ITEC2360-01Fall2012

Free elementary, middle and high school teacher resources, including puzzlemaker, student games and activities and lesson plans.

Free elementary, middle and high school teacher resources, including puzzlemaker, student games and activities and lesson plans.

ebook on Web 2.0 mindmapping tools

Overview: This site was created to provide information on history as well as provide interactive games that can help students learn. It took a minute to realize but this site is linked with a chain of sites that cover several different topics such as, (www.kidsgeo.com and www.kidsnumbers.com ), which are all located within the KidsKnowIt Network. The intended audience was a little unclear and the topics were very broad. It was also unclear to who created site and I couldn't find a link to tell me who I could ask questions if I did have any. Overall this site would be hard to use in my opinion, but could be useful for someone who is unable to obtain textbooks with certain information. Content and Design: The content of the site was interesting and presented so in a textbook style. There were several different areas students could learn about ranging from Prehistoric Humans to the American Revolution. The design was easy to follow despite its many components. There was a slight lag time for pages to load which was a slight inconvenience. The content and design were well thought but could of used a more simplistic approach.

Overview: This website was created to provide information about the US Constitution. The site provides good information and its target audience is for k-3. Although the site does provide links for grades 4-7 and 8-12. These links are very nice to have as they are grade pertinent and go in more depth as the grade level increases. A teacher could have a student that is more advanced or even more interested in the topic use one of the other links to gain more knowledge and peak their interest. Overall I think the site could be very useful to cover the constitution and what it entails. Content and Design: The content that the site provides is grade level appropriate and very interesting. The scheme of the site was easy to follow navigate. It also had several pictures to help keep the interest of the learners. The way information is provided is clever as it provides and introduction then has a nice summary on how it all works. The site did provide pages for questions and even had a forum for people to look at and talk with each other on.

Overview: This website was created to provide educational games that kids can interact with. The intended audience is for k-6th grade. There are many different games that the site provides and the topics are easy to understand. I enjoyed the broadness of the site. It had several different games for each grade level and topic. You could play a different game every day during a week which to me helps the learning not seem so monotonous. Overall I think this site could be very useful for a k-6th grade teacher or possibly even higher grades depending on student's levels of learning. Content and Design The amount of information provided by the site was amazing. The site was able to cover all of the basic learning areas and to do so with many different and still interactive ways. The design of the site was easy to follow but the games were brought up inside a pop-up window which was a slight inconvenience and allowed for you to get lost easily. Although the site is made by volunteers it does provide contact links and gives links for sites that could also be helpful.

Madison Hamblen Revised: 10.15.12 Overview: This website was created in order to help people study facts about the American Civil War in flash card format. The intended audience is for fourth grade students in Virginia that are preparing for the state standardized tests. There are no available resources that can link the user to other informational pages. My impressions of this website are that it is an educational link providing an activity to help students reinforce information they should have previously been taught. Content: The content within this website is similar to that in others regarding the facts about the American Civil War. Other websites have the same type of information and key points. The content is relevant to information fourth graders are expected to be tested on during their state standardized tests. The content is also easy to understand because it is on a very basic reading level at which is compatible with the intended audience. Design: The design of the website is boring due to the fact that it is just an activity and not a website meant for entertainment. It is very cut and dry with the way the site distributes information. Since the students can read both sides of the card at the same time, the website is simply a reading experience in flashcard form. The navigation process is easy because the only thing to do on this website is switch from one card to another. This site is worth visiting because no matter how much the student knows, the cards will always give them the answer. If they are always given the answer, then they are guaranteed to learn something.

Madison Hamblen Revised: 10.15.12 Overview: This web activity site was made to use as a tool to quiz one's knowledge on the history of America during the Civil War. The information is based upon the major battles during the Civil War. Due to the facts being so basic, the intended audience is geared towards upper elementary students preparing for the state standardized tests. There are no links leading a user to another page, rather this exercise is simply an online quiz to determine the knowledge the students already have. My overall impression is that this website is beneficial if the students already have a prior understanding of the major battles. This website should not be used as a primary source of learning. It should be used as a tool to test students' level of comprehension. Content: The content provided on this website is correct and relevant to the history of America during the Civil War. Even though the content is relevant, the quantity of information is lacking. The person who created this site is most likely a teacher simply because it is a Quia web activity, however that information is not easily revealed. The site only shows the web designer's name. Therefore there is no way of contacting the website designer for questions regarding their work. Design: The design of this website is plain and boring. The intentions of the designer are clearly to make it an informational website. There is nothing that would catch a viewer's attention at first glance. It is organized and easy to navigate but would get frustrating because you have to answer each question one at a time. It would be better if there were a key so the students could view the questions in a chart form.

