Philosophy
URL #1: http://www.ablongman.com/html/mindmatters2/html/m7/m727.html
- An appraisal of the format in which the material is presented at the first URL site / webpage.
The landing webpage of the first URL that I have evaluated is about Erik Erikson’s “Psychosocial Development Over the Life Span.” It was actually a web module and there was no contact details on the webpage. There was no specific author who wrote the educational article. As such, I decided to visit the homepage “ablongman.com.” I found out that it is now a property of Pearson company, a world-renowned multinational publishing and education company. Thus, I was redirected to “pearsonhighered.com.” The change in the domain name was due to the merger between Allyn and Bacon, a higher education textbook publisher, and Merrill, a Pearson company. The webpage is designed for educational psychologists, researchers, students and other individuals who want to know the specific details on the subject matter.
The first URL/webpage was easy to read aside from having good web images. Because it is a module, it has the following sections: learning objectives, learning activities, critical thinking questions, glossary, rapid review, module summary, additional resources, instructor’s guide, and module outline. It is also easy to browse the module’s contents. All the sections appear on the right page of the browser. The module has a very simple design and a limited number of related web images. I think it is because it was intended specifically for detailed textual information. The extra information offered by the site is accessible whenever you click on reputable hyperlinks (.edu extensions). Still, I found a dead link - http://aging.ufl.edu/apadiv20/apadiv20.htm. Generally, most of the hyperlinks work, and the site only requires a few enhancements for a more user-friendly interactive design (e.g., inclusion of social networking icons, youtube videos, interactive dashboard, etc.).
4. Three things you learned from visiting the site. If you didn't think the site was very good, give three reasons why you formed this opinion.
I learned a lot from visiting the site/webpage about developmental psychology. The module was presented meaningfully. I started with the learning objectives and ended up finding additional resources over the internet. Thus, I know now how a module is made, how to provide links for extra bit of information about a particular subject matter, and why it is so important to offer a sequential presentation of learning materials. I give the site four out of five-star rating (where five is highest).
- An appraisal of the format in which the material is presented at the site (easy to read, good illustrations etc.).
The landing webpage of the second URL that I evaluated is about “The Lifespan Development of Individuals: Behavioral, Neurobiological, and Psychosocial Perspectives” by Laura Flashman, contributor for the American Journal of Psychiatry. The journal article, or more appropriately, book information was more than a decade old. The previous contents of the book are still important resulting from the Nobel symposium of the panel of authors. They discussed topics ranging from developmental psychology, social psychology, neuropsychology, developmental biology, and the like. The website, in general, is intended for authors, researchers and contributors in the field of psychiatry.
The second URL can easily be navigated because of its breadcrumb trails, which typically appear horizontally across the webpage for internal backlinks. Generally, the website serves as the depositories for journal articles, book forums, and so forth, I can actually sign in or subscribe at a reasonable price. Anyway, I can also register for a free account to get alerts to new AJP online contents and personalization features. I highly recommend the site for my educational institution to avail of free one-month trial. The website has the typical features of most reputable .org sites such as the following webpages/sections: About, Help, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, Contact Us, Libraries and Institutions, etc. There is nothing much to enhance about the site except that there is a need to include other social networking sites and not just Facebook.
- Three things you learned from visiting the site. If you didn't think the site was very good, give three reasons why you formed this opinion.
The three things I learned from visiting the site is that I was able to view journal article and book abstracts for free, read the excerpts from the DSM-IV-TR®, and keep myself up-to-date on AJP online news. Nonetheless, there are other things that I can do when going to the site such as making a free and/or annual subscription for myself and institution, respectively. I give this site five out of five-star rating (where five is highest).
Feel free to compare your two sites. If a friend were seeking information on this topic, would you recommend one over the other? Both? Neither?
The two websites are both good resources for psychology enthusiasts, students, researchers, and other professionals. Although the content of the first URL requires updating a few of its links, they both serve their respective purposes. The first URL’s contents do not necessarily be current because Erikson’s Theory is already a historic part of the field of psychology – and is still relevant today. The second URL, on the other hand, is better because journal articles and books can be for archival purposes. The information, abstracts, and excerpts that the two websites offer are invaluable for individuals like me.
Using the evaluation criteria: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, coverage, and value, the second site is better . First, although the sponsor (Pearson) of the first URL is a reputable publishing company, it is much better if there was an author for the module like in URL # 2 (Laura Flashman, a PhD holder). What I like is that both sites are in .org and .edu extensions. Second, the first and second websites both contain reliable and error-free information. The reputable publishers for the two sites were the ones responsible in ensuring the accuracy of published contents. Third, the information contained in the two sites do not include a minimum of bias because the topics they presented came from well-known figures such as Erikson and panel of authors in the Nobel Symposium. Fourth, in terms of currency, the second site was more updated than the first site. There was no dead hyperlink in the second site unlike in the first site. Fifth, the specific topics covered in the first and second sites were of equal value despite the fact that Erikson is a well-known figure in psychology compared to the authors in the book of the second URL. Sixth, the webpage (or websites) are worth my visits. Both sites provide substantial, informative and insightful contents. They are both free of spelling and grammatical errors. As such, if a friend were seeking information on this (or any particular) topics contained in both sites, I would recommend them.
Works Cited
Allyn and Bacon. Mind Matters 2: Developmental Psychology. n.d. Web. 24 March 2013.
American Journal of Psychiatry. The Lifespan Development of Individuals: Behavioral, Neurobiological, and Psychosocial Perspectives: A Synthesis. 1 January 1999. Web. 24 March 2013.
Cornell University Library. Five criteria for evaluating Web pages. 28 June 2010. Web. 24 March 2013.
