ANALYZING WEB SITES – A GROUP PROJECT

 

INTRODUCTION:   This plan is directed at High School students (9-12).   It can be used in a Basic Computer Class as an example for effectively analyzing WEB SITES. The students will be assigned to teams in groups of 3.    Each team will fill the following assigned roles:

1.  The Artist.    This student will observe the site with attention toward it’s artistic look and eye appeal.   Does it stir emotional interest?  Is it  a site that has an aesthetic appeal?  Are you interested in following it’s links?

2.  The Educator.   Is there informative, educational material on the site?  Is the data trustworthy?  Will the site be of value to a research student?   Can this site be used as supporting documentation for a WebQuest Environment?

3.  The Webmaster.   Does the site make use of interesting WEB Design advancements?   Are there unique or creative uses of the medium?  Animation?  Search engine technology?   Does the page load quickly?  Are all links working properly?  

Once students understand their roles,  they will be presented with the following 4 Web Sites.   Through evaluation, they will determine the best and worst sites. 

 

THE PROCESS:

1.   Teams are chosen,  randomly or by student choice.  The teacher will have the best handle on this.

2.   Students will be given the objective:

            Establish Roles and Evaluate 4 Web Sites about Rock and Roll Music.   Using the worksheet,   examine the sites and respond to questions.   Finally, rate the sites from worst to best and support your choices.    Be prepared to present your findings to the class.

 

THE WEBSITES TO BE ANALYZED

 

http://Pages.prodigy.net/cousinsteve/rock/feat4.htm  

I.  The Artist:    will find that this site is like reading a newspaper.   There is nothing much here to please.

II. The Educator:   will find an interesting Timeline outline that may serve as a very basic overview of Rock music.   However, there will not be enough here to rate the site better than worst.

III. The Webmaster:  will find only a few Hyperlinks with no returns.   An extremely primitive display with a very limited use of Web technique.

 

Conclusion:   If the group doesn’t rate this as worst,  we’ll have to go back to square one.

 

 

 

www.rockhall.com  Official site for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I.  The Artist:    may find that this site is not quite so flashy as one would expect.  A subdued site that doesn’t have a lot of eyecatching icons.

II. The Educator:   will find that he will have to do a bit of interrogation to find historical information.   However, once accustomed to the site,  he will find the very powerful search engine that is the porthole to a wealth of information.   This is a site that goes way back in history.    The aficionado could get lost in here for hours.

III. The Webmaster:  will find that the links all work and an implementation of Shockwave.   Nice Drop down menus.   An interesting TimeLine tool that is a bit hard to read.    There is no sign of music here and that is a surprise.

 

Conclusion:    Surprising that I did not find any snippets of music on this page.  However, this page will get points for it’s wealth of information.

 

 

www.history-of-rock.com    This is a site that is confined to a small era of the music (50’s to early 60’s).    

I.  The Artist:   will find that this is a pretty simple looking site.   The site is prepared by a fan of early rock and roll.   There is not a heavy emphasis on aesthetics.

II. The Educator:   will find a very basic sight.  However, the search engine, though slow, will produce good results on artists of that narrow era.  There is a disclaimer on the page, that reminds us this is an entertainment site only.  

III. The Webmaster:  will say that the page loads very slowly.   Because it is borrowing technology from Real Audio and Yup Search,  there are many delays and errors encountered when trying to play the jukebox songs and searching on topic. 

 

Conclusion:  A nice “homemade” site that can give interesting results if you are looking for the specific period  and have time to wait.

 

 

 

www.rocklibrary.com    A non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of Popular music.

 

I.  The Artist:   will find that this is a very professional looking site.   The pictures and offerings on the main page are very engaging.

II. The Educator:   will find a very a site with much promise.   Though much of the page is inaccessible,  there is a free membership.  There are also educational objectives in the about section. 

III. The Webmaster:  will say that the page looks very good.   The links are equipped with dropdown options.  There is a mission statement to validate the organization.   A login security system.    An impressive site.

 

Conclusion:   This site appears to have much to offer.   However, many of the access points demand a membership.     While the membership can be free,  the signup form is tedious and will probably turn away the casual surfer.   Nonetheless,  this will be a contender for top spot.

 

 

EVALUATION WORKSHEET

 

 

TEAM            ARTIST:  ______________________________________________

                        EDUCATOR: ___________________________________________

                        WEBMASTER: _________________________________________

Website:    ________________________________________________________

Section I.                                           

ARTIST

Poor

Fair

Good

Great

Immediate Reaction to Page Presentation.

 

 

 

 

Quality of use of Color and Fonts.

 

 

 

 

Presentation of Links,  Accessible, Intuitive.

 

 

 

 

Use of Video,  Pictures,  Sound.

 

 

 

 

Visually depicts it’s subject matter.

 

 

 

 

Page displays a unique look.

 

 

 

 

Balanced page.

 

 

 

 

Eye immediately travels to important section

 

 

 

 

Overall

 

 

 

 

Notes:

 

 

 

 

Section II.                                          

EDUCATOR

Poor

Fair

Good

Great

Immediate Reaction to Page Presentation.

 

 

 

 

Quality of information on site.

 

 

 

 

Professes to be a valid Reference Site.

 

 

 

 

Use of Video,  Pictures,  Sound to promote learning.

 

 

 

 

Search engine or alternative quick access to information.

 

 

 

 

Unique Methods of dispensing knowledge?

 

 

 

 

Unbias viewpoint.

 

 

 

 

Intuitive Navigation to pertinent information.

 

 

 

 

Overall

 

 

 

 

Notes:

 

 

 

Section III.                                        

TECHNOLOGIST

Poor

Fair

Good

Great

Immediate Reaction to Page Presentation.

 

 

 

 

Quality of presentation on site.

 

 

 

 

Interesting use of tools.  Shockwave.

 

 

 

 

Use of Video,  Pictures,  Sound or Animation.

 

 

 

 

Search engine technique.   Speed.

 

 

 

 

Page Response.   Time to paint screen.

 

 

 

 

Web Design tools,  Domain representation.

 

 

 

 

Intuitive Navigation of Links, Menus.

 

 

 

 

Overall

 

 

 

 

Notes:

 

 

 

 

Each member will then count up the boxes 1-4.    The sites will be rated based on score.    Students will then prepare to note a few statements that will support their ranking.  

Have the students present their findings to the class.

 

EVALUATION

 

A SIMPLE RUBRIC  (25 % for each point)

1. The students worked effectively as a group.  All sites were ranked and supported.

2. The students ranked their sites with reasonable accuracy.

3. The students presented a strong supporting argument for their ranking.

4.  The students presented a confident oral presentation.