Prarie State Blog Assignment

LaShonda Howell
Kimberly Heintz
Ed.160-A
28 August 2009













Website evaluation is definitely a new concept for me. I never really took the time to evaluate a website in depth as I did with this particular assignment. The evaluation form created by Kathleen Schrock, is a good tool to have along the way--especially if you're an educator trying to find appropriate material for your students. I for one, intend to use it from now on when researching projects for school or personal use. The form is easy to follow and it prompts you as to what you should be looking for in a clear, organized matter.

The first website that I evaluated is called - Math Is Fun. Its a website that pretty much geared towards finding the fun in math while giving students and educators alike different 'helpful' avenues to learn. I was not able to point out every aspect when evaluating this site, but I'm convinced that its a valid learning aid for students and a great resource for educators. The graphics contain links that lead students into different areas of the site so that they can experience math in the areas from counting money to geometry if the choose. There is even a page for teachers---there they can gain ideas on how to keep there students entertained while learning.

Scholastic.com was the next website that I evaluated. I'm confident enough to mention that it goes without saying the validity and authority associated with the site. One obvious reason being the name and reputation associated with the organization and its products. Since the 1920's this organization has been providing the world with educational tools through reading and learning.

Scholastic has so many different avenues to look at on their website, I just felt as if there is a wealth of information on the site for anyone looking. What caught my attention most about the website is I noticed resources for new teachers! There is nothing better than good, sound advice when you are stepping into any field.

Another favorite of mine from that site was Story Starters. This activity gives students the opportunity to spin the wheel to come up with creative, and sometimes funny writing prompts. I think its a great idea to get the learning process started...get kids to start thinking and acting on what ideas they can write down or focus on.

Out of all of the websites, those two were the best that I found. I would not go so far as to say that I found any bad sites, but there were definitely a few that were not aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and there were those with broken links. When I started out I wanted to focus on sites with the .edu or .gov affiliations but I went with these two sites instead.

There is tremendous value in evaluating the websites you intend to use. You can potentially save yourself the frustration and possibly embarrassment by trying to identify the source of the information you obtain. Not every website creator has your best interest at heart, so its best to be proactive for your students as well as backing up the need for educators to try and stay as professional and accurate as possible.