Madison Hamblen Revised: 10.15.12 Overview: This website was designed to be an educational tool for studying the Civil War. It was specifically engineered for fourth grade students in Virginia to prepare them for the state standardized tests. There is a worksheet for students to complete after exploring this website in great detail. Mrs. Walter made the worksheet so the students could be evaluated on their understanding of the Civil War. I think this website was very well constructed. It covers many influential people who played a key role during the Civil War in America. Content: This is an informational website which was created in order to educate students on the history of America during the Civil War. The content on this website is accurate and relevant to my interests of study. Even though the page has not been revised since 2005, the facts remain the same. The reason for the lapse in revision is irrelevant to the accuracy of the information is because the website is about history. The past is what happened in previous years, and therefore it can't be changed. No matter when a history site is produced, the content will remain consistent and true. This site is very beneficial for elementary school social studies students. The facts are basic enough for their comprehension level, yet in depth enough to form a solid foundation of the history of America during the Civil War. Design: The homepage of this website is appealing at first glance. It is nice how the homepage immediately splits off into two different links. One link takes the student to a Union page, while the other one links to a page on the Confederacy. The design of this website is very basic and extremely easy to understand. Navigating through the different links is easy when the links are easy to read and the pictures are relevant to the content.

Cody Englert 10/16/12 Overview: Overall the site is easy to use though there is not much information on it. It is mostly for a basic overview of the Weapons used during World War One. There is not much to the page except for some basic information that would serve as a good starting point for any seeking to learn more about Weapons of World War One. Content: Like I said before there is not much on this page. There are no real links leading to more information but there is useful information on all of the basic things listed on the site. Design: There is not much on the page so the design is not very good. There is one picture and it is black and white. Also there is no real navigation aids because all the information on the page is presented on the first page.

Cody Englert 10/16/12 Overview: The site is easy to use and the links are easy to follow. It has information relevant to the topic. The site is appealing to the eye and yet still has valuable information on it. It is not overwhelming. Content: The content on the site is very relevant to the topic. It is easy to use and there is a lot of useful information all on the first page where it is easy to find. There are tabs that lead to other sources of relevant information. Design: The design of this site is easy to use. Tabs on the side of the page make it easy to navigate and use. Everything is appealing and the photos and colors are easy on the eye.

Cody Englert 10/16/12 Overview: This site is meant to give a general overview of the technology used during World War One. It is able to do this effectively by giving general information without being too distracting. Content: The content on this site is relevant without being too overwhelming. It is easy to navigate and understand with links to certain parts of the articles. Design: The site is easy to use but it is not much to look at. It is an article and the headings are easy to follow but again there is almost no media and the photos are all in black and white.

Bryan Martin 10/15/2012 Overview: The purpose of this site is to educate the reader about a variety of ancient history subjects from a variety of cultures and perspectives. It does this by using artwork, subject material, and literature. The site is easy to navigate and though there is a lot of links, all appear to be working. Content: There is a wealth of content on many many subjects. The navigation helps to keep it all organized, and is very effective. There is a lot of content that ties ancient history into modern day interpretations by Hollywood that effectively helps correct historical inaccuracies. There is an extensive section available for teachers as well. Design: This site is vibrant and colorful in design. There are a lot of elements that highlight the subject material, and navigation is very easy. There is a wealth of links and passages to other sites with even more relevant information.

10/15/2012 Overview: The purpose of this site was to fulfill an educational grant and educate students on Roman history. Information is massive, and well cited everywhere. This site is truly exceptional, with interactive tours, games, and forums (the forums are inactive, but there is a wealth of information archived there). The only problem is a seeming lack of updates; changes are noted in the site, but dates are not provided. Content: There is a striking amount of information here, from languages to lifestyles to gladiatorial combat. Of special note is that the designers of the site are professors of Italian history that are primary sources for the subject material. Additionally there are resources available for teachers, with recommendations for how to teach subject material. The outside links are comprehensive and useful for further learning on the subject material. Design: Here the site comes across as a little bland. Information is presented without much flash. However, the ease of navigation and clear menus somewhat offset this.

