Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Food & Nutrition Sites Review (Nufail)
Here's my second review for website reviewing, and I have chosen http://cyberbee.com/
To begin with, this website is bright, attractive and easy to read as well. Information on the website is not cluttered or wordy, like most websites. They've also sectionalized the websites in smaller categories, making it easier to navigate as well.
So what is this website about? Well basically it's about trying to make lessons more interesting by incorporating the Internet. Cyberbee acts as an online mascot for the website. Under "curriculum ideas", they give examples as to how the internet can be used for various subjects. The subjects include: Cross-Curricular, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Reference, Science Fair, Teacher Ideas.
I clicked on "Science" and scrolling down, wowwww, they did have a topic about food!
So I clicked on it further to check if it was any relevance to F&N. It is relevant, however, more so for Home Ec. The task given is very similar to us given as a coursework question. It is about food labels. Click on the picture if you want to read further.
After reading it, I personally like it as it really resembles like a coursework motive. The breakdown is given, there are guided questions, and they even provide websites for further assistance or reasearch. With a little tweaking here and there, I believe that the question is suitable to be used for lower seconday coursework. However, there's only ONE question about Home Ec. Very limited, unfortunately.
So next I clicked is "Research Tools". There isn't exactly much in the table of contents tho
Clicking on "Web Evaluation Guides", they actually give a template to evaluate a website based on its content and design. It's pretty simple and easy to read. But in my opinion, it's more suited for lower secondary yet again. Click on the picture to go to the page.
I clicked on "UBUYACAR", which is a PBL topic about purchasing a new vehicle. (Think, Consumerism people). And I must say, I actually found the file useful because it has guided questions and breakdowns of it, making it easier to comprehend. Click on the picture if you want to explore it further!
Generally, I like WebQuest as it provides a breakdown of the task. This is really useful in teaching. But if only they had more topics on Home Ec or F&N!
So next I clicked was "Web Links". They have a variety of subjects for this. It's nice to see that there's "Health & Nutiriton". (:
There does seem to be quite a variety of links, and some do prove to be useful. However, I feel that the main website, (cyberbee.com) needs to be updated! There are some websites which actually don't exist anymore. Lol.
Overall, this website isn't too bad actually. They do provide other good websites in trying to incorporate IT into the classroom. But the downside? It has very little resources for F&N. I'd say none, but there's a tiny bit for Home Ec. Another downside is that the website hasn't been updated recently, as you can see from the picture above. I hope there will be some updates soon, and they'll include more resources for F&N. But for now, in my opinion, I wouldn't exactly recommend this website to teach F&N for students or use it as a resource. Again I repeat, it's due to it's limited resources and lack of updates. My rate? 2.5 / 5.
But for personal exploration, and to take some relevant here and there, there are a few, and by all means, use it if it's relevant to you. Enjoy exploring everyone!
(:
Labels: food and nutrition, research tools
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Website Review for Food and Nutrition (Zila)
Food Tube. Net
I think this is a really great website for us future F&N teachers! Recipe books may be detailed, but you may not necesarily know what or how to do. This website has video recipes which are quite interesting and easy to follow too. I think it's especially good for those with really good memory!! haha.. if not you may need to jot down the recipe for use next time.
The layout is somewhat of a blog, except this is a portal for them to blog their entries and about themselves. So it's pretty fun to browse through.
It has lists of recipes broken down into different categories. Or you may choose to search videos or photos.
This is an example of a photo recipe. This is called the Puerto Rican Breaded Steak with Shrimp.
There are positive comments by fellow FoodTube members so it's a pretty good way to gauge if you shoudl try it. The dish was also rated 3.5/5! Interesting..
I watched a video on Chinese Steam Buns and was quite impressed by the background music, added texts and voice commentaries. It was a youtube video.
It also has members so you may click on the chosen one, read about them, and look at their recipe contributions. It's really interesting what you can find. I saw a member who's called Evil Auntie and she's quite eccentric! haha..
On a whole, the website is very straight-forward, user-friendly and I would use it to look for recipes in future. (Especially for the micro-teaching!!)
Overall site ratings: 3/5!!
(I think it would be better if we could have the pictures/ videos but with text uploaded as well. so we could just print it out instead of having to copy the recipe manually.)
Labels: food and nutrition, recipes
Friday, August 29, 2008
Website Review for Food and Nutrition (Zila)
How many times have we heard the cliched phrase: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"? This website on Washington Apples (http://www.bestapples.com/) has all the daily information you need about these famous fruit. It has 'Apple Info', 'Healthy Living', 'Recipes', 'Just for Kids' right at your fingertips!
Oh and if you mouse-over the icons at the bottom of the page, a 'crunch' sound can be heard. It's so cute!! (Not to mention mouth-watering!! =) )
Apple Info
Apple Varieties
Did you know that there are more than 10 apple varieties? They have names such as the ever-popular Fuji, Granny Smith and also lesser popular ones such as Ambrosia and Pacific Rose. Amazing isn't it?
Usage Chart
It also provides a useful usage chart so that we may suit the type of apples for a particular recipe.
