ITEC2360

Jessica Adams; Web Site Review: September 20, 2009 "Teacher Planet" is a wonderful site that is full of different items that you can use in your classroom. This site has has various links that you can click on to look at the different items you are interested in. CONTENT This site's purpose is to provide teacher's with various items that they can use in their classroom. Through this site you can click on links that provide worksheets, posters, theme units and teacher tools. Teachers are able to click on these links and download the various items posted for use in their classrooms. DESIGN "Teacher Planet" is a very organized website that allows teacher to browse different types of categories that they are interested in. It is very easy to click around on this site as everything is labeled very well. This website was made by The Educators Network Inc. and was last updated this year. It gives you information and other resources that you can use for certain themes you want to use or supply teachers with various worksheets. I would highly recommend this site because I found that it has very useful information that can be used within your classrooms.

This is a great look into a lesson plan done by another teacher that allows you to think about doing a similar lesson.

Jacqueline Twiford Web Site Review September 20, 2009 http://www.schoolworld.com/teacherSites.cfm?subpage=502 "School World", is wonderful way to incorporate technology into your classroom. This site allows you as a teacher to post assignments, announcements, and messages and even quizzes online. By incorporating this site into your classroom you are also including parents in their student's education. CONTENT This site's purpose is very obvious once you read through the first few paragraphs. Through this site you can build a webpage for your classroom, for a small cost. By utilizing this website you can bring your classroom into the student's home, including parents in their learning. As a teacher you can post grade book information to quizzes and notes to the parents and students. This is a great way to incorporate technology into your classroom on a daily basis; also it is beneficial to have a site that you can check on student's progress at any point. DESIGN "School World", is a very organized website allowing you to immediately see what the content is and how it can apply to you and your classroom as well as how it can help you. An interesting icon I noticed was the awards of excellence and teacher's choice winner, all very reputable awards that makes me feel this site is a very reputable one for teacher s to use. It also encourages use of this site to include organization ad technology as well as including adults in the child's education. Through this site you can have students help you update content as well as yourself in seconds. This site is an excellent way to incorporate technology as well as keep a well organized classroom for a small amount a year.

Natasha Tuft Web Site Review September 20, 2009 http://www.mustcreate.org/index.shtml "Music in Schools Today" is a resource for students and educators but my eye was drawn to the largest icon which says "donate now" and another that says "how to help". MuST is a non-profit organization focused on keeping music integrated into students lives in the San Francisco Bay area. CONTENT The site's purpose is discovered after a few minutes of reading. The information providers have a convenient "About Us" link that explains very clearly their purpose and the purpose of the site. The "press" section shows us that there are regular updates to the site as I saw a press release from April of this year. But, as it turns out, "Various resources" actually means "a few". Each area on the site only has a few resources for students and teachers. But perhaps more information is available as you follow the links. DESIGN MuST loads quickly and efficiently, has an attractive homepage, and has a convenient link to contact the sponsors easily. I didn't observe any additional use of multimedia, though that might be very useful for this kind of a site. It was compatible with my browser. The content presentation was well done. A student hoping to become an artist may find several resources through the site. In addition it was current and has plenty of links to provide you with further information.

Natasha Tuft Web Site Review September 20, 2009 http://ilovethatteachingidea.com/ The purpose of this site is to allow teachers to share and find creative classroom management and teaching ideas. "Get inspired with creative ready-to-use teaching ideas!" I was very impressed by all of the very useful links, organized information, and abundance of different kinds of ideas for different age groups. CONTENT This is a site with a very clear purpose. At the very top it says "We inspire teachers with practical, teacher-created ideas and resources that you can use in your classroom immediately." In an easy-to -find place you can contact the information providers. Not only is there a "About Us" link, the site encourages you to join their free e-mail newsletter in a few different ways as you navigate the site. If there is a regular newsletter that tells me that the site is regularly updated, current, and active. The quality of the information is very good, of course remembering that any teacher (or anyone for that matter) can post teaching ideas. The usefulness of each idea is in the eye of the beholder. There is much access to further information on any given subject as there are topics and many links. DESIGN The page loads quickly and the homepage is appealing. The sponsor can be contacted easily and the organization of the links makes it easy to navigate the page. In trying to find "use of multimedia" I actually found a couple of downloads that didn't work, which doesn't mean there aren't other useful downloads or clips. The site was compatible with my browser, had excellent content presentation which was organized and eye-appealing. Things seemed current as mentioned above and there was a lot of availability to further information. The site made me excited to start planning my teaching curriculum and methods!

