I chose to evaluate elementary school Web sites so that I could use the information in creating my own school's Web site. As I reviewed the sites, I evaluated specifically the Use of Color, Graphics, Organization, Speed which Pages Load, and Quality. I'm giving "apples" for an overall grade.

=Absolutely OUTSTANDING

=EXCELLENT

=GOOD, but needs improvement

=NEEDS CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF IMPROVEMENT

=NEEDS COMPLETE MAKEOVER

Fifth Avenue Elementary School (East Northport, NY)

Evaluation: This site is visually appealing in terms of color and graphics. The texts are large and easy to read and the backgrounds and graphics are appropriate for an elementary school. It was well-organized and included a chalkboard graphic site map that I thought was excellent. The graphics downloaded very quickly on my school computer which is, of course, connected to a T-1 line. Because I don't have an at-home internet connection, I'm not sure what it would be like on a home computer with a modem. I think this site is still in the process of being created and I think once it's completed, the quality will be excellent. It was informative for parents and community members. And, I liked that it included examples of student work. I was disappointed that the last six(Explore the Web, Publishing Center, Parent Connection, Community Information, and Contact Info) out of nine links altogether went to the same page which was an on-line information form and a letter from the PTA. I would have preferred to see a brief description of "what's to come".

OVERALL:

Willowville Elementary School (Batavia, Ohio)

Evaluation: This site has an incredible amount of poorly organized information about the school. The graphics loaded in a reasonable amount of time. I was amazed at how much information there was about staff members and curriculum, but the text was difficult to read and there was little consistency of backgrounds or text. I didn't think the graphics or colors of the site were appealing.

OVERALL:

JJ Finley Elementary School (Gainesville, Florida)

Evaluation: This school site was simple, to the point, and best of all…user-friendly! It included some neat features including information about the history of the school and a neat graphic map of what the school looks like from a bird's eye view. It included hyperlinks that took me to a page with a digital photo of that part of the school. The site used graphics sparingly, but effectively. Navigation was easy and graphics downloaded easily. This site has an excellent structure and is well-organized. It could be easily developed into a more sophisticated site. I would have liked to see examples of student work.

OVERALL:

Wardsboro Elementary (Wardsboro, Vermont)

Evaluation: This site is for what seems to be a very small school in a small town in Vermont. It's a small and simple site and was easy to navigate through because there wasn't much too it. It seems appropriate for the school and town and includes personal notes and information about teachers and students such as who just got married and who has a new baby sister. There is a section for Student Work, but no student work on the page. The graphics were appropriate and easy to load. The colors used were basic, but the text was easy to read. One neat thing about the site was that they posted a permission slip on the site so that parents could print it out and then fill it out and send to school. I also liked the section where I could click on a photo of a teacher and read about what students would be studying in class that year.

OVERALL:

Jefferson Elementary School (Riverton, Wyoming)

Evaluation: This site was not a good one. First, the main page of the web site was a long page that I had to scroll down. This long, main page contained only the names of staff and their grade levels. Each name was hyperlinked to send them an email. There was virtually no information about the school except for a page that listed five educational programs that they have at the school. The background on the three pages of the site was appealing and consistent, the text was easy to read, and graphics were sparse so they downloaded quickly. That's all the positive I can offer. This page needs a LOT of work!

OVERALL:

Alexander Graham Bell Elementary School (Chicago, Illinois)

Evaluation: This site had a lot of good features, however I did not think the structure of the page was good. I found the frames that they had confusing and navigation was difficult. I also felt the graphics could have been more school appropriate. They were very generic and the use of color was okay. In addition, the page did not load quickly and the text on some of the pages was difficult to read. Also, the site doesn't appear to be currently updated. The page's redeeming qualities almost makeup for the drawbacks in my opinion. There was lots of student work! The page I enjoyed the most were the student-created portraits of administrative staff.

OVERALL:

Kula Elementary School (Maui, Hawaii)

Evaluation: This site was very simple, but offered a fair amount of information about the school which would be helpful to parents. Navigation was good, but it would have been helpful to have a navigation bar on each page. Text was easy to read. Backgrounds, however, were inconsistent and there were minimal graphics. The site did not use color or graphics effectively. There were few examples of student work. Only one of the teachers had a web site for her kindergarten class. I thought hers was far better than the overall school site! It was informative and colorful and the graphics were appropriate and effective.

OVERALL:

École Publique de Mureils (Mureils, France)

Evaluation: This site is amazing! Almost the entire site showcases student work and what's even more incredible is that the entire site is done in both English and French, including the student's work. Navigation, organization, and graphics were great and the use of color was effective. The download speed was short. The site had frames which I'm personally not fond of, but the way they used the frames were effective. The quality of content is excellent!

OVERALL:

Sherwood Farms School (Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada)

Evaluation: This school site was well-organized and informative and would be a decent site if it had been updated within the last three years! The background design was original and consistent throughout the site. Navigation was good and included a navigation bar on each page. The minimal graphics loaded quickly. Use of color was fairly effective. Quality would be decent if it was a current page!

OVERALL: SOMEBODY UPDATE THIS PAGE!

Challenger Elementary School (Nogales, AZ)

Evaluation: The main page of this site is extremely busy and clogged with graphics, commercials, and text. The main page is not well-structured or organized. Navigation is confusing. Graphics take a long time to load. Background and text are inconsistent. Use of color is not effective and the quality of information on the site is poor. Also, there is no student work on the site.

OVERALL: