Website Evaluations

1. Name of Web Site:
International Reading Association

2. Web Site Address:
www.reading.org


3. Copyright date and/or last update:
The copyright date is 1996-2011. The website looks like it has been updated recently.


4. Author/organization credentials:
The website does not list any specific authors of the website. the website is created and seems to be run by the International Reading Association. According to the website it says, “Since 1956, IRA has been a nonprofit, global network of individuals and institutions committed to worldwide literacy. More than 70,000 members strong, the Association supports literacy professionals through a wide range of resources, advocacy efforts, volunteerism, and professional development activities. Our members promote high levels of literacy for all by: improving the quality of reading instruction, disseminating research and information about reading, and encouraging the lifetime reading habit.”

5. Web site design and ease of navigation (this should be substantial discussion).

The website is very well constructed. The tabs on the left are self explanatory. The website has many links and it actually can be overwhelming if you are new to the site. The website link “Reading Today Daily” is one of the most interesting pieces of the website. It offers articles on Reading and interesting related topics. There are not any links to other places. The website just says that is has a “partnership with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).

6. Your response and recommendation for use (note intended audience) (this should also be substantial discussion).

The website gives you dates of the Reading Conference coming up in May 2011. This website is great for any educator that wants to or will specialize in reading. The website would be recommended to any literacy professional or education major. The website has a lot of information packed into one place.



1. Name of Web Site:
Reading Rockets

2. Web Site Address:
www.readingrockets.org


3. Copyright date and/or last update:
The copyright date is 2011. The website looks like is updated frequently.


4. Author/organization credentials:
According to the website, “Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help.” Reading Rockets is heavily funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The website is a large part in the education grant. Reading Rockets, PBS television programs, and professional development make up the grant.

5. Web site design and ease of navigation (this should be substantial discussion).

The website is so simple but yet so inviting at the same time. The colors that are used make this website inviting. This is one of the easiest educational websites to navigate. At the top of the front page, there are links for parents, teachers, librarians, principals, other professionals, and they even offer the link to the bilingual website called Colorin’ Colorado.

6. Your response and recommendation for use (note intended audience) (this should also be substantial discussion).

This website is great for any educator and a great help to help any student. Their motto is “teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle.” My favorite part of the website is the Classroom Strategies section. It offers help for before reading, during reading, and after reading that covers print awareness, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.



1. Name of Web Site:
J.K. Rowling

2. Web Site Address:
www.jkrowling.com


3. Copyright date and/or last update:
The copyright date is 2006 by Warner Brothers Entertainment. The website appears to not have been updated since around 2008.


4. Author/organization credentials:
The website is all about the author, J.K. Rowling. She is a well known British author who is famous for her Harry Potter book series.

5. Web site design and ease of navigation (this should be substantial discussion).

The website was so creative! When you first enter the website, you are given the choice of the accessibility enabled version or a version from a choice of five different languages. After you enter, there are a group of interactive icons for the user to click on such as a hairbrush with extra stuff, a newspaper with news, a book with biography, W.O.M.B.A.T., a phone that lets you type in the numbers, an eraser with a question mark, everything you might want to know, rumors, links, Wizard of the Month archive, a scrapbook, and a moth that moves when you scroll on to it. The website looks to not have been updated since around 2008. It is a good website to gain information about the author J.K. Rowling but it is a bad source if you are looking for updated information.

6. Your response and recommendation for use (note intended audience) (this should also be substantial discussion).

The website is great for any Harry Potter fan, any reader, a student who is doing an author study, and any educator who is doing a study over a Harry Potter book. The website would be good for a student to use by themselves. I would recommend this website to be appropriate for any student in middle to late elementary school. The website had some information that appeared a bit “choppy” because the information seemed to be all over the place.




1. Name of Web Site:
Educators for Social Responsibility

2. Web Site Address:
www.esrnational.org


3. Copyright date and/or last update:
The copyright date is 2011.

4. Author/organization credentials:
The website is all about the Educators for Social Responsibility. They are based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. According to the website, ESR was “founded in 1982, ESR is a national leader in school reform and provides professional development, consultation, and educational resources to adults who teach young people in preschool through high school.” Their core beliefs are establishing educational equity, insisting on high expectations, creating a positive school climate and culture, educate the whole child, and foster efficacy, create change, and social responsibility. The organization is run byeducators who are experienced that and they know how to make schools successful while the school implements new idea and supports a change.


5. Web site design and ease of navigation (this should be substantial discussion).

The website was very simple and straight to the point. It had very few links but covered all of the topics needed. It was very simple to navigate around the website. This website was my least favorite of all of the websites that I chose simply because it offered more material that you can purchase than anything else.

6. Your response and recommendation for use (note intended audience) (this should also be substantial discussion).

The website is more of a marketing strategy than anything else. ESR says that they have education professionals who are there to help. They have resources that you can buy for all ages and professional resources. The website doesn’t offer many “freebies” like some of the other websites such as Reading Rockets. The website also offers workshops and comprehensive programs. The website is good for early childhood through high school.




1. Name of Web Site:
John Grisham: The Official Site

2. Web Site Address:
www.jgrisham.com


3. Copyright date and/or last update:
The copyright date is 1995-2011 by Double Day, Random House Inc.

4. Author/organization credentials:

The website is only about the author, John Grisham. He is known for his many book titles such as The King of Torts, Runaway Jury, The Pelican Brief, The Rainmaker, the Chamber, the Client, and many more. Many of the books have been turned into movies. There have been eight movies that are based on the books that he has written.

5. Web site design and ease of navigation (this should be substantial discussion).

The website is very simple. When you open the homepage, you see the links to John Grisham’s books, bio, news and movies. The home page has reviews and a picture of his newest book called the Confession. The other links click easily and have the necessary information.

6. Your response and recommendation for use (note intended audience) (this should also be substantial discussion).

I learned that more of his books have been turned into movies than I had thought. John Grisham is great for an older reader that likes to read suspense novels. The majority of Grisham’s novels have to do somehow with the courtroom since Grisham is also a lawyer. I love to read a John Grisham book and I hope that others will read his books also. The website would be great for college or high school students to use to do a book study on an author.