Natasha Tuft Web Site Review September 20, 2009 www.teachertools.org The purpose of this site seems to be to provide teachers with resources for the classroom. But because the site has not been updated for a long time I only could assume this after looking at the site's name and clicking through links for a while. There are links to areas of interest from decorating bulletin boards to language arts lesson plans to classroom discipline. I liked the creative classroom ideas on this site but it was difficult to navigate and did not seem like the most professional site that I've seen put together. CONTENT Especially at "first look", the purpose of the web site is unclear. I assumed that the audience is teachers because of the very obvious URL "teacher tools.org". The home page simply has a notice that the site is undergoing revision. That post was made in 2002! I could not find the information providers on the homepage or on other pages I navigated. I was able to find, however, many interesting and useful links to other more organized web pages. Even these, though, had confusing and sometimes unorganized labels. I should mention that a few of the first links I clicked on were incomplete links and got me nowhere. The strength in content for this site is simply its links and not its own content. Had I not been doing this assignment for class, however, I would probably have gone back to my search engine to find a more useful site. DESIGN The web site downloads efficiently but when it loaded I was really unsure if I was at the homepage or if I landed on something else. The homepage is not appealing. The only eye-catching thing is the teachertools.org icon and there is no way of contacting sponsor easily. Links on the side of the page were useful for looking in specific categories but a few of the links that I tried were incomplete or "under construction". I don't see it having any difficulties with browser compatibility but the content presentation co

Natasha Tuft Web Site Review September 20, 2009 www.teachertools.org The purpose of this site seems to be to provide teachers with resources for the classroom. But because the site has not been updated for a long time I only could assume this after looking at the site's name and clicking through links for a while. There are links to areas of interest from decorating bulletin boards to language arts lesson plans to classroom discipline. I liked the creative classroom ideas on this site but it was difficult to navigate and did not seem like the most professional site that I've seen put together. CONTENT Especially at "first look", the purpose of the web site is unclear. I assumed that the audience is teachers because of the very obvious URL "teacher tools.org". The home page simply has a notice that the site is undergoing revision. That post was made in 2002! I could not find the information providers on the homepage or on other pages I navigated. I was able to find, however, many interesting and useful links to other more organized web pages. Even these, though, had confusing and sometimes unorganized labels. I should mention that a few of the first links I clicked on were incomplete links and got me nowhere. The strength in content for this site is simply its links and not its own content. Had I not been doing this assignment for class, however, I would probably have gone back to my search engine to find a more useful site. DESIGN The web site downloads efficiently but when it loaded I was really unsure if I was at the homepage or if I landed on something else. The homepage is not appealing. The only eye-catching thing is the teachertools.org icon and there is no way of contacting sponsor easily. Links on the side of the page were useful for looking in specific categories but a few of the links that I tried were incomplete or "under construction". I don't see it having any difficulties with browser compatibility but the content presentation co

Posted by Lyndsey Neelands on 9/18/2009 CELLS alive is an educational website that is designed for teachers and students. The purpose of the website is to use interactive technology to teach students about cell biology subjects. Content: This website has a lot of good content on it. The author of the website is clearly identified and his credentials are enough to author this site. The information seems actuate but a clear updated date is not displayed. The information on this sight would be very helpful for a struggling student and also as a resource for a science teacher looking for a visual way to represent this material. The Cell Cams are especially interesting, providing a real life representation for students to see. Design: This site is very well designed. It is colorful and very easy to understand. This would be able to be used by young students as well as older teachers. The content is well displayed and very easy to see. Navigation of this sight is self explanatory and does not seem confusing. The author's information is also very easy to get to. Contact information for questions and more information is also easy to get to.

