At Unite for Literacy, we picture a world where all families have access to an abundance of books that celebrate their language and culture, and cultivate a lifelong love of reading.

1. Look at the website's domain and URL: Teach students to check the domain and URL. Websites with ".edu" or ".gov" are usually more reliable than ".com" or ".net".
2. Check for citations and references: I encourage students to see if there are citations or references. This helps verify accuracy and credibility. No citations or references might suggest unreliable or biased information.

• Reader Development programs focus on assessment, instruction, and intervention for students.
• Teacher Development programs prepare preservice teachers and practicing educators to use evidence-based instructional practices to serve struggling readers. These programs include graduate coursework, school-based support, and online professional learning experiences to reach teachers worldwide.

1.  Look for information about the organization or institution behind the source and evaluate its reputation and credibility.
2.  Teach students to look for publication dates to ensure that the information is current and relevant.
3. Help students analyze the domain of a website to determine its purpose, audience, and potential biases.
4. Emphasize the importance of finding consistent information across different cited sources.

• 
  
• Chief Advancement Officer
• Chief Advancement Officer
• National Geographic
• National Geographic
• Sep 2020 - Present · 2 yrs 10 mos
• Sep 2020 - Present · 2 yrs 10 mos
• Washington, District of Columbia, United States
• Washington, District of Columbia, United States
• 
  
• Founding Member
• Founding Member
• Chief
• Chief
• Jun 2021 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo
• Jun 2021 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo
• 
  
• University of Virginia Darden School of Business
• University of Virginia Darden School of Business
• 4 yrs 9 mos
• 4 yrs 9 mos
  • Vice President for Advancement
  • Vice President for Advancement
  • Sep 2018 - Sep 2020 · 2 yrs 1 mo
  • Sep 2018 - Sep 2020 · 2 yrs 1 mo
  • Executive Director of Advancement
  • Executive Director of Advancement
  • Jan 2016 - Aug 2018 · 2 yrs 8 mos
  • Jan 2016 - Aug 2018 · 2 yrs 8 mos
  • Charlottesville, Virginia Area

Website URL: https://soraapp.com/library/nycschools

1. Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author?

Sora was created by OverDrive, Inc. You can email them a note to this email: schools@overdrive.com

2. How is this person qualified to write this document? Authority:

I'm not very sure, but it seems like they got licenses to have all those books on their digital libraries.

3. What institution publishes and maintains this website?

OverDrive, Inc. published and maintains this website.

4. Is the publisher making a profit from this site? How do you know?

I am not sure if the publisher makes a profit since the digital library is free for students and educators.

5. Is there a history of the organization/company, or a mission statement? Objectivity:

This is what I found online: "Digital book access for reading and listening for K-12 students has reached a milestone. Students using the free Sora student reading app have now accessed more than 100 million books from their school's digital collections since Sora launched in 2018."

6. What are the stated goals of this website? Are those goals met?

One of the main goals of Sora is that you can get free ebooks and audiobooks from your school. Digital books are automatically returned on their due dates, so you never need to worry about late fees. When you open Sora for the first time, find your school or enter a setup code, if your school has one. Then, sign in.

I have been using Sora this school year and I love it! It is free an so easy to use, so I think their goals are met.

7. Why was this website written? For whom? Currency:

Sora was made for students in grades K-12 to receive free book access. It allows teachers to also use it to borrow books free of charge.

8. When was the site produced? When was it last updated?

OverDrive Education released Sora, the student reading app, in September 2018

9. Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work? Conclusion:

None that I know of! All the links on the website work as well as all the links to the digital libraries and books I have borrowed!

10. What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?

Students can borrow age-appropriate books to read at school and at home!

11. What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?

The only inappropriate uses I can see on this site is maybe students borrowing books that are not age-appropriate- maybe borrowing a higher level book.

Website URL: https://www.getepic.com/

1. Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author?

The founders of Epic! are Suren Markosian Kevin Donahue. You can go to their website and submit a form by following this specific link: https://support.getepic.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

2. How is this person qualified to write this document? Authority:

I'm also not very sure, but it seems like they got licenses to have all those books in their digital libraries.

3. What institution publishes and maintains this website?

Since the Indian educational technology company Byju's acquired Epic! in July 2021 in a cash and stock deal worth $500 million, I'm assuming that they are the ones who maintain the website.

4. Is the publisher making a profit from this site? How do you know?

I read that "Indian educational technology company Byju's acquired Epic! in July 2021 in a cash and stock deal worth $500 million."

5. Is there a history of the organization/company, or a mission statement? Objectivity:

"Epic was born out of a single question: How do we make books more accessible to kids? As parents, it always seemed strange to us that our kids could so easily play games and watch videos on their iPhones and iPads, but the same couldn’t be said for books. So in 2013, we decided to build the first “epic” reading experience, designed just for kids. Today, Epic has grown into an award-winning subscription service, which gives millions of families and classrooms instant, unlimited access to thousands of books, videos and quizzes from leading publishers to help kids everywhere read, learn and grow."

6. What are the stated goals of this website? Are those goals met?

One of their goals is "Independent reading for all ages & grades. Reach every student with tons of grade-specific, high-interest topics across languages and genres." With thir goal it also says that epic was born to help kids easily access digital books. I think these goals are met as on the website it states that "90% was the number of Epic Educators who would recommend Epic to colleagues", so its highly recommended by teachers.

7. Why was this website written? For whom? Currency:

Epic was made for students and educators to receive free book access. It allows teachers and students to read books free of charge. However, if parents want to use epic! at home, then they would have to select a plan which is as follows: $11.99/month or $79.99/year.

8. When was the site produced? When was it last updated?

U.S. Epic! was founded in 2013 by Suren Markosian and Kevin Donahue and launched in 2014.

9. Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work? Conclusion:

None that I know of! All the links on the website work as well as all the links to the books I've used.

