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Name: NCTE Main
Website
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Date: October 10,
2006
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Web Site URL: http://www.ncte.org/
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Description: Briefly
describe the web site. Is the site intended for students or teachers? What
kind of information is presented?
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This is the official
website for the National Council of Teachers of English, a resource group
for K-12 teachers in the Language Arts field. It is aimed squarely at active and
pre-service teachers. They have
information regarding curriculum planning ideas, classroom management
techniques, current news related to teaching English, etc.
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Appropriate Content:
Are the materials worthwhile and valuable? How well does the web site cover
the subject matter? What is the subject area and implied target audience?
What types of things will the teacher gain or student learn from the site?
Is the content, the language and instructional approach clear and at the
appropriate level? What evidence is there that information is accurate and
credible?
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There is a wealth of
useful information provided for free, and a lot more if you are willing to
pay. Book reviews and shopping let
you know what you should be reading, daily tips to use in your classroom
can keep you sharp and current, and all of the information is divided
clearly into categories based on grade level and interests. If you are a member, NCTE involvement will
keep you current, and they are a well-known nationally recognized
organization, so there is little question about the accuracy or credibility
of the resources.
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Design: Are
appropriate design features employed by the web site? Is information easy to
find, read and use? Can the user easily navigate from one part of the site
to another? Would it be accessible to users with disabilities? `Give
examples.
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Honestly, the site
could be more intuitively designed.
It incorporates some newer Web 2.0 features such as CSS formatting
and de-cluttered menus, but it is visually busy in some areas and it can be
a chore to find exactly what you’re looking for. It isn’t very accessible, as most of the
formatting breaks at larger text sizes (especially the menus) and some of
the text has poor contrast, such as dark gray menu text on a light gray
background. Once a user gets a feel
for the menus, it is possible to move around the site fairly quickly.
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Accessibility: Would
the web site allow a person with a disability to fully access it? For
example, is information presented and organized in a way that can be used
by persons with visual disabilities and devices they may use?
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This was partially
addressed in the last question. I
feel like it is not designed for accessibility. The text menus use small fonts, and the
button menus use a very narrow font on colored fields that would be very
difficult for a person with poor eyesight to read. Many of the clickable areas are quite
small, so people with limited fine motor control may be frustrated as they
navigate the site. As mentioned, the
formatting breaks when the text size is increased, and the navigation
buttons are images so they don’t even increase. This site would be best viewed using
magnification software if a user has trouble reading. A person with language disabilities would
be stymied by the image buttons because a reader-program wouldn’t be able
to read them.
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Overall evaluation:
What is your general impression of the site? Is the web free of broken
links and images? Would another medium be better for the same information
(e.g. would a book or video work better)? Is the web site effective?
Summarize and give an honest recommendation regarding this site. Describe
how it may be used in your classroom.
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Despite some of the
design issues, the website remains a highly functional and information-rich
resource. NCTE also publishes
journals, newsletters, and magazines, and this site works well in conjunction
with those other mediums to deliver useful information. I would recommend to anyone teaching
English that they at least look at this site carefully to see if they
should join the organization.
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