Posted by Lyndsey Neelands on 9/19/2009 CELLS alive is an educational website that is designed for teachers and students. The purpose of the website is to use interactive technology to teach students about cell biology subjects. Content: This website has a lot of good content on it. The author of the website is clearly identified and his credentials are enough to author this site. The information seems actuate but a clear updated date is not displayed. The information on this sight would be very helpful for a struggling student and also as a resource for a science teacher looking for a visual way to represent this material. The Cell Cams are especially interesting, providing a real life representation for students to see. Design: This site is very well designed. It is colorful and very easy to understand. This would be able to be used by young students as well as older teachers. The content is well displayed and very easy to see. Navigation of this sight is self explanatory and does not seem confusing. The author's information is also very easy to get to. Contact information for questions and more information is also easy to get to.

Posted by Lyndsey Neelands on 9/19/2009 Cool Science is an education website branched from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The purpose of this website is to inform the community about science. Content: This site clearly identifies its material and the authors. This website is authored and updated by a medical institute so its information is up to date and accurate. The information is also for many different ages and skill levels. Also, there are resources for teachers available at this site. The links to other sites are relevant and working properly. This website would be helpful to any elementary or secondary science teacher looking for up to date research. Design: This website is very easy to navigate and very appealing. The website is organized and all of the graphics add to the purpose of the site. The links are appropriate and contribute to the value of the website. The sponsor is clearly identified and is easy to get information on. This Cool Science website is an extension of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute so a lot of the links go to other resources from Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This is significant because the design of the pages is consistent, even when using a link to navigate from the homepage of Cool Science.

Mike Wilson Site review September 18, 2009 NASA Education Grades 9-12 Introduction As this is a NASA site, it is an awesome resource. While my selection is for Grades 9-12, the site covers K-12 + higher education. The purpose is to give all students direct access to NASA space and aeronautics content through educational programs including high school internships. The A-Z Index for Students contains links to hundreds of NASA programs. The main NASA Education home page has a Google rank of 8/10, the Grades 9-12 has a Google rank of 6/10. Content Evaluation First Look First look is a bit busy and boxy. There are 7 + information boxes above the fold along with a top left menu. Information Providers It is NASA! Information Currency Last updated September 15,2009 by Shelly Canright. Extensive and updated future, current and past NASA program information. Information Quality The quality of the information is exceptional and seemingly endless, presented in a wide variety of formats. Images, video, podcasts, NASA TV, Interactive, 3D, RSS, Blogs. Design Evaluation Speed As with most NASA sites, a bit slow on the load. Considering the information presented, on each page, the speed is acceptable. Home Page If you are a space science student, this is the page for you. Geared to the 9-12 viewer with the exciting science you are looking for. Ease of Navigation Due to the depth of the information, there is some digging to be done to get what you want. Use of multimedia Comprehensive use of all multimedia formats. Browser compatibility Viewed only on IE7 Content Presentation From NASA Facebook, Career Profiles, MyNasa for homework help, Missions, if it's Space Science you will find it here presented world class.

Mike Wilson Site review September 18, 2009 Science Buddies Free Science Fair Project Ideas, Answers, & Tools for Serious Students Introduction This is a very detailed and comprehensive site to facilitate student science fair projects. It can be used by the casual science fair student though the stated target student is the serious science student. Detailed information is provided for students and teachers K-12. The site is supported by 30 major science and technology corporations and is run by a staff of 18 not including the Seagate IT people. Anything to do with a school science project, this is your stop. Google ranking is 6/10 with 321 backward links. Content Evaluation First Look The home page and site are by no means fancy. Simple and clear what the information is and where to go on the site. The depth of the site is extensive. As you start your information search you can easily select your target grade level. Information Providers The purpose of the site, sponsors and fact there are real scientists involved is clear. Information Currency Site is fully operational and current. No daily revision date is given but 2009 Copyright is in place. Extensive links to other sites from each specific science project page for additional information. Information Quality Content is extensive, selectable for grade level. Very well organized and effective science fair development and projects for students, teachers and parents. Massive resources on the site itself with additional links out as needed. Design Evaluation Speed Science Buddies is very well designed to be a quality information site. Fast loads. Very text oriented, limited and simple graphics with properly sized thumbnails to keep page loads quick. Home Page & Ease of Navigation 9 tabs across home page top or easily 9 home pages. Actual home page is 85% above the fold. Very easy and quick to move around the site. The 'Topic Selection Wizard' is very functional, grade, gender, subject

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.