10. What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?

Students and educators can access free books.

11. What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?

I don't think that they're any inappropriate uses for the information on this website. On their website it states the following:

"Epic was created by two parents who recognized a need for a safe place for their own children to read, learn and explore on their devices. They understood that the internet wasn’t built for kids, and with these concerns in mind, Epic was born. Careful human curation is the heart of Epic’s brand and is what sets us apart from other popular services for children. Epic is, and will always be, a safe and secure environment for children to explore. We work tirelessly to ensure that children will never come across inappropriate content, in-app purchases or ads on Epic."

The website was created by two teachers in NJ in 2004 when they found that there was a lack of resources for educational technology and ways to engage students. The available websites had ads, lack of security, and exposure to inappropriate things.  While there is no direct way to contact the creator (Alan), there is a contact us section of the website. There is also a “Meet the team” part of the website that shows the team members. However there are no links to reach these people directly. https://www.abcya.com/team/ 

2. How is this person qualified to write this document?  

Alan seems qualified to write this document. Alan was a computer teacher and was familiar with instructional technology during his time. He taught himself to program and code in order to create the website as well. As far as authority, Abcya is COPPA certified and a member of kidSAFE seal program which states that it is,  “the largest global directory of children-friendly websites, mobile apps, and other technologies that have been independently reviewed, certified, and/or listed to meet minimum standards of online safety and/or privacy.” It was acquired by IXL in 2018. 

Authority:  

3. What institution publishes and maintains this website?  

Abcya was a standalone website that eventually became an app. In 2018, IXL acquired ABCya and has maintained it ever since. IXL and ABCya state, “With IXL's partnership, the ABCya team continue their dedication to the company’s founding principles: creating educational games that keep learning fun.”

4. Is the publisher making a profit from this site? How do you know? 5. Is there a history of the organization/company, or a mission statement?  

Prior to IXLs acquisition in 2018, according to Abcya’s “about us” section, “lan continued to develop and perfect games for ABCya.com, eventually venturing into the creation of stand-alone apps. In 2011, his Math BINGO app soared to the top of the educational category in the iTunes store. It was also featured on Apple’s website and installed on demo iPads at hundreds of Apple retail stores across the U.S. Today, millions of users each month play ABCya's desktop games and apps, logging over a billion games played each year”. Millions of children and teachers continue to use Abcya today. 

Yes, there is a history for this site. It was developed by two teachers, Alan and Lisa Tortolani when there was a lack of resources and educational games for students and teachers (in 2004). The mission statement of Abcya is to create “educational games that keep learning fun.

Objectivity:  

6. What are the stated goals of this website? Are those goals met?

The goals of this website are to: create educational games that make learning fun and provide engaging ways for kids to learn. These goals were met because there are various games starting with Prek up to middle school (6th grade) that cover topics from math, reading, science, and computational thinking. These games are used by millions of teachers and students everyday.   

7. Why was this website written? For whom?  

This website was written for teachers/students. Its purpose is to engage students in learning in interactive ways.

Currency:  I am not sure of the current currency but there are millions of users.

8. When was the site produced? When was it last updated?  

The site was produced in 2004 by Alan and Lisa Tortolani (two teachers from New Jersey). As far as updates, I could not find a place to show when the site was updated. I did see that the privacy policy was updated in 2018 and the terms of use was updated in November 2022. However the website does state, “ABCya.com is a teacher-created website brought to you by ABCya.com LLC ("ABCya") that provides fun and educational games for kids to use under the guidance of their parents and teachers”. 

9. Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work?  

I could not find any broken links or links that don’t work. 

Conclusion:  

10. What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?  

This website can be used with teachers to teach skills or reinforce skills. For example, if 2nd grade students are doing a math unit on money or coins, there are games that can reinforce this skill. This is appropriate because there are various types of learners who need hands-on experiences to reinforce skills or teach skills. This website can also be used as an early finishers for students in a computer lab or in the classroom. 

11. What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? 

I don’t think there are inappropriate uses for this website because it states, on the site, “ABCya provides over 300 fun and educational games for grades PreK through 6. Our activities are designed by parents and educators, who understand that children learn better if they are having fun. “

Website URL:  https://kahoot.com/ 

Answer the questions below as you review the website.  

Accuracy: The website seems accurate. Its content was created by students from the NUST (Norwegian University of Science and Technology).

1. Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author?

The website was authored by Morten Versvik, Johan Brand, and Jamie Brooker in 2012. There is no way to contact the authors, however the website does have a contact us section. 

2. How is this person qualified to write this document?  

 These three individuals are qualified to write this document. This site was created with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology with the assistance of an entrepreneur Åsmund Furuseth. Additionally, according to the site, “The technology is based on research conducted by Kahoot! co-founder Morten Versvik, a student of Professor Wang’s at the time, for his Master’s degree at NTNU”.  

Authority:  

3. What institution publishes and maintains this website?  

Kahoot! Was initially a standalone site. Presently, it is partnered with Microsoft and Google for Education. Additionally, it was acquired by Goldman and Sachs Asset management in July 2023. Over the years, Kahoot! Was acquired by many companies/sites but were eventually dropped by them. 

4. Is the publisher making a profit from this site? How do you know? 5. Is there a history of the organization/company, or a mission statement?

Kahoot! is available to over 200+countries in the world, Kahoot has over 9 billion participants since its launch, and 1.37 million paid subscribers. Additionally, in 2020 Kahoot had a value of about 1.5 billion dollars. 

The company was founded in 2012 by Norwegian students. One of the co-founders was conducting technology based research and using Kahoot to do this. The mission/values of Kahoot, according to the site, “To make learning awesome! At Kahoot!, we are all about lifelong learning. In life, we learn new skills through curiosity and play. By combining the two, in a fun and social way, we can unlock the learning potential within all of us, no matter the subject, age or ability. Unleashing this potential within every learner is what drives us, which is why we are on a mission to make learning awesome. We do this by creating engaging and impactful experiences for our users, and through our vision of building the leading learning platform in the world."

