ITEC2360

Paige Hanewald 10/21/13 Overall: The purpose of this specific branch of the HippoCampus website is a resource that can be utilized by both teachers in explaining lessons and high school students in interactively researching reading and writing strategies that concern evaluating text, forming a thesis, writing fundamentals, characteristics of specific types of essays, and more. Overall, I believe that this is a simple resource that could provide a lot of insight to students having trouble in reading and writing content areas. Content: The content provides lessons as well as some interactive activities. It explains certain aspects in writing that teachers seem to assume students already know such as passive and active voice, punctuation, grammar, forming a well-thought out thesis statement and other fundamentals of writing. Unfortunately, because of the features presented on this website, you must have good Internet and either Adobe Flash Player or Quicktime. Design: This site looks boring. While it is very informative, so much information with such a lack of "oomph!" can bore a middle or high school student and put him or her to sleep. While it is very easy to navigate, compared to other websites, the interactive components such as videos and activities don't seem as engaging to kids above the 6th grade.

Paige Hanewald 10/21/13 Overall: This site would be a great activity to high school students as an introduction of Shakespeare as it takes them in a "time machine" back to Elizabethan time period. It is very current and includes interesting language that is intended for the current high school audience. It gives links to Elizabethan-knowledgeable resources, assisting them through each step. If the activity could align with standards of your English curriculum, it would be a new, fun introduction of William Shakespeare. Content: Although the author of the site isn't clearly identified, it is assumed that he is a teacher. Assuming that, the teacher appears to be qualified to present this information and it seems to be accurate; all of the links work and provide thorough insight into the activity. The activity definitely goes in depth to the Elizabethan time period and lifestyle. Design: The design is similar to that of a Webquest activity. It is aesthetically impressive and flawless! It gains interest with its creative layout and features that Wix.com provides, including directions on little things that could be confusing. It is very easy to navigate from step-to-step of the activity and could be easily interpretable by the intended audience. However, there is neither a works cited page, nor a teacher's page like that of well-done Webquest pages.

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.

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.

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.

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 10/22/13 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.

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.

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.

A story on NPR about community colleges and failing math scores

A story on NPR about community colleges and failing math scores

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.

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

Caleb Huber 10/12/14 The article provides a summary of research done on the occurrence of cyber bullying. I chose this site as a reference for known data about cyber bullying and the frequency of its occurrence. The webpage contains data on the last seven years of cyber bullying research. The website itself is intended for educators, students, and teachers. Its purpose is to spread cyber bullying awareness and teach prevention. I would rate the content of the webpage as somewhat helpful and the content of the website as extremely helpful. I would rate the design of this webpage as good and the design of the overall website as exceptional. The web page was last updated on April 9, 2014. A link to contact the site can easily be found on the top of the page. At first look, the content of the individual summary page is a bit bare, but it compensates by having links of detailed, related posts in the center of the page. Several of the posts are helpful to my purpose. One example is the link titled "Cyber bullying: Neither an Epidemic nor a Rarity". No official author of the articles is posted. This link also shows the website's lack of bias. Cyber bullying is either portrayed as not a big deal or an epidemic depending on who is making the case. Because this site is ran by a research center, it focuses on finding and presenting real data. Often a weakness of research is that it only uses one method to perform research. The website makes sure to use multiple methods including convenient and stratified samples. A large label at the top of the page shows that the website is funded and ran by the Cyber Bullying Research Center. The webpage is clearly labeled and easy to navigate. The pages follow a consistent format and all the links load quickly. The homepage can easily be found. The purpose of the website can be easily seen through a welcome index. The site index is clearly designed as well. Every page is loaded with helpful links.

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.

OVERVIEW Khan Academy is a site to help students supplement their learning. It allows students to go over materials at their own pace so that they are able to better understand the material. Overall, this is a good site to help students, and I would recommend it especially for math help. CONTENT The information is current enough for math. The content well organized and helpful to students to understand subject matter. It appears bias free (for math, not sure about other subjects) and the information is accurate and consistent with other sources. Grammar and spelling are correct. DESIGN The design is attractive and you can easily tell where you are within the site. There are not directions on how to move around the site, but it is fairly intuitive. All links that I have tried have worked, and are helpful. Janissa Martinez