ITEC2360

Monique Koller Jan. 24. 2010 Invention at Play is a website designed to get kids interested in being inventors. Content: This is a cute website that has good stories about people who have done some inventing. It also has informational videos and games that encourage parents to allow play as exploration. The games are educational and logic based. Design: This site is very easy to navigate. The links work well and guide you to places that you might find interesting later. The games are educational and encourage creativity. It is easy to find who you would need to get a hold of if you had any additional questions or concerns. I wouldn't be super surprised if this site added new stuff regularly. Overview: The big goal of this site is to encourage learning and imagination! It is built for children and parents. This site has a lot of great stories of people who have become inventors, it has learning games, and informational videos that encourage parents to keep their kids exploring! I really enjoyed Word Play and Tinker Ball, the videos were reassuring and the stories of inventors are inspirational.

Monique Koller Jan. 24 2010 Cool math games is a website that has games, lessons and interactive ways to learn to enjoy Math. Content: The site has some fun games that I can see the educational value in, but not all of them, nor do I see where Math is a part of all of them. For the most part it seems like a worthwhile site I would allow my kids and maybe students to play on. Design: It looks like a fun site from the get go and I enjoyed exploring it. It is pretty easy to navigate around. There are some good lessons and the games are pretty amusing. I could easily find most of the stuff I needed. Overview: The purpose of this site is to be an aid while a student is learning math. This site is definitely directed towards kids. The authors are also hoping that there is adult supervision so that the kids can interact and get help. The games are good most of the time and have good content I think this could be a valuable site to visit.

Purpose The purpose of Cool Math Games is to help integrate math into a more fun environment. This site is geared for young grade school kids. There are different games that are aimed at tackling different types of skills that are needed in math. There are also different lessons that specialize on other skills. These are targeted at a much higher audience, with lessons like algebra and pre-calculus. This site has a lot of good information that could be used, I am just not sure if it is very helpful to students. Content This site contains a ton of materials. It has games and activities for such a wide range of math skills. The entire site seems to be working, however, it doesn't seem like it all is up to date as it could or should be. The games have good skills to be learned, but they are not up to date with as good of programming as possible. It is also not always apparent who the game or activity is accredited to. It is also not too accessible to contact them with as much ease as I would like. Design The design of the page seems to be a little crammed. They have a lot of link and titles, however, it is not done so in a way that is too pleasing. The color scheme is also very scattered and does not seem to blend well together. The pictures also do not seem to add as much to the page as needed. There also seems to be little order to how the games and activities are put up. This site has a great plan, I do not however feel like they completely got it all correct.

This site is used for elementary students to learn and expand their understanding of math in a more fun way than just the textbook. The intended audience is upper elementary students because a teacher can pick a game that will enforce what they have learned, but it will challenge them to think a little bit harder than they might have doing a word problem. The children also don't see this as boring learning; they see it as a fun game. There are various math games that are specifically targeted for a certain math levels throughout the website. For example, there are games for the upper elementary to work on multiplication, fractions, percentages, and negative numbers. Based on the first two questions that the evaluation for content asks, the answers are: yes, I can identify the purpose of the site, and no, the age group is not explicitly stated, but the intention and vernacular leads us to believe that age of the intended audience. At the bottom of the page it is easy to identify who the creators of this website are and how you can be in contact with them. If the sponsors are the advertisers, then they have clear demonstration of their sponsorship in four distinct locations. We can know that his site was last updated in 2015. We don't know how often it is updated, but we know that everything works according to plan. We know that the intentions of this site is to be a fun learning experience that is organized in a way that children can easily locate anything that they may possibly need. Everything on this site looks professional, but it still appeals to a younger audience. This website provides great opportunities for children to grow in their learning of math as well as play fun games. Everything in terms of logistics measures up to what it should be. The design of the overall lay out is kid friendly, and functions properly as long as the updated version of the flash drive is installed. They have specific animations and sounds that correspond with certain games

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.