Objectivity:  

6. What are the stated goals of this website? Are those goals met?

The main goal of Kahoot is to “make learning awesome”. This goal is met everyday since there are millions of active users. This site is noy only used by elementary/secondary educators but also by universities, market places,and companies. Kahoot is a fun interactive game that “unleashes” the players’ learning potential.  

7. Why was this website written? For whom?  

This website was written for interactive learning. Though it seemed to be for elementary/secondary educators, initially, it is used outside of education to create presentations for major companies and higher learning (Universities). 

Currency:  As if 2020, Kahoot! Was worth about 1.5 billion dollars. Different subscribers pay different amounts (Kahoot for educators, home, companies, etc). 

8. When was the site produced? When was it last updated?  

The site was produced in 2012 and officially launched in 2013. According to the site, the copyright is for 2023. While I could not find a source if it was updated, it seems that all of the information on there is up to date. 

9. Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work?  

I could not find any broken links or links that don’t work. 

Conclusion:  

10. What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?  

This website can be used to review skills/content in a fun way since it’s an interactive live game. It could also be used to teach technology skills since students need access to technology to play it. 

11. What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? 

I don’t think there are inappropriate uses for this website because it is game based/interactive activities where teachers/other professionals direct learning. The content is managed by the creator.

https://nearpod.com/blog/digital-citizenship-week-free-lessons/

I'd also use lessons by Brittany Washburn. She has an entire Tech Curriculum and many lessons on digital citizenship.

https://brittanywashburn.com/2022/10/how-to-teach-digital-citizenship/

When we do use technology and they need conduct research for a project or gather information, I try to provide pre approved websites for them to use. In the case they find their own websites I go over what reliable sources and what they should look for when they are using these websites. Also, we have many conversations around what primary sources and secondary sources are and how they can be used. I also try to remind them that not everything they read on the internet is true.

Digital citizenship includes knowledge, skills and practices to engage safely and responsibly in a digital environment. This is considered an important skill for students to protect them from harmful content, cyberbullying, privacy risks, scams, viruses and more. https://www.learning.com/blog/how-to-promote-digital-citizenship-in-students. In this website I have been found a valuable information about digital citizenship that will help me to learn more about technology and as the same times it will help my students to learn about protection at the times, they are using technology in a variety of ways. This website is connected with the "Common Core Standards in Digital Literacy Curriculum With technology permeating almost all student learning, technology instruction is no longer siloed to computer class".

For example, this following fourth-grade writing benchmark outlines how students will use technology in honing their writing privacy.

“With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.” I remembered last year my fifth graders students were working in a project about Cyberbullying which it was very interesting to learn how to protect themselves from other who are looking for scams and violated people privacy.

URL: www.getepic.com

Accuracy:

1. The authors behind this website are Kevin Donahue and Suren Markosian. The created this website in 2013 for digital literacy. You are only able to reach out them by filling out a form for them to contact you back via email.

2. The authors have experience in developing software and were granted access to digital sources when they got their license for their website to be authorized.

Authority:

3. I am not quite sure who publishes and maintain this website day to day. They have grown tremendously so I would only assume they have a staff who assist in this.

4. No, the publishers do not get profit from this, They earn a profit through advertising. Also I noticed they started charging for students to use after 3pm, so they may be making a profit with subscriptions.

5. On their website they feel "Inspiring the next generation to develop a love of reading and learning" On the website they also shared " Epic was born out of a single question: How do we make books more accessible to kids? As parents, it always seemed strange to us that our kids could so easily play games and watch videos on their iPhones and iPads, but the same couldn’t be said for books. So in 2013, we decided to build the first “epic” reading experience, designed just for kids. Today, Epic has grown into an award-winning subscription service, which gives millions of families and classrooms instant, unlimited access to thousands of books, videos and quizzes from leading publishers to help kids everywhere read, learn and grow.

Objectivity:

6. One of their goals is for books to be accessible for students to independently read. Yes, they have met this goal because their books are accessible through many form of digital access. As an educator who loves this platform, I see that 90% of educators feel the same way as I do.

7. This website was written for educators, students, and their families. They wanted easy access for books. During the pandemic this website was free until very recently they began to charge. Once you are using this website before 3pm with a classroom code, students have free access. However, if families would like to use this website after 3pm they can pay 11.99 a month or 79.99 yearly.

Currency:

8. This site was created in 2013. In 2014, it was launched to the public. I am not sure of the most recent update for this website.

9. There are no links on this website that are broken or do not work. All links work.

Conclusion

10. The appropriate uses for this website is that all students and educators have access to a free digital library. Also, this website is appropriate for ELL students because some books can be read to them. This will build literacy awareness.

11. There are no inappropriate uses of information on this website. It is user friendly for a targeted audience. Epic is a safe space for young minds to fall in love with reading.

The website is published and supported by McCraw Hill. You can email and call the company if you have any issues or questions. McGraw Hill has been around for many years and specializes in the education field. McGraw Hill supports the platform. Achieve 3000 charges schools to use their program, I am not 100% sure that McGraw Hill is making a profit but I would assume yes they make a profit.Yes, they have their mission statement, vision and values on their website. Their goal is to deliver a comprehensive solution to deepen the learning of all students. I think they have made their goal, we have used this program for many years. It is written for schools to utilize with their students. It was updated for this school year, they are always updating it. To my knowledge all of the links work and are functional. The students are tracking their progress in reading and we can track their progress. It is a useful tool to use in the classroom. I cannot think of inappropriate ways that the information can be used.