Other Apple Information
This site also has information on how to choose and care for apples and others such as the strictly regulated use of pesticides for the growing of apples. Frequently Asked Questions on the organic Washington apples are also available. It's really interesting because I never knew there were so many things for a company to claim their products are 'organic'.
Healthy Living
And when it comes to the ever-cliched phrase above, apples really are that nutritious!
Its nutrients help-
"Lower blood cholesterol, improved bowel function, reduced risk of stroke, prostate cancer, type II diabetes and asthma. The disease-fighting profile of apples provides a multitude of health benefits, including a potential decreased risk of cancer and heart disease. Several recent studies suggest apples may provide a "whole-body" health benefit. A number of components in apples, most notably fiber and phytonutrients have been found in studies to lower blood cholesterol and improve bowel function, and may be associated with a reduced risk of ischemic heart disease, stroke, prostate cancer, type II diabetes and asthma. Preliminary research from Finland indicates diets with the highest intake of apple phytonutrients were associated with a 46 percent reduction in the incidence of lung cancer. Findings indicate that two apples a day or 12 ounces of 100% apple juice reduced the damaging effects of the "bad" LDL cholesterol.
- Interpoma 2002 Conference, Bolzano, Italy
- Dianne Hyson, Ph.D., M.S., R.D., University of California-Davis"
- Dianne Hyson, Ph.D., M.S., R.D., University of California-Davis"
So I guess it is true that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, excecpt we don't really eat apples everyday, do we?
And remember Metabolic Syndrome? 'Apparently "adults who eat apples and applesauce and drink apple juice have a significantly reduced risk of metabolic syndrome". It also goes on explaining in great lengths the benefits of apples in preventing diseases such as colon cancer (with its high amount of dietary fibre), respiratory diseases, heart diseases and strokes, memory loss and it also helps with weight loss.
The 3-Apple-a-day Plan
This wonderful site also tells us of Tammi Flynn, who with interest in food and health, becomes a group fitness instruction and personal trainer and develops this plan. She introduced the plan to one of her clients and...... the client actually lost 1% of her body fat in just ONE WEEK! I'm starting to fall in love with apples all over again!!
The page has a link to Tammi Flynn's website. It's pretty interesting too! Check it out!
Recipes
Recipes are also given to create apple dishes, which I think is really smart especially to get kids to eat more fruit!
clicking onto these will lead to more recipes
Just for Kids
This website is also useful for those teaching in primary schools. It is a good way to introduce basic nutrition knowledge to them. It has a great intro with animation and sounds which will really engage the students.
Crispy's Kitchen
It has really simple, easy-to-do recipes for kids to have a wholesome, hands-on learning experience. I know I would enjoy it.
Kid's Eye View
It's a contest page for kids to take part in-
"Enter to win a free Washington apple tee shirt by telling us why Washington apples are so great to eat and healthy for you. Using your best grammar and writing skills, and no more than 200 words, be creative and your story may be published on the Washington apple website for all of your friends to see!"
It has suggested topics to help the kids to write. It features current and previous winners which would really excite the kids when theirs get chosen and featured on the webpage. I think it's really great.
The Just For Kids site also has Fun Facts, Games & Activities and also Teacher's Corner which has interesting stuff such as crossword puzzles, word searches, colouring pages and information on apples which they could use in their teaching material.
Overall
I think it's a really great site to use for teaching because of its endless information, which are presented in a fun and user-friendly method, especially the Teacher's Corner. I would definitely recommend this site to those teaching in both primary and secondary schools.
The only downside is that it is totally american-based.
Ratings for Washington Apples: 4.5/5!!!!! =)
Labels: food and nutrition
Monday, August 25, 2008
Food & Nutrition Sites Review (Nufail)
Same task for DCX130, website review! Here's the 1st website that i picked, and it's http://www.foodnetwork.com!/
The website has a nice green colour as its background, so it soothes the eye a little. The links have been categorized neatly, and like most recipe websites, having a search bar is a must!
There's alot of venues that you can explore in this website. What I absolutely love about this website is how there are videos from a large variety of cooking shows, and there's quite an archive for this! Well, judging from the name of the website, I'm sure you'd figure that out already. :D
So let me briefly go through the website and what I like about it.
First thing that I like about this is how they have a weekly update and as to how it changes regularly. So this keeps you wanting to come in more to check out for the regular updates happening.
Secondly, the layout is neat and easy to navigate. The different bars such as "Home", "Recipes & Cooking", "Holidays & Parties" and etc makes it easier to go to which category that you're specifically looking for. For example, when clicked on "Holidays & Parties, they've yet again neatly categorized it under the headings "Celebrations", "Seasonal" & "Special Occasion". Yet again, this makes it easy to search for whatever that you are looking for.
And then they have "Back To School", where there are a large variety of recipes to choose from, not only breakfast, but lunch and dinner as well. In addition, they've even included tips on how to prepare breakfast fast and such. They've even have short articles written by their in-house nutritionist.
