ANNOTATED WEB REVIEWS

By: Stacy Schreiber

http://www.biologycorner.com/

1. What is the overall (or general) purpose of the website?
1. The purpose of this website is to help Biology teachers enhance their lesson plans and classroom activities.
2. Biology web quest suggestions are available through links on the web quest page. Some examples are blood donations, biomes and disease outbreaks
3. Many images are available to make any Biology lesson more interesting to the students.
4. Teachers also have access to pre-made quizzes as well as a quiz-maker. This would allow the teacher to customize a quiz based on his or her exact teachings.
2. What are the major strengths of the website?
1. Strengths of this website include graphics, organization, text layout, and overall user-friendly look.

i. Specifically, the graphics on this page made me want to look further. The images are clear and sized perfectly for the particular place they are in.

ii. The general organization is appealing to the user. There is just the right amount of text on each page. Too much text would make any user (like me) turn to a different page quickly!

iii. The text layout is perfect. The size of the text is appropriate for the specific places it’s in. I don’t feel senile when I am reading through these pages.

iv. The smaller details such as the combination of colors, buttons and again graphics make this website user-friendly.

3. How can teachers use the website for teaching/learning?
1. Teachers can use this website in many of the previously mentioned ways. They can create quizzes (or make them particular), use the images in class and use the web quest ideas for student development.
4. How can students use the website for independent or group learning, if at all?
1. I would say that this website is for teachers only. It is designed for use by a teacher and not a student.
5. What are some pitfalls, if any, of the site?
1. I honestly do not have any complaints or improvements that I feel could be made about this website.

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/index.htm

6. What is the overall (or general) purpose of the website?
1. The overall purpose of the website is to education students about all of the different aspects of weather.
7. What are the major strengths of the website?
1. The graphics, organization and centering of the text + graphics are some strengths.
2. The content is written in comic sans. This font is appealing to young people (and maybe some older people too!) Its easy to read and a little more exciting than times new roman.
3. The content itself is appropriate for student readers. Though its not age specific, I would have to say that most students (4^th grade and above) would enjoy reading the information on this website. **My collaboration group and I actually chose this website for one of the links on our page.

i. Specifically, the graphics make the page exciting for students, but are not so numerous and overwhelming that they demand all of the attention.

ii. The organization of the pages is very geometric. This makes the interface user-friendly for students. They can expect a certain consistency when they change pages.

8. How can teachers use the website for teaching/learning?
1. Teachers could definitely use this website for class activities. This website is fantastic for individual student use, but even better for group projects.
2. This website could be used to find information for a web quest.
3. The most important factor of this website is that the students might actually “take something away” with them when they are done with it. The definitions and content are written in a student friendly way.
9. How can students use the website for independent or group learning, if at all?
1. (See previous)
10. What are some pitfalls, if any, of the site?
1. The only pitfall of this website is that it can’t be used in the upper grades. I think that high school students would become bored very quickly with a website like this. Its meant to be used from 4^th grade to 8^th grade

http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/

11. What is the overall (or general) purpose of the website?
1. This website is a K-6 website for teachers only. The purpose of this website is to help elementary school teachers with all the aspects of running an elementary school classroom.
2. This site has subject specific information as well as classroom management skills and discipline plans.
12. What are the major strengths of the website?
1. The strengths of this website are the content and the layout.

i. Specifically, the content of this website includes information that I have not yet found on any other teacher websites. I find it very difficult to find information (that I can actually understand) about classroom management and discipline. This site has all of that information without the “fluff”.

ii. The layout of this website is organized and concise. The information is all focused around a central point and the home page basically fits on one screen. That is definitely strength.

iii. **This website is like the Wal-Mart or Target of websites for teachers. You can get everything you’re looking for in one place!

13. How can teachers use the website for teaching/learning?
1. Teachers can use this website for their planning, student development, classroom management and discipline tactics. There is a lot of “to the point” information.
14. How can students use the website for independent or group learning, if at all?
1. This website is not intended for student use.
15. What are some pitfalls, if any, of the site?
1. The font used in this website was a little too creative. That type of font would be better suited to an artistic website. As a teacher, I found it hard to read at certain times.

Blog #3

http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=193200370

Integrating Visual Literacy

By: Susan McLester

REVIEW

Convent of the Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco keeps their students “on top” in a technological fashion. All of the incoming freshman receive up-to-date palm pilots. Beaming zones allow the students to send and receive information to each other. Teachers can organize students via homework and testing schedules right from the start. No excuses for these students! McClester calls it a 21^st century organizational tool (since all of the students can download just about anything).

All aspects of the school involve technology in one way or another (unlike the imaginary scene depicted by the author in my previous blog). Film and photo have “jazzed” up the once boring school newspaper. The girls enjoy the chance to be creative. Spanish classes have also used camera technology. English becomes more fun for the students when they can download pictures they may have talked about in a once boring novel.

The new technology sure makes school more interesting for these girls!

COMMENTARY/OPINION
I liked this article much more than the one I read previously (blog #2). This kind of technology could only be possible in a private school for two reasons. The first reason has to do with the parents. They control the finances that go into the system. The second reason is more dependent on the lack of federal involvement.

NCLB is one example of a guideline that has stunted progress in our public school system. On one hand, it’s great that all of the students are getting help that they need. This act is meant to ensure survival of all young people for the future. On the contrary, the students that are on the fast track are losing their drive and excitement from the slower pace. Is that really fair?

In a private school, the administrators and the staff decide what is going to happen and when. I have worked in both types of environments. Honestly, I really appreciated the freedom I had when I worked for the private sector…I didn’t appreciate the salary.

Blog #2

http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=193200296

A Day in the Life of Web 2.0

By: David Warlick

REVIEW
This article can best be reviewed by stating the title: A Day in the Life of Web 2.0. Basically, Warlick’s article gives the reader many different perspectives of technology in the classroom. He mentions the teachers and their collaborations through blogs, wiki’s and the Internet. Many opinions from the students were also shared. The students benefited not only from the prepared lessons given by the teacher, but from looking at each other’s work as well.

COMMENTARY/OPINION
This article paints a very picturesque scene within a school. All the students are happy. All of the teachers seem to know how to use differing technologies in their classrooms. Even the “veteran English teacher” down the hall knows what a wiki is. I can’t help but feel like this kind of setting is completely unrealistic for the current time.

To start, veteran teachers often reject the use of new technology because they are usually set in their ways. All students are not necessarily technologically inclined because some still do not have full time access to a computer.

This author may be envisioning a place like Perfect (Often talked about fictitiously on Walgreen’s commercials). I could just hear it now: “Where all of the students are in jubilant moods and all of the teachers have working computers in their classrooms…”

In addition, I noted that the last line of this article states that the author is a blogger, podcaster and programmer. He forgot to add naïve dreamer to the list…