Website Name: Code.org

Website URL:  https://studio.code.org/home

Answer the questions below as you review the website.  

Accuracy:  

1. Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author?  Hadi and Ali Partovi - In 2013 Hadi and his twin brother Ali launched the education nonprofit Code.org, which Hadi continues to lead full-time as CEO.

Hadi Partovi’s contact info: 

Email: hadipartovi@gmail.com

Email: hpartovi@code.org

Phone: 425-502-8769

Ali Partovi’s Contact info: 

Email: apartovi@gmail.com

Email: ali@partovi.org

2. How is this person qualified to write this document?  

Born in Tehran, Iran, Hadi grew up during the Iran-Iraq war. His school did not offer computer science classes, so he taught himself to code at home on a Commodore 64 (an inexpensive and popular home computer, Introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 1982).

After immigrating to the United States, he spent his summers working as a software engineer to help pay his way through high school and college. Upon graduating from Harvard University with a Masters degree in computer science, Hadi pursued a career in technology starting at Microsoft where he rose into the executive ranks. 

Authority:  

3. What institution publishes and maintains this website? 

 A team of programmers keep the website updated .

4. Is the publisher making a profit from this site? How do you know? Code.org® is a registered public 501c3 nonprofit, with support from the general public.  Since the organization is registered under public 501(c)(3) which is referred to as charitable organizations. 

They should not be organized to operate for the benefit of private interest, and no part of the company’s net earnings may benefit any private shareholder or individual. They are grateful for the generous support received from individuals and organizations who support their  vision.  

5. Is there a history of the organization/company, or a mission statement?  The mission of Code.org is to expand access to computer science education in schools and increase participation by female and underrepresented minority students. 

Objectivity:  

6. What are the stated goals of this website? Are those goals met?  Code.org Goal - Accomplishments 

From what I’ve read, the goals are being met.

7. Why was this website written? For whom?  Code.org  was written to expand participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, also to  increase participation by young women and students from other underrepresented groups.

Currency:  

8. When was the site produced? When was it last updated?  

The site was produced in 2013 after going viral in a youtube video promoting computer science, and 15,000 schools reached out for help. 

Every year, Code.org updates its curriculum offerings — but for the 2023–2024 school year, the team has really outdone itself! In addition to major updates to CS Principles and CS Discoveries, they have seven new modules as part of CS Connections! I am excited to start with code this school year.

9. Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work?  I have never experienced a broken link in the 3 years I’ve used the site. There is a place to report any broken links if one should encounter them. 

Conclusion:  

10. What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?  The appropriate use for the information on this website is that students and teachers all over can learn the basics of coding. Java or python and the curriculum will forever be free. 

11. What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? Why? There are no inappropriate uses for this website; it is user-friendly and created for anyone to learn to code, regardless of income. 

Additional Resources: 

Is the information timely?

Is it out-of-date? Does it matter for what you’re researching? Has the information been updated since it was published?

Is the source directly related to your topic?

Who is the intended audience? Does it meet the needs of your work?

Is the author qualified to write on this topic?

What are their credentials that make them an expert? 

Website Name: TypingClub.com

Website URL:  https://bronxalliancemiddleschool.edclub.com/portal/

Answer the questions below as you review the website.  

Accuracy:  

1. Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author? Founded in 2005 by President Austin Butler, Teaching.com, the creators of Typing.com.

2. How is this person qualified to write this document?   

Authority:  

3. What institution publishes and maintains this website?  

Teaching.com is the creator of typing.com and is maintained by programmers, educators and others on a monthly basis. 

4. Is the publisher making a profit from this site?  How do you know? We are committed to keeping all parts of the program free to all users, including schools and districts,” added Butler.

5. Is there a history of the organization/company, or a mission statement?  To ensure all students have an opportunity to learn the fundamental success skills of the 21st century.”

Objectivity:  

6. What are the stated goals of this website? Are those goals met? 

 The company is dedicated to building the best educational products that make learning fun and assist teachers in a meaningful way.

7. Why was this website written? For whom?  

The website was written for students to learn typing skills

Currency:  

8. When was the site produced? When was it last updated?  

Created in 2005, the website is maintained by educators, programmers,and various people in different professions. The site is updated 

9. Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work? 

I have not encountered any broken links 

Conclusion:  

10. What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why? In Typing.com, students work through an educator-designed keyboarding curriculum to develop their skills from the very basics of home row and finger positioning through mastery of advanced punctuation and more.  The addition of tech literacy curriculum adds even more benefits, supporting cross-curricular learning and giving students the chance to gain enhanced success skills for their education and future careers:

11. What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? Why? There are no inappropriate uses for this website; it is user-friendly and created for anyone

Website URL: https://www.brainpop.com/ 

Accuracy: 

1. BrainPOP was founded in 1999 by Dr. Avraham Kadar as a creative way to explain difficult concepts to his young patients.

2. Avraham Kadar, M.D., is a pediatrician and National Institutes of Health (NIH)-trained immunologist who worked with children and then created Brainpop with the help of others. 

Authority: 

3. Brainpop is maintained by different advisors that they have listed on their website (https://aboutbrainpop.wpengine.com/advisors/). 

4. Yes, they are a company that was bought out and they have different options for schools and individuals to pay for a subscription to brainpop. It is noted on their website. 

5. Yes, there is a section labeled about BrainPOP that talks about the founder and the goals of the website. 

Objectivity: 

6. They have four goals (https://about.brainpop.com/) and they are able to incorporate all of their goals into their content teaching a range of topics. 

7. The website was written to teach different topics to children and young people in a fun and engaging way. 

Currency: 

8. It was produced in 1999. It is still consistently being updated. 

9. No, all the links that I have clicked on have worked. 

Conclusion: 

10. There are so many uses and resources on this website that are available to you and your students 

11. Students may learn about more information than they need. 

Website Name: National Geographic Kids

Website URL: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/ 

Accuracy:

1. It was created by National Geographic and there are numbers and emails you can reach if you have questions or comments. 

