Criteria for Sites of the Day

Functionality

• Pages load quickly and there are few or no dead links.
• If registration is required to use material at a site, it's simple, easy, respects privacy issues, and there's no cost.

Design and Organization

• The site is well designed and easy to navigate.
• There are clear navigation bars, index, and/or site map.
• Pages are uncluttered, attractive and easy to read and have good use of white space as well as visually pleasing placement of text.
• The site is well organized with logical categories and clearly labeled content.

Content

• Content is free to educators. (If only part of the site is free, that part has extensive information.)
• The information is up-to-date - revised and/or updated often.
• The information is written at the intellectual level of stated audiences.
• Content and features are created so that the intended audience (primarily students and/or teachers) would really use them.
• The material is original.
• The information is authoritative, authentic, and accurate.
• There is documentation of factual information and or references.
• The site contains information about authorship and displays a page with credentials/information about the author and/or editor (not just the Webmaster).
• The site is robust and has a deep level of information.
• There is clear evidence of site's purpose. It is free of bias or there is an explanation of point of view, perspective, or bias if any exists.
• The site contains links to related sites for additional authoritative information on the topic.

Technology Use

• There is creative and purposeful use of graphics, sound, interactivity, video clips and/or other Web technology.
• The site improves upon what students would be able to learn in traditional ways.