Reviewing Capstone Websites
Reviewing Capstone WebsitesHere's a brief review of the audience and logo for several of the Learning Innovation Lab websites.
Digital Tools and Early Literacy (Dearborn)
Who was the audience? The title of the home page focuses on literacy and digital tools in the primary grades, so at first it seemed as if the audience would be primary grade reading teachers. When I scanned the rest of the website, though, it seems as if the audience broadened to include teachers who are looking for ways to foster more engagement in reading response (for some of the info), teachers who are teaching digital citizenship (for some of the info), and teachers who are interesting in using technology for collaboration and communication (for some of the info).
Was the website effective in presenting to this audience on every page? Why or why not? Since it’s really a multi-faceted audience, then the answer is a conditional yes. At least some portion of the audience was addressed on every page. For example, the Lessons page is heavily focused on digital citizenship, while the Instructional How To’s page was more focused on general tech tools for the classroom. However, if a reader is interested in one aspect of the website (for example, literacy), then it was challenging to navigate to find that information only.
How did the logo relate to content? Logo relates to content because the content is about “diving” into technology in the classroom, and the computer/diver image connects with that. However, the phrase “to develop early literacy” is more narrow than the scope of the actual project, especially since “early literacy” most often refers to early elementary grades.
School Blogs (Gottfried)
Who was the audience? The audience is teachers who are interested in blogging, either as part of digital portfolios or for other educational purposes. While the research was conducted at the high school level, this website got me interested in thinking about how I could possibly use something like this with my first grade class, too.
Was the website effective in presenting to this audience on every page? Why or why not? Yes, this website was effective on every page. First, each page connected directly to the message and the audience. Second, the website was well-organized, well-written, and easy to navigate. There were plenty of images and videos, all relating to blogging.
How did the logo relate to content? The logo perfectly matches the content. It’s about using blogging to learn, motivate, connect, and more. The logo image and words express precisely this message.
Classroom Communities (Vale)
Who was the audience? The audience is every teacher who is interested in a cohesive, positive classroom community (and this is probably every teacher!).
Was the website effective in presenting to this audience on every page? Why or why not? Yes, this website was effective on most pages. Most pages were about the value of a classroom community, how to create a classroom community, or how to assess the effectiveness of the classroom community. The Lessons page was not as directly connected, though, since its content was primarily about flipped learning digital citizenship.
How did the logo relate to content? The logo matches the content. It’s simple and direct, shows people holding hands in a circle, and its image matches its words about being “better together.”
Digital Tools and Early Literacy (Dearborn)
Who was the audience? The title of the home page focuses on literacy and digital tools in the primary grades, so at first it seemed as if the audience would be primary grade reading teachers. When I scanned the rest of the website, though, it seems as if the audience broadened to include teachers who are looking for ways to foster more engagement in reading response (for some of the info), teachers who are teaching digital citizenship (for some of the info), and teachers who are interesting in using technology for collaboration and communication (for some of the info).
Was the website effective in presenting to this audience on every page? Why or why not? Since it’s really a multi-faceted audience, then the answer is a conditional yes. At least some portion of the audience was addressed on every page. For example, the Lessons page is heavily focused on digital citizenship, while the Instructional How To’s page was more focused on general tech tools for the classroom. However, if a reader is interested in one aspect of the website (for example, literacy), then it was challenging to navigate to find that information only.
How did the logo relate to content? Logo relates to content because the content is about “diving” into technology in the classroom, and the computer/diver image connects with that. However, the phrase “to develop early literacy” is more narrow than the scope of the actual project, especially since “early literacy” most often refers to early elementary grades.
School Blogs (Gottfried)
Who was the audience? The audience is teachers who are interested in blogging, either as part of digital portfolios or for other educational purposes. While the research was conducted at the high school level, this website got me interested in thinking about how I could possibly use something like this with my first grade class, too.
Was the website effective in presenting to this audience on every page? Why or why not? Yes, this website was effective on every page. First, each page connected directly to the message and the audience. Second, the website was well-organized, well-written, and easy to navigate. There were plenty of images and videos, all relating to blogging.
How did the logo relate to content? The logo perfectly matches the content. It’s about using blogging to learn, motivate, connect, and more. The logo image and words express precisely this message.
Classroom Communities (Vale)
Who was the audience? The audience is every teacher who is interested in a cohesive, positive classroom community (and this is probably every teacher!).
Was the website effective in presenting to this audience on every page? Why or why not? Yes, this website was effective on most pages. Most pages were about the value of a classroom community, how to create a classroom community, or how to assess the effectiveness of the classroom community. The Lessons page was not as directly connected, though, since its content was primarily about flipped learning digital citizenship.
How did the logo relate to content? The logo matches the content. It’s simple and direct, shows people holding hands in a circle, and its image matches its words about being “better together.”