2. It is groups of people that research and study the topic before it is published. 

Authority:

3. National Geographic maintains and publishes on the website. 

4. National Geographic has both free content and content you can purchase with a subscription.

5. Yes, there are links that you can click on that talk about the history and other websites that they are affiliated with. 

Objectivity:

6. There are different objectives. The education objectives talk about how they help classrooms and students learn about the world. 

7. The website was written for students to gain information about the world around them. 

Currency:

8. The website was created in 1996 and is still being updated today.

9. All the links on the website were clickable and useful. 

Conclusion:

10. Most of the information is appropriate for students and is catered towards students. 

11. There is not much inappropriate information but that depends on the age range and what you want students to learn. 

Website Name: Zearn

Website URL: https://www.zearn.org

Accuracy:

1. Founded in 2012 by Evan Rudal former CEO of Uncommon Schools and co founder Shanille Sharma.

2. Shalinee Sharma is a non profit curriculum publisher and a software developer.

3. ZearnMath

Authority

Profit: Accelerate and New Schools Venture Fund. They also sell paid accounts with more features.

4. Parents, students and teachers have 24/7 access. This access includes paper base materials that can be used without a device. Accessible for up to 35 students and 1 teacher. Can be used for a homeschool approach.

5. Mission Statement: "Everything we do is driven by the belief that all kids are math kids. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to ensure all kids love learning math.

   Objectivity

6. "To help kids love learning math."

7. Available for students in grades K to 8th.

8. Available on "Clever Portal" students are able to sign in using a barcode. They can scan the barcode to log in.

9. When students are struggling they can receive differentiated support. Teachers are able to log in in real time while students on on the app to see where they are struggling. Digital math lessons for objectives and common core standards. There are scaffolds built into each lesson. Students have the option to press a button so questions can be read to them. Students are celebrated and praised when they get a question right. Works alongside Illustrative Math, Eureka Math Squared, Eureka/ Engage NY, and Zearn Math

Amira Learning

https://www.amiralearning.com/how-it-works.html

1. Dr. Jack Mostow. Mark Angel is the CEO and cofounder

2. Learning to read with AI. First AI reading coach and teachers assistant.

3. Students can access this tool in school and after school. The students pick a story, then the read it aloud, Amira assesses the reading, assess and select tutoring and lastly they celebrate the child's growth.

4. Amira is free for 30 days. After the free trial you can subscribe for $7.99 a month or enroll in annual subscription of $72 with a 25% discount. They have international partners in different regions.

5. Every child deserves the chance to become a reader.

6. Goals: "To couple the Science of reading with AI, giving every child a pathway to the power of reading.

7. Teachers can assign Amira as a station, homework, intervention, independent reading time, or a literacy block. For children in grades K-6th. There is a dyslexia screener

Answer the questions below as you review the website.

Accuracy:

1. Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author? Eric Oemig and Mary Oemig established and launched Boom Learning in 2012.

2. How is this person qualified to write this document? They are the creators and previous Microsoft employees.

Authority:

3. What institution publishes and maintains this website? Premier Publisher Program

4. Is the publisher making a profit from this site? How do you know? Yes, there is a statement of compensation on the website.

5. Is there a history of the organization/company, or a mission statement?

Objectivity:

6. What are the stated goals of this website? Are those goals met? Boom Learning delivers a platform for teachers to create gamified, self-grading lessons to improve student engagement and gather same-day grading data to supercharge student success.

7. Why was this website written? For whom? The Oemigs created Boom Learning for teachers as an online platform to create, buy and sell digital task cards, to use as a teaching tool in the classroom and soared during the pandemic and remote learning.

Currency:

8. When was the site produced? When was it last updated?  It was founded in 2012 and relaunched in 2016. It is updated daily as the website information is provided by various producers.

9. Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work? No

Conclusion:

10. What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?  This site is appropriate for teaching and supporting the teaching of various concepts in ELA, Math, and speech and language pathology. 

 11. What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? Why? Some task cards are not related to the topic, so you have to search for what you need and/or create your own task cards.

Answer the questions below as you review the website.

Accuracy:

1. Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author? Paul Edelman, a NYC teacher created the website for educators to share their resources.

2. How is this person qualified to write this document? He was an educator that was in need of this information, therefore he created the resource so others can benefit from it.

Authority:

3. What institution publishes and maintains this website? Unsure; the website does not specify.

4. Is the publisher making a profit from this site? How do you know? Yes, there are statements of compensation on the website for each publisher to the site.

5. Is there a history of the organization/company, or a mission statement? Their mission statement is: “to help teachers teach at their best”.

Objectivity:

6. What are the stated goals of this website? Are those goals met? Teacher Pay Teachers was created to empower teachers with tools, content, and community.

7. Why was this website written? For whom? It was written/created for teachers in order for others to benefit from other colleagues resources and ideas.

Currency:

8. When was the site produced? When was it last updated?  It is updated daily as the website information is provided by various producers.

9. Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work? No

Conclusion:

10. What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?  This site is appropriate for teaching and supporting the teaching of various subject content, such as: ELA, Math, speech and language pathology, etc.

 11. What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? Why? Some of the resources are pricier than others and may not be related to your specific need, so you have to search for what you need and/or create your own.

Website: GoNoodle

Website URL: https://www.gonoodle.com

Answer the questions below as you review the website

Accuracy:

1. Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author?

   The creators/authors are: Scott McQuiff, John Herbold, Abby Percoriello, Aaron Briggs

   2. How is this person qualified to write this document? The creators of GoNoodle were parents of small children.

      Authority:

      1. The institution that publishes GoNoodle is Crunchbase Company Profile and to contact the author there is a CEO -KC Estenson. This person can be contacted

      2. The creators are qualified to write the document because they were parents to small children.

      3. The publisher /creators are making profit from this site because they have six investors including Campbell Soup. The publisher is making a profit from this site because they have a well known company -Campbell Soup as one of their investors.

