ITEC2360

Mike Wilson Site review September 18, 2009 Dr. Saul's Biology in Motion Introduction Biology In Motion is a relatively simple website designed to provide engaging animations for basic biology concepts. The site is designed for both teachers and students. Student level is Junior High School but could be easily used for entry level 10th grade Biology. Teachers can use the site for in class presentation. Teacher tips for in class use are provided. There are 9 animated self guided lessons and/or games. These lessons are information correct and convey the material to be learned very well. This is an excellent site targeted at specific biology topics. Google ranking of 6/10 - Excellent with 61 backward links. Content Evaluation First Look The home page clearly in both text and graphics conveys the purpose of the site. All the key information is above the fold. Information Providers Biology In Motion is a creation of Dr. Saul, a university Biology Professor and Web game / site developer. Links to Dr. Saul's credentials and additional websites are top left on the home page Information Currency While the site has not been updated for 4 years, there is not a need to do so. The science content is fundamental concepts that will not change. The graphics are age appropriate and play quickly. Information Quality Site is fully functional. Each interactive lesson through the use of text and animations teaches the subject concisely. There are Google link ads on each page which I do not like from a pure educational standpoint. On the other side, the ads are not obtrusive and what are a few extra bucks in a teacher's pocket. Design Evaluation Speed All pages and graphics load very quickly. Animations are well designed but are not speed bulky. Home Page Very appealing and all critical information to keep you on the site is above the fold Ease of Navigation All lessons are linked from the home page and need to know information is top lef

Kids Health / Nutrition & Fitness Center Posted by: Jeni Waring 9/18/2009 This website has information for children, teens and parents about nutrition and fitness. There are pages for children to calculate their BMI, look up their own recipes and play games. The site also has a tab that is for teachers to find health lesson plans. The planning pages include lessons in both English and Spanish and links to related websites. The site encourages teachers to share tips and has a place to sign up for emails when they have new information. The site is designed to be easily navigated and has a list of tabs on the left side of the home page. The site is a part of the Nemours foundation which is a nonprofit group that has been interested in children's health since its founding in 1936. The site has a page that explains how their information is evaluated and I think the site is credible.

USDA MyPyramid Posted by: Jeni Waring 9/18/2009 This website is not just for teachers but for anyone who wants to know more about food and nutrition. The site has information about nutrition needs for children through the elderly and advice on eating right and being healthy. There are worksheets and informational posters in both English and Spanish that can be downloaded and used in teaching nutrition. The website is designed to be easily navigated and usable for anyone. It includes a list of links to other sites and a multimedia page that includes podcasts, public service announcements and animations. There is no advertising on the site. The site was last updated three days ago. The only problem that I found with this site is that it is difficult to return to the home page after viewing other pages.

Posted by Kate Guerrieri 9/18/2009 Title of web page: Creative Writing Teacher Resources (Grades K-12) Content: This is a general web page for teachers. It just offers link to sources about teaching creative writing. It is a good resource for research. It offers links to sources for all different grade levels. Design: This is a just a web page that has a list of links a teacher could use. It is easy to navigate. There are some advertisements but not too many. Attribution: This website is credible. It is copy righted and the information for citation can be found at the bottom of the page. The information is open to everyone.

Posted by Kate Guerrieri 9/18/2009 Title of web page: The English Teacher- Lesson Plans for a Creative Writing Course Content: This website offers an entire 13 week lesson plan for teaching a creative course. The lesson plan is broken up into different sections that a teacher would cover for the 13 weeks. Each section covers a different topic and offers links to other websites that offer additional information or examples. There are writing prompt ideas and ideas for different assignments a teacher might consider using. If it meets all the state requirements of a teacher's location, it would be a good source to use for developing a lesson plan. If not, it is a general guide for what a creative writing lesson plan should look like. Design: This web site is split into thirteen sections, in correlation for the weeks that the lesson plan is made for. Each section has a description of what is being taught and ideas on how to teach it. There are examples and links in each section. It is easy to navigate and user friendly. Attribution: The site seems credible. Anyone can use this information as long as they cite the page. I couldn't find the copy write information on the actual page but it is part of a larger website that would have it.

Posted by Kate Guerrieri 9/18/2009 Title of web page: Tips on Teaching Creative writing. This website has helpful hints for new creative writing teachers. Content is easy to understand. Content: The content of this website is just a list of things that a new creative writing teacher might consider doing for their class. It offers insight from an experienced creative writing teacher, who knows what to expect when teaching this course. It deals with issues that may arise when teaching a creative writing class and offers solutions. This website is short, precise, and just a singular view point about teaching creative writing. It doesn't offer much information but the information is does offer is useful. Most of the idea's can be used for teaching any class and any new teachers might find this website helpful. Design: The design of this website is pretty standard. It has a bulleted list that highlights the information of the text. Unfortunately, there are many advertisements on this website that are somewhat distracting. There are no links to additional information. It is just a one sided view point that may be opinionated and it may not be credible. Attribution: This website is friendly for everyone. It is copy righted. People are free to use this information as long as they cite the author when necessary.

Content The content in this article is very useful, and would be meant for someone with background knowledge in Bighorn National Forest; Wyoming; Livestock Grazing and Vegetation Management EIS. This site is more complex than the others, but if you have the knowledge to understand, it is a very helpful site. This site is from the Federal Register of Environmental Documents, so it is not updated regularly since it is a one time written article. The sources for the site are very easily found at the top of the page, and would make citing the source very easy. Design The design of this page is very simple. The page is very easily navigated, and the links on the left hand side of the site are helpful. The page is in good working condition, and has no problems. The only issue with the site is that it is all writing, with no breaks or graphics to add to the sites content. Attribution The sources are located at the beginning of the article. They are very easily found, and the site would be easily cited if needed.

