Research: Find ten instructional websites that offer a variety of opportunities for learners. Link to each website considered in your blog.
Answer: Which sites exemplify sound design ideals? Why? Which sites do not adhere to the design elements discussed in this lesson? Why?
For this task, I have reviewed ten sites that are most frequently used or suggested by my fellow science teachers. In order to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison, I tried to stick with one topic (ecology) as I reviewed the resources each site presented.
This is a review of the appearance and functionality of the site, not necessarily the content. While all of these resources have a great content, some are more user-friendly and more visually appealing/effective than others. The criteria that I used to evaluate these sites are the 6 graphic design best practices for eLearning professionals: typography, color, layout, use of visuals, use of white space, responsiveness to audience needs. I have divided these sites into "The Good" and "The Not-so-Good." For each of these two distinctions, I placed the best (or worst) first in that category. After the first, there is no particular order. Please note that I have no personal affiliation with any of these sites or their developers.
THE GOOD:
Khan Academy - I give Khan Academy's ecology unit superior ratings all around. It was so great, that I thought it would be worth giving my readers a tour. Here's my video review of the site.
CK-12 - Like Khan Academy, CK-12 presents information in learning modules with differentiated learning objects (text, video, interactives, etc). Good use of typography, color, visuals, and white space enhance the layout of the site and make it user-friendly. But unlike Khan Academy, where all resources are hosted in the same window, CK-12 often presents content on separate pages (see below).
This is a minor detail, but it does mean that CK-12 takes additional time to load. Furthermore, in order to return to wherever they were in the module, students must click back/continue buttons or follow the "breadcrumbs" back to where they were. In Khan Academy, closing the window takes them right back to where they were. It would be great to see CK-12 reformatted to reduce the number of clicks required to navigate back and forth.
USATestprep - This website is a paid resource. School districts must purchase licenses for teachers and students to have access. I reviewed the resources from the view of a student account and was pleased with what I found. Typography (font, text size, text formatting) and overall layout are very helpful for finding content. The use of color to show mastery and completion is effective. For example, each standard includes a color-coded dot rank to show visually the student's mastery: green is >85%, yellow is 66-84%, and red is <66%. As a student completes all items in a category (questions, vocabulary, performance tasks, etc) the item type turns green and shows a checkmark for completion, along with their best score.
As far as the content in one of the learning objects, the graphics are generally very relevant to the topic being addressed. Self-grading interactive objects provide students with immediate feedback. Finally, students have differentiated options in how they access and interact with the content. For these reasons and many more, USATestprep is one of my favorite resources.
GAVS - Provides a well structured layout. Color and text formatting are easy on the eyes, and the use of visuals is both appropriate and engaging. Pages are organized in easy-to-process chunks, and each page demonstrates an appropriate use of white space; these factors allow GAVS to present the information in easy-to-digest chunks. The numerated pages number links across the top of the page allow learners to monitor their progress toward their learning targets. I liked the sites use of tooltips to provide definitions to vocabulary or answers to "Stop and Think" questions.
Biology Corner - This website is described as a source of "biology lesson plans, worksheets, tutorials and resources for teachers and students." While I believe the site is primary directed at teachers, I could use teachers directing students here to access resources for learning, including worksheets, tutorials, and virtual labs. The site has a very clean layout that is easy to navigate. The use of color is appropriate, and visuals are used to identify (and draw attention to) resources. The resources are organized in a bulletin board-like fashion. Hovering over the image for a resources reveals a short description of the link. To find a desired resource, teachers and learners can browse by topic using the navigation bar at the top, the filters along the side, or using a search feature.
WISC-Online - Overseen by Fox Valley Technical College, WISC-Online is a repository of online learning objects created by technical college faculty and multimedia developers. Learners can search the library by subject area and filter results by media type (video, interactive, game, etc) or by rating. I use this site frequently with my biology and anatomy classes because the content is presented in simple terms and the interactive practice gives immediate feedback.
The typography and use of color on this page is easy on the eyes. The use of interactive graphics makes for a great learning tool for visual and kinesthetic learners. Narration and subtitles address the needs of auditory and verbal learners. Interactive objects typically load in a window that suits the size of tablets, desktops, and even mobile browsers. An appropriate combination of white space, levels of heading, and text banners keep the content "clean" and organized.