      4. There is history of a mission statement , according to the website :Tracxn.

         Objectivity

         The goals of GoNoodle is to get children to move around, and for children to be their best in life. Yes, the goals are met.

      5. The website was written for teachers and parents.

         Currency

         
         

         GoNoodle was created in 2013. It was written for teachers to provide a short classroom break for their students.

      The site had to remove YouTube.

      Conclusion

      The appropriate uses for this website is to provide a positive physical movement for students.

The inappropriate uses for this website is to have the content misguided for children.

Website URL: https://www.abcmouse.com/abc/

Accuracy:

1) ABCmouse is a member of the kidSAFE Seal Program. This means that the product has been independently reviewed and certified by kidSAFE to meet certain standards of online safety and privacy. How to contact the author?

Age of Learning, Inc., is in the United States of America. Age of Learning, Inc. is the operator of all the Services. You may contact us below if you have any questions, complaints, or other issues related to this Privacy Policy and issues related to your or a Child User’s information for which you are responsible:
For all Accounts

Mailing address:
Age of Learning, Inc.
Attention: Legal Department
P.O. Box 230
Glendale, CA 91209
USA
Telephone Number: +1.800.633.3331
Email address: privacy@aofl.com

https://www.kidsafeseal.com/certifiedproducts/abcmouse.html .

2) How this person qualified to write this document? Well, this question was a little hard to find the right answer, however, I could add that Professional or employment-related information Current or past job history or performance evaluations

concerning to this website.

Authority:

3) What institution publishes and maintains this website?

The kidSAFE’s FTC-approved COPPA Safe Harbor program and independently reviewed and certified by kidSAFE.

4) Is the publisher making a profit from this site?We will never monetize the PI of any User of the Services by providing it to a third party in exchange for money, except as described in this policy in the context of a sale of the Company.
How do you know? It's explained above that this website do not get some profit or monetize for the services.

5) History:

Welcome to ABCmouse.com® Early Learning Academy (ABCmouse), which is owned and operated by Age of Learning, Inc. By purchasing a subscription to, registering an Account for, or using ABCmouse, including all the services provided therein, and any other websites, applications, and online services (Apps) that link to these Terms (collectively, the Services), including ABCmouse® for Schools, you acknowledge that you have read and understand these Terms, and agree to be bound by them.

Age of Learning, Inc., and its subsidiaries are referred to as we, our, us, or the Company. Both these Terms and separate terms of service or sale documents may apply to your use of the Services or to a sweepstakes, service, or product offered via the Services (Additional Terms).

Objectivity:

6) What are the stated goals of this website ? To retain Personal Information for as long as necessary to provide the services and fulfill the transactions you have requested, or for other business such purposes as complying with our legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our agreements. They decide how long they need personal information on a case-by-case basis. They may consider the following factors when making retention decisions. Those goals are met because teacher and students continue using this website for educational purpose and learning.

7) Why was this website written?

I believe this website was written in order to facilitates teachers and students to develop their academy connection between schools and technology. Children have tremendous benefit using this website in their daily life. It provides a lot of fun and learning activities.

8) When was this website produced?

Last Updated September 13, 2016

9) Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work?

I do not find or see any link that is not working properly, I do see all the links well-functioning and with a lot of visitors.

Conclusion:

10) What are the appropriate uses for the information on this website?

This website is mostly use in the school's system and especially in grades K-5 which provides a variety of lessons, games, read aloud story, and visual and large pictures books where the students engage immediately.

11) What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website?

The foregoing limitations of liability will apply even if any of the events or circumstances were foreseeable and even if Company Parties were advised of or should have known of the possibility of such losses or damages, regardless of whether you bring an action of contract, negligence, strict liability, or tort (including whether caused, in whole or in part, by negligence, force majeure, telecommunications failure, or destruction of the Services). Why? Because the restrictions on this website are very high and they are able to control any damage that will occur.

Website Name: Zearn

Website URL: https://www.zearn.org

Accuracy:

1. Founded in 2012 by Evan Rudal former CEO of Uncommon Schools and co-founder Shanille Sharma.

2. Shalinee Sharma is a non profit curriculum publisher and a software developer.

3. ZearnMath

Authority

Profit: Accelerate and New Schools Venture Fund. They also sell paid accounts with more features.

4. Parents, students and teachers have 24/7 access. This access includes paper base materials that can be used without a device. Accessible for up to 35 students and 1 teacher. Can be used for a homeschool approach.

5. Mission Statement: "Everything we do is driven by the belief that all kids are math kids. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to ensure all kids love learning math.

Objectivity

6. "To help kids love learning math."

7. Available for students in grades K to 8th to help support and enhance their mathematical skills.

8. Available on "Clever Portal" students are able to sign in using a barcode. They can scan the barcode to log in.

9. When students are struggling they can receive differentiated support. Teachers are able to log in in real time while students are on the app to see where they are struggling. Digital math lessons for objectives and common core standards. There are scaffolds built into each lesson. Students have the option to press a button so questions can be read to them. Students are celebrated and praised when they get a question right. Works alongside Illustrative Math, Eureka Math Squared, Eureka/ Engage NY, and Zearn Math

Conclusion

10. Allows children to explore math through pictures, real life examples and visual models. There are real videos of teachers explaining lessons and teaching lessons. Lessons are delivered in real time. Students feel like they are playing a game when they are learning new skills.