Bryan Martin 10/15/2012 Overview: The purpose of this site is to educate the reader about Ancient Roman history. This site is a great resource and is appropriate for most ages, however some mature content is available when in the gladiatorial and emperor sections of the site. Content: There is a wealth of information on this site about a variety of subjects. Information is organized logically, and is easy to access. There is an alarming and noticeable lack of additional links and source materials or citations, and the author has no indication of expertise in the field. Design: The design of the site is good, however the button style navigation can take some getting used to if one is used to sidebar style. There is a lot of period art and illustration on the site, however there is a noticeable lack of multimedia and modernization. The beige theme of the site is also somewhat bland, and the in site ads can be a little hard to distinguish from content.

Saydi Gardner 10/15/12 What is Photosynthesis? Overview: This site was very informative. There was a lot of good useful information about photosynthesis and the various aspects involved. The relationship between plants, soil, air, and light are clearly explained, the relationship between plants and other organisms is also explained very well. Content and Design: This site is rather clustered and could use some improvements with the layout. Also the developer and copyright information was not present. The site was not very eye appealing while navigating it. The links were useful and provided more information regarding the subject.

Saydi Gardner 10/15/12 Sheppard Software Overview: This website is very useful. The information provided on this site ranges from science, math, geography, art, health, and English. There are multiple games and activities for students of all ages to use to learn the intended subject. While this site is mainly designed for elementary age kids, it can be used by all ages to learn new things and play games to help master the material. Content and Design: This site is very easy to navigate. Each section is labeled and easy to get to. Some pages take longer to download than others. The design is appealing to the eyes and the background/text color scheme makes it easy to read the text.

Overview: This website explores briefly the holiday of Día de los Muertos. Though it is not very attractive to the eye, the information given is very helpful for any Spanish language learner. A student would build or expand their knowledge using the historical, individual traditions, food and candy, and vocabulary necessary for understanding the festivities. The site also leads to other helpful pages such as a recipe for sugar skulls that was the easiest and most realistic I found. This is a fairly good website, that gives the unique insight of the vocabulary; therefore I would use this in my class to expand upon previous knowledge. Content and Design: The design lacks the attention grabber to draw in the audience, however it is not completely boring, and effectively describes and offers unique cultural details to the tradition. The webpage itself works well, and is easily navigated. In the same way other links are useful work efficiently. The information has not been changed since 2004, but since it is giving the general process for the tradition the information still holds true, however there may be better sources for how the culture has transformed in modern time. There is contact information that could be used for further exploration of this theme. The vocabulary is an extremely useful tool in teaching Spanish and Spanish culture, therefore I would say this is a usable website.

Overview: The website examines the holiday near Halloween known as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). It adds new historical information that is expanded upon more than in other sources I found. This information explains the progression of the tradition from the ancient Aztecs era to contemporary times, while also examining the global expansion and adaptation of these cultural practices. This would be helpful to a student of Spanish to more deeply explain how this tradition came to be and how it continues to change over time. There are extensive videos and layers of the site to explore if the student wants to gain further understanding. I would use this site with my future students. Content and Design: The layout of the website does not have a strong eye appeal, however there is an abundance of useful and fun information available. The author is listed, but there is not a way to contact them on this page. The site is fairly easy to access, however the other sections are in a box that is about half way down the page on the side, so easily overlooked. The information is recent, however not updated frequently. There is a large amount of information available here, though the design could be improved.

Saydi Gardner Growing the Next Generation 10/15/12 Overview: This website is designed to help young kids learn about plants, soil, sun, and how they all relate to one another and to us as humans. Some of the helpful activities on this website are coloring activities, videos, recipes that use fresh fruits and veggies, games, advice for gardening, diagrams, questions and answers segment, and various articles. This site is very easy to navigate and I found it very useful when needing information about plants and the benefits they provide for humans. Content and Design: The content on this site was easy to understand and relevant as to why it was created. The information on this site is accurate and up to date. This site explains how plants use soil, light, and different components of the atmosphere to help themselves and other organisms, such as humans and animals, around them. It is very easy to move around and find various activities on this site. The layout and design is easy to navigate and use but could use some improvements.

Summary This web site is a respectable source to find all formulas, even those that don't deal with math (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology). This website is amazing because formals are stationary and so they do not change much. My use for this site was to have the kids to find the formula and this web site even had worksheets that the kids could mess around with and test out what the surface area was with each different object. Overview This web site is very plain to the eye but is very helpful when trying to acquire a formula. The advantages to this web site are that it has every formula that you could think of and it is in a format that is very user friendly (Tables). But the one down side is that the web site doesn't show you how to work these formulas.