Design: The design of this website makes it fairly easy for kids to navigate. They may get confused at first because the intention of the site is to keep you on a certain challenge until you have figured out the answer and chosen a new challenge. However, once the kids are able to understand how to navigate this site it should be no problem for them. There is a lot of text on this site that may seem boring for some kids. The graphics are fun and colorful. This website is clear and organized fairly well.

This site is intended to help families outside of school enjoy math by solving everyday problems, but may also be used at school. The material is at a middle school grade level. There are multiple challenge problems and for each problem the website gives hints, complete solutions, additional related problems etc. This website was developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. So there is a lot of valuable information. I like how the challenge problems are unique and different than your everyday practice problems. Although, there was one major problem with the site. It was very confusing and hard to navigate through. There was not a clear indication on the home page of what the purpose of the website was and how to find the information. There were silly animations that had nothing to do with the math and distracted the eye. The set up was not appealing or well organized. Once I figured out how the website was set up I enjoyed the content, but they should have instructions or a table of contents on the home page. I would definitely like to use this website in my classroom and even with my family once I have older kids, but I would hope the authors improve the navigation system for future newcomers

This site's audience includes ages 13-100 but it is focused more towards middle school to high school ages. There are plenty of different level of math curriculum from addition to calculus. This site includes games, practice problems, pictures etc. The website definitely catches the eye but I'm not sure if I would count that as appealing. It is very jammed packed with a ton of links for different material. Also the color scheme doesn't seem to serve a purpose but to seem like an arcade. This was the first of my three websites to have a lot of information about the authors which was a good thing. Most of the games were educational and served a purpose but I did find some games that didn't even seem to be mathematics based. The website was organized for the most part, but I feel that there was too much and too many links to choose from, especially from the home page. There needed to be more categories, or less material. Overall, I think this website would help prove to students that math can be fun. I would use it in my classroom.