11. There is no inappropriate use of the site because it is monitored through the DOE portal (clever).

Amira Learning

https://www.amiralearning.com/how-it-works.html

Accuracy

1. Dr. Jack Mostow. Mark Angel is the CEO and cofounder

2. Learning to read with AI. First AI reading coach and teachers assistant.

Authority

3. Reading app for students available on iOS, android, and accessible on a browser with a smart device. Works best on Safari, Google Chrome or Safari on the Ipad.Students can access this tool in school and after school. The students pick a story, then they read it aloud, Amira assesses the reading, assess and select tutoring and lastly they celebrate the child's growth.

4. Amira is free for 30 days. After the free trial you can subscribe for $7.99 a month or enroll in an annual subscription of $72 with a 25% discount. They have international partners in different regions.

5. Every child deserves the chance to become a reader.

Objectivity

6. Goals: "To couple the Science of reading with AI, giving every child a pathway to the power of reading.

7. Teachers can assign Amira as a station, homework, intervention, independent reading time, or a literacy block. For children in grades K-6th. There is a dyslexia screener which is a common disability that affects a person's reading ability.

Currency

8. The site was produced based off of 30 years of research launched at Carnegie Mellon University in 2017.. Partnered with artificial intelligence scientists and literacy experts to birth the first reading tutor.

9.  All links on the website work.

Conclusion

10. Students use this tool to enhance, support and differentiate their reading with the use of an artificial intelligence tutor. The app measures the speed of words read and even provides comprehension questions. There is no use of inappropriate information on the site.

Website URL: https://jeopardylabs.com/

1. Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author?

Jeopardy Labs was created by Matt Johnson, while working on his undergrad at Washington State University, Vancouver. JeopardyLabs makes it easy to create jeopardy templates without PowerPoint, which is a game changer for people who do not know how to your PowerPoint.

2. How is this person qualified to write this document? Authority:

The website doesn’t talk about Matt’s qualifications and I am not able to directly find him doing online research. The website is well over 7 years old, so I would assume that Matt is qualified as he created a website that teachers have been using for quite some time.

3. What institution publishes and maintains this website?

Aptibyte LLC publishes and maintains the website according to their terms of use contract.

4. Is the publisher making a profit from this site? How do you know?

Jeopardy Labs charges a life time fee of $20 for you to join their website. This gives you access to more features and allows you to save all your jeopardy games.

5. Is there a history of the organization/company, or a mission statement?

There isn’t a mission statement, but Matt did create a small about section that says he created it the website. He seems like a guy that isn’t trying to take advantage of people, just saw a need and created this super easy to use website to help students review in a fun and interactive way.

6. What are the stated goals of this website? Are those goals met?

According to the website jeopardy labs was created to make it easy to create a jeopardy game without having to use powerpoint. Matt’s goal was to create a game that would help review and make it fun for review

7. Why was this website written? For whom? Currency:

This website was designed for teachers and students that want to us it for review. It’s a fun and easy way to create a jeopardy game to helps students review.

8. When was the site produced? When was it last updated?

The earliest information I can find is that it was created in 2016. It was last updated in 2020.

9. Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work?

None

10. What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?

It is a tools student can use to help them student for exams

11. What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?

None from what I can see.

Website Name: MyOn

Website URL: https://www.myon.com/index.html

1. Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author?

MyON was created by a company called Renaissance. They have been around since 1986, creating different products to help students have access to a wide range of books. It is also committed to helping adults love reading.

2. How is this person qualified to write this document? Authority:

This company is an established company that has numerous products. They have been approved by the NYC Department of Education after going through their vetting process.

3. What institution publishes and maintains this website?

Renaissance publishes and maintains the webiste.

4. Is the publisher making a profit from this site? How do you know?

Yes, they have contracts with many school districts. I know this because we use it and there are many districts that also use it.

5. Is there a history of the organization/company, or a mission statement?

Mission: To accelerate learning for all children and adults of all ability levels and ethnic and social backgrounds worldwide.

6. What are the stated goals of this website? Are those goals met?

The website believes that “Simply increasing students’ access to reading materials can increase reading engagement and, in turn, reading growth. With our reading platform, students get access to thousands of digital books—and so much more. From robust scaffolds that help students build reading and writing skills to customizable assignments and reports to help teachers nurture and monitor their progress, myON helps you supercharge reading growth for every learner.” I have used this platform and thing they exceed what I was expecting. It gives you all the materials needed to helps students become better readers.

7. Why was this website written? For whom? Currency:

This website was designed to help students have access to more reading material, which in turn makes them better readers.

8. When was the site produced? When was it last updated?

The website was last updated this year. It was produced in 2011 and has been going strong every since.

9. Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work?

None

10. What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?

It is a website that provides all the materials a teacher would need to help students and gives students access to an enormous amount of books.

11. What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? Why?

None from what I can see.

Scott McQuigg:, along with co-founders John Herbold, Abby Pecoriello and Aaron Briggs

Contact: hello@gonoodle.com

GoNoodle

209 10th Ave. South

Suite 560

Nashville, TN 37203

GoNoodle was founded in 2013 after six months of beta testing with teachers. They design mobile games, interactive activities and kid-friendly videos that give children time to move around in the classroom or at home. The videos can range in length from two to ten minutes and are geared toward students in kindergarten through sixth grade. They cover a variety of activities that include exercise, dance, mindfulness, song, balance, and coordination.

Since their founding, revenue has exceeded over $10 million, and 12 million kids play GoNoodle each month. Over 40% of all elementary age children in the U.S. take part in their activities.They have users in 185 countries, from South Africa to Sweden, and from China to Columbia. The majority of GoNoodle’s users play at school, and kids are playing at home, too. Over 2 million children have parent-verified accounts.