Webquest website

WebQuest website

Website for Webquest

Website for Webquest

Website with lesson plans that will be useful for my WebQuest on the Basics of Acting. Jennifer Durn.

Article with tips for a successful audition. Jennifer Durn

Emily Phillips 8/31/2010 Overview: The purpose of this site is for the teacher to give his students easy access of his math notes and to provide his notes and math help to people who might need it. The intended audiences are students in his math class or math students in general, most likely in high school or college because of the levels of math that he covers (i.e. Algebra, Calculus I, II, etc.). Because it appears that he is the only one managing this site, he has provided other links where people can go to ask math questions. I think this site would be very helpful for people who need extra help and examples and need to find them quickly. Even though there weren't any stand out graphics or many colors, the site was easy to navigate and there was nothing to distract you like the ads that are normally along the side or top of the page. Content: It is very easy to tell quickly if this site would assist a person in their math needs or not because everything that one would need to find is available in a drop down menu at the very top and immediate left of the page. The information provided on the site seems current and accurate and the author appears to be qualified considering he states he is a professor at Lamar University (for which there is a link). The sponsor of the site is not clearly identified however. The links to other sites are very helpful and would further answer the user's questions if this site was unable to answer them. Design: The overall design was simple and easy to follow but maybe some more attractive colors could have been used to attract the eye of a person who might just be browsing through math websites. There were no graphics to distract from the subject and they are not necessary to emphasize anything on this subject. It would possibly be more beneficial to users if there were at least a couple examples which were interactive and let them figure out the answer for themselves.

Ramon J. Sandoval September 1, 2010 Website Evaluation 1 Site Title: Enchanted Learning URL: www.enchantedlearning.com Authors of website: Jeananda Col and Mitchell Spector Subject: Elementary Education Content Summary This website is great for teachers looking for curriculum material for elementary school students. It is broken down into categories making it easy for the teacher to navigate the website and obtain subjects specific to their desired projects. The content appears to be complete and is regularly updated. If any problems with the site are experienced the site has a page dedicated to addressing these problems. Design summary The home page of the website downloads fast. The links within the site come up quickly. The information on the pages is easy to understand and navigate through. There is an appendix on the left hand side of the page to help guide you through the site and take you to your desired subject. This site has sufficient information for the teacher to browse through and select what will work best for them. The material is updated regularly and has a link directing you to the newest projects. If any problems occur with the site then a link is provided at the top of the page to deal with any concerns. Overview This is a site I will be put in my favorites. For an elementary school teacher it is a good resource. It has a variety of subjects and suggested projects for them. It has suggestions for early childhood activities to give children a jump start in their education. I would recommend this site to parents that are interested in enhancing their child's education. It is very user friendly.

Morgan Kuchta September 1, 2010 Sparknotes.com Overview This site is a great resource for students who struggle with reading in school. The website provides book and chapter summaries and plot overviews along with character analysis for all main characters in each book reviewed. The books that Spark Notes provides information on are those that have deep and complex plot lines and character development that are often found in classrooms of all grade levels. Perhaps one of the most useful tools on this website is called "No Fear Shakespeare", which translates the old English of Shakespeare into modern English so that students might have an easier time remembering information and comprehending it. Although the site organization is poor and it throws too much information onto one page, I believe this website could be an extremely valuable resource to teachers who assign reading to their classes. Content At first look it is easy to tell where you are and what is provided, in general, on the site. The audience is pretty clearly defined as students but it is difficult to tell exactly who will benefit most from this sitel There were no listed authors for the site although there were authors listed for each of the book summaries done on each separate page with an email address attached. The revision dates are included on every book review and the links to related sites are all functioning. The information quality was incredible. Although it was not well organized, it is by far the most comprehensive literacy site that I have used in the last few years. The other links posted were pretty good, although most of them were just for the interest of the users rather than usefulness for help with English homework. Design The homepage download was no problem, while it was attractive to the eye, it was a little information heavy and a it was kind of hard to tell exactly where I needed to navigate. There were a LOT of advertisements in the margins and even in other areas of th