Content This site is very informational, and helpful when searching for information on the cattle disease Brucellosis. The authors of this site are easily found, and show that these are credible authors. The information reaches its attended audience well, and the site has very reliable information. The site seems up to date, and has all the needed elements to get a brief overview of the disease. The content of the site is free of bias. Design The design of this site is more plain, but still has everything needed to make a nice internet source. The site has many hyperlinks to other diseases which makes it helpful to find lots of information in one place. All links are working properly, and add to the content of the site. This site is well worth visiting if you are interested in cattle diseases such as brucellosis. Attribution The site has its multiple authors listed at the bottom, and also contains a Privacy Policy link. This site has many different places the information was obtained from, and it sites all of those sources at the bottom.

Posted by Allie Parrott 09/17/09: Homework spot is a site that simplifies the search for popular homework topics assigned to students K-12. It can also be used by parents and teachers. Content: This site covers a variety of topics. There are even virtual field trips. Other benefits this site provides are SAT tips, current events, and how to write a great book report. Students can find almost anything they need here. The site was last updated today. The incoming information is always fresh and relevant to what students are learning today. There are not only articles from their own authors, but also links to articles that may provide better information for the student. Information is presented in a clear manner. The sight is sponsored by a bigger company StartSpot Media Works Incorporated. HomeworkSpot would help any child navigate their way around the internet. It is also beneficial because the sites that are recommended are credible well researched sites. Design: The most helpful part of the design is that is separates the topics in to age groups. There are a number of links under the heading "Elementary" and the same goes for the headings "Middle" and "High School". This way there is no time wasted, looking but information that is above a child's head, or below their level. The only flaw in the design is that the user has to click at least links to find what they are looking for. However, once they find it the information is most likely exactly what they are looking for. There are Google ads, however advertising is only on the homepage and is kept to a minimum. Attributions: The most helpful link for this is the "About this Site" link. It gives the user all the necessary information about what the site is about and who is running it. It makes the purpose very clear. This would be another site I would recommend due to its fairly obvious credibility. \n

Posted by Allie Parrott 09/17/09\nEducation World as it says on the site is "an educator's best friend". On this site there are ideas for lesson plans, education games, and even ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. Content: This site has a ton of information. Although there is information for all ages, it seems more geared toward elementary school teachers. There are links for every subject. Math practice, punctuation of the day, and writing instructions are all in one spot. However there are five main categories to make a teacher's research quicker. These include: Lesson Planning, Professional Development, Technology Integration, Administrator's Desk, and School issues. There is even a convenient search bar located at the top of the page if the previous options do not fit that teacher's needs. The site is updated daily. This is extremely beneficial for a returning user. There are a lot of links and buttons to push before the user reaches their destination, but once there the information is clear. Most lesson plans are completely done for the user. There are also educational game instructions ready to be printed out. It's very easy for teachers to use. Everything is copyrighted by Education World and they can easily be contacted by selecting the link at the bottom. I would consider this site very credible and useful tool. Design: The design is fantastic. The most important links are at the top of the page in bright colors. Almost every link is in alphabetical order, making it easy to come back to a particular one. It is very colorful and flashy. There are a lot of advertisements down the right side of the page, but surprisingly they do not draw attention away from the information. The links work flawlessly and quickly. The feature that lets one searcher on the world wide web, or strictly in Ed World is also a helpful element of the design. Attributions: I would feel save using this site to get ideas for my class. There is contact information.

Posted by Allie Parrott 09/17/09\nThe Shakespearean Resource Center is a site dedicated to Shakespearean language, theatre, and history. Everything on the site is fully functional and thorough. Teachers and students alike could learn a lot from it. Content: The Shakespearean Resource Center is a perfect place for Secondary English teacher's to go for not only basic Shakespeare facts, but in-depth explanations of his language. This site is perfect for high school students and teachers that are struggling with Shakespeare's particular style. In one section "Dictionary of Shakespeare" there shows all of the words he contributed to our everyday vocabulary. I believe that this site is valid because at the bottom of the page it shows when it was last updated. June 2009 was the last time, and that is pretty recent in comparison to a lot of sources one will get concerning William. At the bottom the author and sponsor are also easily spotted, making it all the more credible. All links and information are related to Shakespeare or the Elizabethan time in England. It will help the student that everything on this site is well organized, and they can gather tons of information with out straying far from its links. Design: The site is designed exceptionally well. There are no bothersome pop-ups and there are a limited amount of ads. All the links are functional, and under each link there is a short description, telling the visitor exactly what they are about to learn. It does lack a certain visual effect. There aren't many pictures or graphics, but consider the fact that it is a site for Shakespeare information. Shakespeare had a way with words not pictures. Students who are researching him should be highly literate because there is a lot of reading. The design is perfect for what needs to be accomplished. Attributions: It would be extremely easy to cite this source. Information is not only found at the bottom of each individual page, but also in a link that says cite SRC

A fun and educational reading site for elementary age kids

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Virtual manipulatives for mathematics

This site provides resources, including educational games, stories, and ideas related to inventions. Its purpose is to help individuals learn through exploration and play about the creation process and the role of inventors.

A simple tangrams activity

Open source software for Mac, Windows, and Linux to help you record audio for music, podcasting, etc.