Education Blogs - Assignment #6

XWO: Crosswind Orchestra

Pros:

• The interface was very clean. It is easy to navigate and the names of the links help the viewer find what they are looking for.
• I like that they provide the option to subscribe via either email or RSS. A lot of people don’t know what RSS is, but it is a nice option for those who use it while still providing email subscriptions for everyone else.
• Lots of multimedia which is great for a music web site. I like that they include many of their favorite YouTube videos and recordings for auditions.

Cons:

• The posts are pretty inconsistent. It seems that there are quite a few for a few weeks and then a large gap with nothing. This might prevent someone from checking back often if they aren’t subscribed
• I am concerned about the posting of concert performances. It is my understanding that they are copyright protected. I would love to post the recordings of my students both during rehearsal and of their concerts but I do not believe it is legal.

The Greatest Middle School Social Studies Blog in the World

Pros:

• It is somewhat interesting to see where the people who are visiting the site are located in the Live Traffic Feed

Cons:

• I find this page to be too cluttered and busy. I prefer a site that delivers its content in a cleaner interface. It might work better if the sidebars were a separate color from the main content on the page. This would break up all that white space and help the viewer focus their attention.
• The links to the podcasts, wikis, images, and latest posts are not live. You have to highlight the link address in order to go to the indicated page.
• The site is obviously intended just for the class because there is nothing on the main page to give you any idea of where the blog is from. It forces you to click on the About Us page and even that page doesn’t tell you more than that they are from “CT”.

Scattergood Biology

Pros:

• I love the visual layout and appearance of this site. The graphic at the top of the page is stunning and perfect for the subject of biology.
• I appreciate that the main page content is offset from the sidebars and link list at the top of the page by color.
• All of the pages deliver a lot of wonderful and helpful information and links. This is a great resource for the class.

Cons:

• I wish the blog posts were on the main page because I think that many visitors to the site might miss it if they don’t make the effort to go there.  Although I do appreciate the attempt by the teacher to use the space to explain how to best use the site.
• I don’t really like the use of yellow as the main link color. It is readable, but not very easy on the eyes.
• May not be particularly engaging for the students to return to unless it is essential for their success in the class. Unless those blog posts are required reading, I am not sure that many students would go out of their way to spend time here.

Ñ blog

Pros:

• The blog is entirely in Spanish which is great for the students to keep them functioning in the language of the class.
• There is a lot of multimedia on the page including videos and cartoon images which will probably draw students to the site. I especially love the Spanish Word of the Day
• The formatting of each page is the same. This is nice so that users can navigate throughout the site without confusion.

Cons:

• The blog is entirely in Spanish which excludes non-Spanish speaking individuals, including parents, who might be interested in what is going on as part of the class.
• As I mentioned earlier, I do not like the all white page. It is hard on the eyes. However, at least this site has a nice graphic as part of the title bar.

Marvelous Math with Mrs. Rose

Pros:

• I really like the layout of this page. Only one sidebar keeps it clean and uncluttered and the use of shading to delineate the separate sections is great.
• I also appreciate that the main page is where the current blogs posts are seen. This helps insure that visitors to the site are seeing the most recently posted information. They don’t have to seek it out and it is more difficult to avoid.
• I like the use of the blue and gray for color and the formatting of the date at the beginning of each post.

Cons:

• The calendar seems like a waste of space. The dates that have blog posts are highlighted, but this same information is available in the archives. If the calendar listed due dates or events it would be a better use of space. The list of pages is also redundant to the links at the top.
• I don’t like that the links at the top primarily link to a page with one sentence or a link to one page. Seems like most of that could have been accomplished along the sidebar.
• There is a problem with the formatting on the “Wonderful Websites” page. The content runs off the right side of the screen and you must scroll to see all of it.