Teacher
Made Web Sites
Mrs.
Renz's 4th Grade Class Web Site
Evaluation
This site was designed by the teacher of this 4th
grade elementary school class in
Commendations
1) The
obvious dedication to keeping the information on the site fresh and the links
offered current is impressive. The front page offers a clear indication of the
most recent update which is supported by current information such as the Homework Backpack
which lists pending assignments, the Classroom
Calendar, as well as the This Week at a
Glance feature.
2) The Parent Corner
is a helpful and inclusive feature. Designed to answer any and all questions a
parent might have about the class, curriculum and teacher expectations, it is a
smart way to make parents feel like they are a part of the educational team.
3) The Student
Web Pages are a commendable feature. These pages, as would be expected
of 4th grade students, are rather simplistic and not a great source
of information. But the fact that the teacher takes the time to teach her kids
how to make their own web sites, and the technological knowledge that goes with
that, is a wonderful educational opportunity more kids should experience.
Recommendations
1) The
biggest recommendation I would have for this web site has to do with its
organization. There is an abundance of information to be found here, but no
logical set up for these resources. Creating an index listing the various
offerings under general categories would be very helpful towards successfully
navigating the site.
2) A related
recommendation to the navigation issue goes to the issue of the editing of the
content in the site. While the wealth of information available is impressive,
the site may suffer from too much of a good thing. For example, while I
heartily commend the idea of the Parent Corner,
the number of links offered for exploration might overwhelm even the most
dedicated parent. Focusing on the a little less of the most relevant content
and organizing it in a more cohesive way would only enhance an otherwise
terrific site.
3) The final
recommendation, again related to the way the site is set up, addresses the
visual appeal of the site when it is first opened. While I love the variety of
clip art used for the various links, there is almost too much to take in when
you first open the website. A simple introductory page with an entrance link
would be more visually appealing as well as perhaps more appropriate for the
young audience targeted.
http://www.redmond.k12.or.us/patrick/renz/
Welcome
to Mrs. Bogucki's Fifth Grade Class
Evaluation
This site was created by Mrs. Bogucki for the students and
parents of her 5th grade class at Moncure Elementary in
Commendations
1) This site
has clean, simple design that is easy to navigate. The opening page is
attractive with clearly identified subject categories for exploration. Each
page also offers links to the home page, previous and next page, as well as a
table of contents and site index. The use of seasonal graphics on the front
page is a nice touch.
2) The Teacher Resources
section looks very useful. It is evenly divided between language arts, mathematics,
and social studies activities. Of particular interest is the Quizzism program.
This feature offers simple interactive quizzes on a variety of subjects and
includes the ability to vary the questions in the quiz.
3) The Homework Online
feature continues the theme of simplicity in navigation. It offers an easy to
read list of the assignments for the week as well as appropriate, helpful,
links. For example, clicking on a word from the spelling list will link the
user to an online dictionary to look up its meaning.
Recommendations
1) While the
site is well designed, it still seems to be a work in progress as I ran across
several incomplete links such as this. I would
suggest marking and leaving such links as inactive until they were up and
running to ease navigation.
2) I was
interested in the Accelerated
Reader section as a resource for good books. Unfortunately, the list
offered was not particularly helpful as it only offered listings based on
title, author, or degree of difficulty. A subject matter index would make this
list far more useful.
3) Perhaps
this is picayune, but I found the cursor trail annoying. The book cursor is
cute as was the letter trail, at least initially. But after a few minutes, the novelty
wore off and I found it only interfered with the ability to read the words on
the page. My advice: lose the trail to enhance the already clean design of this
site.
http://mrsbogucki.com/aemes/class/info/whatsnew.htm