1. Overall Ease of Use/Appearance:
This site is simple, and very pleasing to the eye. There are only a few colors used, with a simple white background, which gives the site an overall professional feeling. It is laid out in an easy to see and read pattern, with well-marked and defined links to various parts of the site. One of the nice things about this layout is that not all the information is presented to the visitor at once. If you scroll over a particular section of the site, all of the information that is needed will appear on the screen, making it short and simple.
While the layout is outstanding, there are some issues with the navigation of the site. There is a lot of information on this site, and it was difficult at first to locate the writing section. You are confronted with five main areas to choose from, and the pop up description of each section was helpful, however, it took a little while to find the actual writing page. Once a visitor becomes familiar with the layout and the content of this site, it is much easier to find anything you are looking for.
2. Quality of Content:
Once at the writing section of this site, I found the material very relevant to this topic. There are thirty-five different areas that focus on the teaching and learning of writing techniques. A teacher can find information on everything from assessment to multi-grade classrooms.
The writing section focuses on a new type of style used in secondary classrooms around the country called the 6+1 TraitTM writing style. This style focuses on six main traits of writing, and helps students and teachers improve writing skills by creating core requirements for writing. There are links for various levels of writing, information on how to score the different traits and research findings from real classroom experience. Parents and students can visit the site as well, to gain valuable information that may be used in the classroom. The sample lesson plans look very useful for any level teacher. As stated in Spider Pro 100 Do��s and Don��ts of making a web page, the makers should know their audience; I believe this site meets that requirement along with many others listed in the content area. They have listed when the site was last updated, written about the subject, and kept topics separate and understandable. The overall content of this site is complete and useful.
3. "Style":
This group has a somewhat formal style of presenting material. This is a new and exciting way of teaching writing. It is presented in a manner so that the audience will take this process seriously. This style meets the standards for Spider Pro 100��s general do��s and don��ts. In that there are no pop up screens, no unneeded sounds, the site is registered, it does not count hits, and there is contact information at the bottom of each page by email, snail mail, and telephone. The style of this site is very enjoyable. Even though it is more formal, it is about a professional subject, and it looks professional, with a consistent look and feel.
4. Credibility:
A lot of the information on this site has been written by professional staff members, who have developed and are trying to implement this type of writing and assessment style. Even though they are not specifically secondary educators some of them do have some experience working with students in a classroom setting. They express their personal experiences in journal articles, and various writings. Several different people holding PhD��s write the various articles that are included, to back up the information. Because this is a new concept a lot of the information comes directly from the people who developed the program. There is an informational page about the people who have developed, maintained and contributed to this site; it is listed under a link called ��people��. There are listings on the teacher page for training sessions, with reputable educational institutions where teachers, parents, etc. can go and learn more about this concept.
5. Commercial vs. Informative:
This site is open to anyone who wishes to visit and gain new information. There is no general membership requirement or fee in order to participate; however, there is an assessment library where teachers and students can ask for various kinds of information for a standardized fee of $20 plus shipping and handling. There are no advertisements popping up while you are trying to research this important information. And, while it provides a lot of information to the visitor, there are many things that you can take away from your visit to this site. It provides; sample lesson plans, handouts to be used in class on writing, citations, etc. and an assessment library where you can search and acquire different types of research for a fee.
Average Rating:
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