For many students, appearance is everything. If a lesson, website, or game does not have visual appeal, then there is an immediate lack of interest. However, if the screen is too busy or the font color is illegible, then learning is also impossible. It is important to find the perfect balance between clear and organized and interest and appeal. I explored ten educational websites, and found 5 that demonstrate great design and 5 that could use some revamping in order to better serve our students.
Clear web design:
1. www.ck12.org is a very good FREE website with textbooks, simulations, practice, and examples. The sleek, black background with vivid colors makes the content POP for the viewer. I was immediately drawn in by the clear web design.
2. http://interactivesites.weebly.com/ is a website that I use often in my science classes. It is clear and easy to navigate with cute and attractive images. Each subject area has a collection of games to play for remediation and review.
3. Discovery Education is one of my favorite educational websites. With great content and an easy to use platform, I often find myself showing video clips and using the provided lessons. The web design and layout is great!
4. Brain Pop is a wonderful resource for students to watch short video clips to help them understand content. The layout of the website is eye-catching, but organized at the same time.
5. Khan Academy is a no-nonsense, user-friendly, clearly designed website that helps students of all content areas with their work. It is easy to navigate.
Unclear web design:
1. Cool math- I felt like this website might have offered some good math games, but I had to do too much work to figure out which games were actually math-related and which ones were just for entertainment. The screen was very busy and jumbled.
2. Enchanted Learning is busy, busy, busy! The website is disorganized and jumbled.
3. Gamequarium is another educational website that may be loaded with good content but is too busy to navigate effectively.
4. About Education has some step by step instructions for solving math problems. This website may be great for a more disciplined college student, but for a younger child who needs color and attractiveness, the layout and design of this website would not capture the attention of the student.
5. Fun Brain is another website that may offer great educational games but involves too much searching through bright colors to be able to find the necessary buttons.
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