Biology Junction - Like several other sources listed, Biology Junction is a resource for students and teachers alike. The types and quality of the resources is similar to that of Science Spot (reviewed below) and Biology Corner, but the layout is much better than that of Science Spot.
Finding information may be a little difficult because the main page is mainly links, but once a user selects a topic or resource, such as this curriculum map, a variety of resources such as notes, labs, and interactives are provided. The text is a comfortable font, size, and color. A few more graphics and a little more white space may be helpful, but over the site is laid out well to meet student needs.
CellsAlive - Cells Alive is the final biology resource I have reviewed. The site is a good "middle ground" among the sources reviewed. It includes both printable worksheets/paper-based practice and interactive learning objects such as quizzes, labeling activities, etc. While the "look" of the page is a little dated, the overall layout is functional. All the links that I explored are working and generally take users somewhere within the site rather than to outside sources.
The graphics that are used a little rudimentary, but they are consistent across the site to reinforce how the cell structures users learn about in the first part of the sequence are related the cell functions and cell processes that they will learn about later in the sequence. Interactive animations and labeling activities reinforce these relationships and provide a means for students to self-assess and reflect on their learning.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
Mountain Heights Academy - Receives the lowest review. The typography and color is fine, but the use of images is less than desirable. It doesn't adhere to sound ideals because the site contains many broken links, many non-HTML interactives (viewing them requires a download), and the recorded page audio doesn't work.
Science Spot - The Science Spot is a website with resources primarily for teachers, although their is a "Kid Zone" section of the page with links to learning resources for students. The site says it was developed in 1999, and it doesn't really look like it has been updated much since then. While most of the links are working and do take students to helpful resources, the page itself is very bland and doesn't do much to secure the attention of the audience.
White space, or more appropriately, dead space abounds. There are very few graphics in the student area of the page, and the links contain no preview or descriptions. They are, however, arranged by content area for the most part. On the main page, which is for teachers, the occasion link is long blocks of unformatted descriptive text with no images.
Again, the content on this site is phenomenal, and I praise them for that. But the presentation is certainly lacking.
Answer: Which sites exemplify sound design ideals? Why? Which sites do not adhere to the design elements discussed in this lesson? Why?
For this task, I have reviewed ten sites that are most frequently used or suggested by my fellow science teachers. In order to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison, I tried to stick with one topic (ecology) as I reviewed the resources each site presented.
This is a review of the appearance and functionality of the site, not necessarily the content. While all of these resources have a great content, some are more user-friendly and more visually appealing/effective than others. The criteria that I used to evaluate these sites are the 6 graphic design best practices for eLearning professionals: typography, color, layout, use of visuals, use of white space, responsiveness to audience needs. I have divided these sites into "The Good" and "The Not-so-Good." For each of these two distinctions, I placed the best (or worst) first in that category. After the first, there is no particular order. Please note that I have no personal affiliation with any of these sites or their developers.
THE GOOD:
Khan Academy - I give Khan Academy's ecology unit superior ratings all around. It was so great, that I thought it would be worth giving my readers a tour. Here's my video review of the site.
CK-12 - Like Khan Academy, CK-12 presents information in learning modules with differentiated learning objects (text, video, interactives, etc). Good use of typography, color, visuals, and white space enhance the layout of the site and make it user-friendly. But unlike Khan Academy, where all resources are hosted in the same window, CK-12 often presents content on separate pages (see below).
 |
| Khan Academy |
 |
| CK-12 |
USATestprep - This website is a paid resource. School districts must purchase licenses for teachers and students to have access. I reviewed the resources from the view of a student account and was pleased with what I found. Typography (font, text size, text formatting) and overall layout are very helpful for finding content. The use of color to show mastery and completion is effective. For example, each standard includes a color-coded dot rank to show visually the student's mastery: green is >85%, yellow is 66-84%, and red is <66%. As a student completes all items in a category (questions, vocabulary, performance tasks, etc) the item type turns green and shows a checkmark for completion, along with their best score.