Randi McInerney September 15, 2011 Overview: The website "Sparknotes" is an educational and entertainment website with various study resources available. The information is most relevant to high school aged students, but late middle school and college students, as well as teachers, could also benefit from this site. College video tours, book summaries, analysis, and quizzes, and ACT/SAT/AP/GRE test preparation material, and news articles are also available. The content and design are effective and organized, but the advertisements can be distracting and seem overwhelming. This site can be abused by students wishing to plagiarize or to avoid reading a book, but has so many great things to offer if it is used appropriately. Content: There is a lot of educational material available on this site. Video clips, interactive tours, blogs, cartoons, and more can all be found on this site. There are various links in order to contact them, but no direct contact information like an address is provided. Besides educational material, there is lifestyle, entertainment, and dating information. I think that this may be distracting from the educational aspects of the site, but it makes sense because of the audience the website is intended for. Design: The site downloads efficiently and is visually interesting, especially for the intended audience of young adults. The site is easy to navigate, especially if you know what you are looking for from the start. In this case, the search bar will help you easily locate what you are looking for if it is indeed on the site.

Sparknotes is a resource aimed at high school and college students. It offers summaries of literary works as well as test prep. The main purpose of the site is to simplify in-depth texts down to a modern English level. Unfortunately, these summaries are not all that is available. The site largely consist of entertainment news. This aspect dominates the site, making it hard to find the reviews and study resources. Because of this my overall impression is that the site includes a good about of information for those looking for it, but is also a place where one can very easily get side tracked, rendering its information useless. It is worth a bookmark, but is not the most useful thing. The content of this site is very diverse. As for the literary summaries, there are over 100 on some of the best known works in many different subject areas. The site is up to date and loads easily. Most of the summaries are based off of the most recent publications of texts. The site is confused about its purpose. The summaries and text prep sections are hard to find while entertainment news is profusely advertised and easy to find. The educational sections are labeled in small black index style links, while the entertainment section has large magazine like spreads. Although the site has relevant information that is consistent and helpful, it is congested with much needless gossip that has potential for abuse. The websites speed is quite good. It loads very fast comparatively. The homepage is attractive, but is attractive for the wrong reasons. It is hard to find relevant information on the site (although there is a lot of it). This makes navigation of the site difficult and can easily suck the user into a "twilight zone." The site is strong on most platforms, even having apps available. Content presentation is mores streamlined on the app, but is congested on a web version. An administrator is available to answer any questions and provide further information.

Jaymie Sheehan ITEC 2360-04 9/2/2010 OVERVIEW For my this review I visited Vocabulary Games, http://www.vocabulary.co.il . The site's intended audience is students from Kindergarten to 12th grade who want to improve their vocabulary. The intended purpose of the site is to provide these students with a fun and exciting way to improve vocabulary. The site has various resources depending on grade level. High school students can practice SAT words while Kindergarten kids can begin to understand reading and phonics. I felt that this site is valuable to students, teachers and parents. Often the hardest part of getting a child to be proficient in reading and writing is generating interest and this site does just that! The simple layout makes navigation quick and easy. This is a site I would use in the classroom and at home with children of all levels.

Rebekah Asay January 23, 2011 Overview: This website offers a lot of free information on English vocabulary. There are games for each age level, vocabulary reading resources, and links to vocabulary around the world. Content: There is a lot of information on vocabulary, analogies, compound words, parts of speech, spelling, contractions, foreign languages, synonyms, and prefixes to name a few. There are a lot of additional resources for viewers who want to expand their search. Design: The design is a little weak. It is hard to navigate the website and it a little disorganized. There are a lot of adds surrounding the content that distract the eye.

