URLs, Search Engines, and Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages

URLs

A URL, or uniform resource locator, is an internet address that provides the direct link to a website. In order to better understand what a URL is, students should become familiar with the three basic parts of a URL. Firstly, every URL begins with “http://” which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol or “www” that stands for World Wide Web. Second, the middle portion of the URL is called the domain name and is an assigned label for the server in which you access. Lastly, the last three letters of the URL is called the domain designator. An example of a domain designator would be “.com” and these letters tell what kind of group owns the server. Therefore, a URL can tell students the server that they are connecting to, what kind of group owns that particular server, and can help students to easily navigate to websites on the internet.

Search Engines

Search engines are special searching programs designed to help locate things on the internet. There are many benefits of learning to use search engines, including being able to find better information on a topic. Some examples of major search engines include Google and Yahoo, which are widely used among students today. According to Roblyer and Doering, search engines can be used for subject index searches and keyword searches. If a student were to access Google, they would be entering a keyword or phrase and then Google would display pages or “hits” of websites whose URLs contain the word or phrase the student entered. Students will be able to find better information through deciding the appropriate keywords or phrases, which will narrow their searches, and as a result they can become successful at using search engines.

Favorite Web Site #1

The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) website, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/, is extremely beneficial for both teachers and students. The Purdue OWL displays proper structure and organization because it is clear how to navigate to other features on the website from the home page. Also, the text is clear and the website has good visual design through the limited number of colors and fonts used. The Purdue OWL can assist writers on any level with how to format a research paper, how to create in-text citations, and tips on how to avoid plagiarism with “giving credit where credit is due.”

Favorite Web Site #2

Son of Citation Machine, http://citationmachine.net/index2.php, is a website that can be incredibly valuable to teachers and students. The organization of the site is clear, has a limited number of font colors, and a user can easily find the content they are looking for. The pages of Son of Citation Machine load quickly and it is effortless to maneuver around the site. The website can allow teachers and students to easily credit the information that they use through choosing the type of source and entering in the information they have on hand from the source (ex. book or article.) Once all information is entered, with a click of the mouse the citation is created and can be copied and pasted onto a Works Cited page.

Website Evaluation Video

ZohoShow: Instructional Design...All About Me

Hypermedia Tools for 21st Century Teaching

Commercial Hypermedia Product: Interactive storybooks

            Interactive storybooks are one of the most fascinating types of hypermedia products used by students today. Roblyer and Doering express, “Various studies have reported positive impact of interactive storybooks on children’s enjoyment of reading and development of reading skills.” (pg. 175)  Through my research of interactive storybooks, I found the website “Clifford The Big Red Dog Interactive Storybooks,” http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/, to be extremely helpful and user friendly. As a child, I LOVED reading “Clifford The Big Red Dog,” and this website allows students to read stories about Clifford, play letter match games, sound match games, and concentration games. While waiting for the stories to load, students even have the option to play a game of “tic- tac-toe!”  Each page of the story has sound icons for the students to click on before the sentences are read to them. The very last sentence on the page gives students the option of choosing and clicking the last word of the sentence from the three different options provided. After the student chooses a word, the sentence is read again to them with their chosen word in the blank.

            The website “Clifford The Big Red Dog Interactive Storybooks” can be very useful in the classroom in a variety of different ways. Students that need extra help with phonics can benefit through playing the letter and sound match games. Also, students that are struggling with fluency can expand their reading skills through listening to the stories and being able to click on each sentence for it to be read to them as many times as needed. Lastly, “early finishers” can play the games and promote their reading abilities by using the variety of items that this website has to offer. J

Multimedia Authoring Tool: Virtual Environments

            Virtual environments or 3-D environments are now being used in many classrooms today. According to Roblyer and Doering, “Through various visual and tactile devices, VR can represent real or imaginary worlds in which the user interacts through multiple senses: a true multimedia environment.” (pg. 193) Students now have the ability to go on “virtual field trips” and look at 3-D models to be able to better learn abstract concepts. One virtual reality application is QTVR panoramas, which I found useful information on from the website, http://www.easypano.com/qtvr-authoring-software.html. QTVR panoramas can allow students to learn like they never have before by venturing to faraway lands, swimming under the ocean with sharks, and even visiting outer space! Virtual Environments can be used in the classroom with teaching any subject, as it allows the learning to come alive for the students!