GoNoodle raised capital from two venture investors who have investments in health and wellness, education, and technology. GoNoodle is a freemium model; any teacher, parent or kid anywhere in the world can sign up to play for free. GoNoodle’s premium version, GoNoodle Plus, is optimized for schools bringing movement and core subjects together for kinesthetic learning; GoNoodle Plus is available on subscription basis and is purchased by teachers, schools, districts, and community sponsors.Scott McQuigg’s background is as an entrepreneur in health information and health education. And while this background made him keenly aware of how society too often focuses on medical treatment versus going upstream to focus on health prevention, the real motivation for GoNoodle came from my experiences as a parent -- how do we get our kids, members of the digital generation, to participate in more physical play.

The idea behind GoNoodle® is simple: be a force of joy, health, and self-discovery for kids and the adults who love them. They power the good energy of kids where they are today: online, IRL at schools and home, and in the metaverse and beyond grounding them in the joy of being silly, mindful, and curious.

They are rooted in technology, being globally diverse, and tap into the wisdom and authenticity adults have. They seek to bring lessons around personal and community wellness, mental and physical health, and bring those lessons to elementary school kids in ways that are native, fun, exploratory, and highlight their unique, natural epicness. They seek to fuel a generation of happy, healthy kids that know themselves and make positive impacts on the world.

Open PHYSED

Contact:

Aaron Hart, Executive Director

Aaron is the creator and Executive Director of OPEN.

OPEN is a Public Service of US Games. Contact Information for US Games:

Phone: 1-800-327-0484

On the Web: www.USGames.com

OPEN has one mission: to improve the effectiveness of physical education for every child. They help teachers help their students by providing rigorous, outcomes-based curriculum tools to every physical education teacher – no exceptions. Equity of Access is essential for empowering the entire physical education community. US Games believes in the talents and creativity of the teachers and administrators that we serve. That’s why OPEN will always be free to every educator. This is not an ideal or philosophy. It’s a movement. To date, more than 100,000 teachers have become registered members of OPENPhysEd.org. Their equity impact is now more than 50,000,000 students. OPEN is a backward design curriculum project that targets SHAPE America’s National Standards & Grade-Level Outcomes. OPENPhysEd.org membership is free. OPEN was created with one idea in mind: provide the highest quality curriculum resources FREE to every school to provide equity of access to the entire physical education community. The OPEN concept was born in February 2014 by Aaron Hart and Nick Kline. They originally named the project QPEN (Quality Physical Education Network). Later that year, Aaron and Kurt Stone presented and proposed QPEN as a division of US GAMES / BSN SPORTS. In that meeting, BSN SPORTS CEO Adam Blumenfeld suggested a name change – OPEN (The Online Physical Education Network). Aaron agreed to the name change and Adam agreed to make OPEN a public service of US GAMES and BSN SPORTS.

From the moment that Aaron joined the US GAMES team, they worked tirelessly to prepare for OPEN’s official launch at the SHAPE America Conference in Seattle, Washington in March 2015. In July 2014, the OPEN Development Council was formed consisting of Aaron Hart, Nick Kline, Joey Feith, Lori Dunn, Artie Kamiya, Eric Stern, Helena Baert, and Jim DeLine. This group of selfless physical educators helped shape the way that all OPEN curriculum modules would be built. With the unconditional support of BSN SPORTS, the team was able to move quickly and advance their equity of access mission in a very short amount of time.

Website URL: https://happynumbers.com/?redirect=no

1)Who wrote the website and how can you contact the author?

The author of HappyNumbers is unclear. Records indicate that British author Reg Allenby bought the company.

Contact Information:

Happy Numbers Inc., 2345 Yale Street, First Floor,
Palo Alto, CA 94306, USA

2)How is this person qualified to write this document?

The owner Reg Allenby is not the creator however he is the owner. Allenby's credentials are that he is a British author. As well as a senior lecturer in Mathematics at Leeds University. Its safe to say Allenby is well rounded and verse in Mathematics. I am certain that Allenby intelligence in Mathematics and input supports curriculum creativity and differentiation design.

3) What institution publishes and maintains the website?

Happy numbers is a company constructed under the United States government which is lead under the ESSA law (Every Student Successes Act). A variety of educator, mathematicians, methodologists and writers publish and maintains the website.

4.) Is the publisher making a profit from the site? How do you know?

The program is free for a year. If a school decides to continue with the program after a year the quote for the school is 2900. There is a first time buyer quote of 2175.

5) Is there a history of the organization/ company, or a mission statement?

Happy numbers mission statement is "To prepare today's elementary students for the jobs of tomorrow, we first need to prepare them for high school and college."

6) What are the stated goals of the website? Are those goal met?

"The goal of the Happy Numbers team is to help teachers deliver the best math instruction possible to empower their students to develop math skills. At the heart of this goal are shared principles and values, as we all want students to explore math, demonstrate growth, and enjoy the journey from beginning to end. We are here to guide them each step of the way and create a comfortable environment for online education, which allows teachers to differentiate instruction and meet each student’s individual needs."

These goals are met through differentiation and independent assessments.

7)Why was this website written? For whom?

The website was designed to support all students on an elementary level. Happy Numbers is an online Math curriculum that supports scholars based on their initial assessments. The website provides a numerous amount of differentiation instruction.

8.) When was the site produced? When was it last updated?

Happy Numbers website was produced in 2004.

9) Are there any links on the website that are broken or do not work?

To my knowledge there are no links on the website that are broken or do not work. Every link on the website runs smooth. Also there is a live chat with customer service to assist with any problems, comments or concerns.

10) What are appropriate uses for the information on this website? Why ?

The appropriate uses for the information on Happy Numbers website is that it supports students learning in Math. It is an online Math curriculum that is aligned with the Next Generation Learning Standards. Happy Numbers has a portal for educators that will track and provide students progress while on the website. Happy Numbers also has lesson plans and materials for small group instruction.

11) What are inappropriate uses for the information on this website? why ?

There are no inappropriate uses for the information on the website. Student's information are secured at all times.