Overview: This site can be used by junior high and high school English students to help understand many texts that they will be required to read at some point in their academic career. It contains many games for various novels; the games are appropriate for older students, which is hard to come by. The appearance of the site is a little confusing because it appears to be geared for younger students but the content is that of older students. The games are helpful and applicable to class. Content: This website is mostly useful for junior high and early high school students. It offers interactive help for texts that are commonly read at those ages. Each book that is represented on the site has several games the user can try relating to different topics, such as vocabulary, content, and setting. The website also has information that is beneficial for upper high school students. It offers a variety of different interactive games to help with studying vocabulary for the SAT, or any other standardized test they will need to take. The information on the site is accurate and helpful for the audience. Design: The design of this website does not match well with its' intended audience. The content of this website is for junior high and high school students, but the design seems oriented for a much younger audience. The graphics are not beneficial to the site and may make the site lose some users because they think it is too young for them. However, the site is very easy to maneuver. Each different topic has a headline with a brief description of what the user can expect if they choose that link.

Haylee Bolinger Website evaluation 1 9-2-10 Overview The website stickworks.net is a promotional tool for Patrick Dougherty. As an artist that is in demand worldwide he must keep a portfolio as accessible as possible. Fans and potential clients are welcome to look through Dougherty's work and his biography. On this website clients can make requests for his large scale installations, while fans are directed to admiring his work though books, videos, calendars, and even full length feature film. Content From the introductory page one has the option of continuing into the main site or purchasing a book about Dougherty. Once navigated into the main site you can view every location and date of Dougherty's work and you have the many options to choose from in the main menu. Stick Works contains a thorough biography and video resources that help the viewer better understand how and why Dougherty makes his artwork. This website is being updated on a monthly bases due to the demand for Dougherty's artwork. Present exhibitions are continually photographed and uploaded upon completion or linked to the collector's website while future exhibitions are scheduled and published. A few of the links in this website are incomplete which makes viewing some works difficult. The viewer is also welcome to preview clips from a full-length feature about Dougherty's life and artwork. Design The web site Stick Works is visually appealing with a slate background and white font. This sleek background draws attention to the striking pictures of Dougherty's artwork. Navigating is made easy with a menu bar at the top of every page. On this menu one can find out all there is to know about Dougherty: news, biography, installations (past and present), Curriculum vitally, resources, shop, and contact info.

Jaymie Sheehan ITEC 2360-04 9/2/2010 OVERVIEW For this review, I visited the National Council of Teachers of English site, http://www.ncte.org. The intended audience for this site is clearly for English, literacy and language art teachers, from the elementary to college levels. The intended purpose of the site is to provide these educators with information and resources that will help them improve in the classroom. The site has various resources including professional development, press relating to English and education, shopping, and the ability to interact with different educators. I felt that this site was great for a multitude of reasons. The layout is simple and extremely easy to navigate, there were seemingly unlimited resources and links for teachers of each grade level, educators are able to use this site to interact with one another and become more proficient in their classrooms. located at NCTE. By scrolling down the page, one can find the sponsor's address and phone numbers if quandaries arise. There is also a specific tab that allows the user to contact NCTE for any variety or reasons. The information on the site is kept current. All links seem to work and are relevant, however I found no date telling the user when the last revisions were made. The information quality of this site is superb. The purpose of the site is clear and everything seems to be complete. There is myriad information located within the site for teachers. Of course, since this is a site aimed toward English teachers all grammar and spelling seem to be correct!

Learning math while having fun

Gary Schmitt September 1, 2010 www.the-art-institutes.info Content: The content of this site is well organized with headers along the top and side margins of the home page. The main purpose of the site is clearly displayed on the home page. Contact information including a phone number is also available in case you desire more information. Most of the content is about the school itself so there is few outside sources being used to construct this web page. Design: The design of this web page is very clear and easy to navigate. Visually the page is very aesthetically pleasing. The visual elements and photographs on this web page suggest that the page is set up to attract younger people who might be interested in college. Overview: Overall this sight seems to function very well and is easy to navigate through information that you might be looking for. It seems as though many design elements were also taken into consideration. The web site uses warm colors that also create relaxing and inviting atmosphere. This web page seems very resourceful and professionally done.

The next website provides clear examples of the animals affected by wildfires and what they have to do to survive.