As far as the content in one of the learning objects, the graphics are generally very relevant to the topic being addressed. Self-grading interactive objects provide students with immediate feedback. Finally, students have differentiated options in how they access and interact with the content. For these reasons and many more, USATestprep is one of my favorite resources.
GAVS - Provides a well structured layout. Color and text formatting are easy on the eyes, and the use of visuals is both appropriate and engaging. Pages are organized in easy-to-process chunks, and each page demonstrates an appropriate use of white space; these factors allow GAVS to present the information in easy-to-digest chunks. The numerated pages number links across the top of the page allow learners to monitor their progress toward their learning targets. I liked the sites use of tooltips to provide definitions to vocabulary or answers to "Stop and Think" questions.
Biology Corner - This website is described as a source of "biology lesson plans, worksheets, tutorials and resources for teachers and students." While I believe the site is primary directed at teachers, I could use teachers directing students here to access resources for learning, including worksheets, tutorials, and virtual labs. The site has a very clean layout that is easy to navigate. The use of color is appropriate, and visuals are used to identify (and draw attention to) resources. The resources are organized in a bulletin board-like fashion. Hovering over the image for a resources reveals a short description of the link. To find a desired resource, teachers and learners can browse by topic using the navigation bar at the top, the filters along the side, or using a search feature.
WISC-Online - Overseen by Fox Valley Technical College, WISC-Online is a repository of online learning objects created by technical college faculty and multimedia developers. Learners can search the library by subject area and filter results by media type (video, interactive, game, etc) or by rating. I use this site frequently with my biology and anatomy classes because the content is presented in simple terms and the interactive practice gives immediate feedback.
The typography and use of color on this page is easy on the eyes. The use of interactive graphics makes for a great learning tool for visual and kinesthetic learners. Narration and subtitles address the needs of auditory and verbal learners. Interactive objects typically load in a window that suits the size of tablets, desktops, and even mobile browsers. An appropriate combination of white space, levels of heading, and text banners keep the content "clean" and organized.
Biology Junction - Like several other sources listed, Biology Junction is a resource for students and teachers alike. The types and quality of the resources is similar to that of Science Spot (reviewed below) and Biology Corner, but the layout is much better than that of Science Spot.
Finding information may be a little difficult because the main page is mainly links, but once a user selects a topic or resource, such as this curriculum map, a variety of resources such as notes, labs, and interactives are provided. The text is a comfortable font, size, and color. A few more graphics and a little more white space may be helpful, but over the site is laid out well to meet student needs.
CellsAlive - Cells Alive is the final biology resource I have reviewed. The site is a good "middle ground" among the sources reviewed. It includes both printable worksheets/paper-based practice and interactive learning objects such as quizzes, labeling activities, etc. While the "look" of the page is a little dated, the overall layout is functional. All the links that I explored are working and generally take users somewhere within the site rather than to outside sources.
The graphics that are used a little rudimentary, but they are consistent across the site to reinforce how the cell structures users learn about in the first part of the sequence are related the cell functions and cell processes that they will learn about later in the sequence. Interactive animations and labeling activities reinforce these relationships and provide a means for students to self-assess and reflect on their learning.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
Mountain Heights Academy - Receives the lowest review. The typography and color is fine, but the use of images is less than desirable. It doesn't adhere to sound ideals because the site contains many broken links, many non-HTML interactives (viewing them requires a download), and the recorded page audio doesn't work.
Science Spot - The Science Spot is a website with resources primarily for teachers, although their is a "Kid Zone" section of the page with links to learning resources for students. The site says it was developed in 1999, and it doesn't really look like it has been updated much since then. While most of the links are working and do take students to helpful resources, the page itself is very bland and doesn't do much to secure the attention of the audience.
White space, or more appropriately, dead space abounds. There are very few graphics in the student area of the page, and the links contain no preview or descriptions. They are, however, arranged by content area for the most part. On the main page, which is for teachers, the occasion link is long blocks of unformatted descriptive text with no images.
Again, the content on this site is phenomenal, and I praise them for that. But the presentation is certainly lacking.
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