In addition, the website also has a large recipe collection. You're definitely spoilt for choice if you can't decide what to cook. But the sections yet again makes it easier for you to choose if there's anything you need in specific.
And the last and most interesting part about this website is the "TV" section! They have videos from the TV shows that are available at the website. All you have to do is you can either select a TV show, or go by the episode that you're looking for. It's that easy! They even have TV shows from the popular chefs, for example, "Jamie at Home" and "Nigella Bites" just to name a few.
This here is the main page for "TV". The drop list to find a TV show and episode is to your left.
This here is Jamie's page. Currently, there are no videos as the current ones have yet to be uploaded. Unfortunately, old episodes cannot be detected. :(
There are also limitations to this page. For example, only 2 recipes from each episode will be available online. In addition, "access to recipes is limited to users within the United States."
What a bummer!
But at least they have more information about the chef, and the lingo he uses. So that adds a little more 'personalized'information about the chef.
To sum it up, I love this website as it contains a large variety of recipes. In addition, the neat layout and easy navigation is always a plus point. I would recommend this website for Food & Nutrition as it will be useful for the students if they need to find recipes for their coursework. There are also cooking tips that they can pick up for themselves. Despite the fact that past videos aren't easily available for viewing, they compensate that by giving the recipe. So it's not so bad. My rate? I'm giving this a 4 / 5!!!
Happy exploring to this website! Hope you like it as much as I do. (:
Labels: celebrity chefs, food and nutrition, recipes, tv
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Food & Nutrition Sites Review (Adila)
this site offers as a very useful guide for us educatorsthere are only 4 different subheading catogories shown below
on the website, the subheadings also include
`school issues
`education world at home
`lifestyle/ market place
`early childhood
(click on pictures to visit the respective websites )
i have decided to explore the lesson planning section
i'll now proceed to share some of my favourite teaching tips
#1: Implementation of Exit Slips
as stated on the page above, teachers are encouraged to produce exit slips for each student to take home to parentsthis exit slip will prevent the common situation where students do not know what to answer when they're parents ask "what did you learn in school today?"
i believe that this is a good practice for students to recap what they have learnt each day
perhaps the teachers can include the lesson's objectives in the exit slips for parents to sign against
#2: Avoid Getting the Same Old Excuses
in this case, students who repetitively hand in work late will be asked to submit a written excuse that includes the date, the assignment, the reason it has not been turned in, and their signature
the teacher will collate these excuse papers and can show it to parents during Parent-Teacher-Meetings (PTMs)
furthermore, students won't feel comfortable in writing down a repetitive excuse as it'll be stating their obvious laziness
these excuse papers will rob the students from abusing the liberty in handing work late
#3: Providing Absentee Assistants
we were all students before
therefore, we're familiar with the hassle of having to catch up with school's work when we were absent for a day
the implementation of absentee assistants will parish this problem for good
student representatives will carry an assignment form from class to class and record the work done during the period and any homework assignments
at the end of the day, that page may be copied and shared with all students who were not present
this process will help us teachers too
we won't need to scramble to gather assignments for absent students when parents requests for them
as an alternative, students could create a colourful bag to be placed at a corner of the class
all the assignments and notes on due dates could be placed in this bag for the absentee to collect when they come back
stated above are only 3 out of the 31 help for homework hassle tips
this website is a really handy tool filled with teaching tips more than we can imagine
i had a lot of fun learning new tips for possible future use
Rating of Education World: 4/5 stars
-------------------------------------------
this second site is a really interesting one
it offers us a substitute recipe, an easier one at that, for our favourite famous dishes
as we all know, most famous recipes are top secret
most of the times, we don't mind forking out the extra moolahs for the divine pleasure of consuming our favourite food
the best part is, we do not have to leave the comfort of our own home and these recipes are absolutely FREE
you should give this website a try and browse through the available categories in the sidebar as shown below
i'll share with you my top 3 favourite recipes
(you can click on the pictures to visit the page)
imagine getting to use these recipes in Home Econs classesif i were a student, i'll definitely be a little more hyped up as compared to having prepare fried rice
=D
if you have any not-so-secret-recipes to share, the website allows you to add them to their collection
of course as a nutrition-educated individual, i would recommend tweaking the recipes a little to improve the nutritive value of the dishes
Rating of CopyKat: 4/5 stars
all in all, i would use both above mentioned sites as a guide to build up my resources when i teach Home Economics/ Food & NutritionHave Fun Exploring!
print screened pictures are copyrights from
`http://www.education-world.com
`http://www.copykat.com
-d|La
Labels: food and nutrition
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
my 1st ever entry
So here i finally am, blogging on a blog ( just like jenny from the block).. Haha.. rite..
anyways..
Thanks Adila for setting it up. I'd never have figured out how to. here are pictures from the cupcake lab..
Hey hey!!! look at our beautiful heart-shaped banana something something cupcake.. isn't it so beau-ti-ful..
ok enough for now.. hey i'm gettting the hang of this blogging thing.. i'm so proud of myself.. i just can't stop rambling now.. now i know why they ramble all the time..
zila
Labels: food and nutrition