Building a better Web site: take your district Web pages beyond the ordinary by learning lessons from other educators and adding these essential elements.An Arkansas teacher with some experience overhauled her district's offering using existing software. One Connecticut teacher with a passion for involving students in running and fitness activities, did it using HTML HTML in full HyperText Markup Language Markup language derived from SGML that is used to prepare hypertext documents. Relatively easy for nonprogrammers to master, HTML is the language used for documents on the World Wide Web. . A technology expert, also from Arkansas, used the latest tools to build his district's multi-featured pages. What did these three people all accomplish? They created or improved their school district's Web site. But that is about the only thing these three have in common. Their skill levels are as diverse as the difference between a school band and the New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. Based in New York City, the Philharmonic performs most of its concerts at Avery Fisher Hall and has long been considered one of the best orchestras in the world. . Three of every four K-12 schools with Internet connections have Web pages, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a recent report from Denver-based Quality Education Data, called Internet Usage in Teaching 2001-2002. This figure is up from 67 percent the year before. However impressive that number sounds, consider that most of these sites are used simply to convey teacher, school and community information. The only instructional applications reported for 22 percent of the sites were for homework assignments and homework help. So even though districts throughout the nation have established a Web presence, the educational potential of school Web sites is barely being scratched. Although new school Web sites will be developed in the year ahead, even greater numbers need to be revised and updated. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at three different ways to create engaging Web pages that heighten what staff, students and parents can expect from a typical school Web site. SUCCESS STORIES There are countless technology roads to developing school Web sites, including the use of Web-building software products such as Macromedia DreamWeaver, Microsoft FrontPage Microsoft FrontPage (later full name Microsoft Office FrontPage) was a WYSIWYG HTML editor and web site administration tool from Microsoft for the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. It was part of Microsoft Office application suite from 1997 to 2003. and Adobe GoLive Adobe GoLive is an HTML editor from Adobe Systems. It replaced Adobe PageMill as Adobe's primary HTML editor[1]. The latest version of Adobe GoLive is version 9, and is not integrated as part of Adobe Creative Suite 3. . Many Internet service providers Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. host school Web pages, and there is also free space through commercial sites such as Geocities (www.geocities.com) and Angelfire (angelfire.lycos.com), though some insert ads and use popup screens that may be objectionable. A growing number of schools also put sites on their own servers, and there are companies that design and host school sites, such as Finalsite (www.finalsite.com) and Update Software (www.updatesoftware.com). In more than one third of the cases (37 percent), district technology staff employees maintain the school sites. Teachers maintain nearly one in five sites (18 percent), while students take charge of 5 percent of such sites, according to QED QED abbr. Latin quod erat demonstrandum (which was to be demonstrated) QED which was to be shown or proved [Latin quod erat demonstrandum] Noun 1. . In addition, 21 percent of respondents indicate that "other" parties maintain their Web pages. Tolland (Conn.) Public Schools (tolland.k12ct.us) Carol Goodrow, a teacher in the Parker Memorial School, was so motivated by the Web pages she learned to do for her first grade class, and her enthusiasm for getting kids involved with running, that she decided to link the two interests on her school site. The result was a creative student-centered site about running that grew to become KidsRunning.Com (www.kidsrunning.com) that is now sponsored by Runner's World Runner's World is a globally circulated monthly magazine for recreational runners, published by Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States. In addition to the printed magazine, the magazine's web sites have provided a valuable resource for runners, magazine. KidsRunning includes stories, columns, training tips, curriculum suggestions and interactive activities promoting the sport of running, with opportunities for students to publish online essays, poems and art about their experiences. In discussing her success, Goodrow says she started by writing about her classroom programs, and kept expanding and adding areas such as an advice section done collaboratively with a youth-coach volunteer. Goodrow estimates that site development has cost her less than $200 so far, but adds, "I must be the only Web designer in the world who still doesn't use a Web editing package, since I do everything in straight HTML." She uses Adobe Illustrator A full-featured drawing program for Windows and Macintosh from Adobe. It provides sophisticated tracing and text manipulation capabilities as well as color separations. Included is Adobe Type Manager and a selection of Type 1 fonts. for graphics though, and thinks she may eventually invest in DreamWeaver. But regardless of the tools, she says, "I teach my students that you become a runner by running, a writer by writing, and a reader by reading So I became a Web designer by designing." Hot Springs (Ark.) School District (hsprings.dsc.k12.ar.us) Brandie Wilson, a new teacher hired to revise the district Web site after serving as Webmaster for Henderson State University Henderson State University is a four-year public university located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and serves as Arkansas’s public liberal arts college. It is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. , strongly supports the use of Web editing packages so teachers and students do not have to learn HTML. Her advice in selecting an editor is: "Make sure that you have someone on board who is able to fully support new users until they are comfortable." She continues to do staff and student workshops with FrontPage, which the district had adopted earlier, but is making the transition to DreamWeaver, which she feels is easier to use, more affordable and almost as powerful. Before starling starling, any of a group of originally Old World birds that have become distributed worldwide. Starlings were brought to New York in 1890; since then the common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) has spread throughout North America. development, Wilson visited other school sites for ideas, and listed features she wanted to include. She then prepared a template so that all the pages would have a consistent look, and used Microsoft PhotoDraw Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 is a vector graphics and raster imaging software package developed by Microsoft. PhotoDraw fills a hole in the Office productivity suite, which includes software programs for word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and alike, but lacks a capable image to design logos. She also developed pages for her own class, and puts teaching materials online in PDF (Portable Document Format) The de facto standard for document publishing from Adobe. On the Web, there are countless brochures, data sheets, white papers and technical manuals in the PDF format. for easy printing. She even helps students develop their own sites. "When students know that their work can be viewed by the entire world, they devote extra lime and effort." Rogers (Ark.) Public Schools (www.rogers.k12.ar.us) The Rogers Public Schools has outstanding technology support and pioneered its first Web site an amazing eight years ago. Gary Day Gary Day can be either:
The district now has its Web server on a Linux system, and uses tools such as Perl to do automated and customized Web pages. For example, teachers can send homework assignments to an e-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address , which turns them into Web pages automatically. The staff also uses the technology with students to develop sophisticated Web projects that have won national competitions such as ThinkQuest (www.thinkquest.org). Since the on-site technology staff does all the site development work, there are no additional costs. The technology staff says that the biggest payoff for the site has been increased internal and public communications. For example, everyone is kept informed about school announcements in a timely fashion through the site's news scroller. But according to Day, the key to success is the staff mindset mind·set or mind-set n. 1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations. 2. An inclination or a habit. "of always looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. ways that the Web can be applied to solve a current problem, or provide access to a new resource." APPLICATION IDEAS The following are simple to complex education application examples and ideas--in categories that admittedly overlap--that are implemented among the schools cited in the "Exemplary Sites" section: SCHOOL RESOURCES Example: Pueblo High Magnet School magnet school n. A public school offering a specialized curriculum, often with high academic standards, to a student body representing a cross section of the community. in Tucson, Ariz., offers a virtual tour of the school, complete with photos and QuickTime movies (edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/pueblo). School resources also include links to district schools, messages from administrators, academic standards, district policies, calendars, staff directories, faculty profiles, student handbooks, daily announcements, technology plans, acceptable-use policies, school maps and state education initiatives. CURRICULUM RESOURCES Example: Tesseract School in Eagan, Minn., regularly features the writing and projects of its students from grades one through six (tesseract.pvt.k12.mn.us). This area may also include curriculum descriptions, online lessons and student assignments, learning activities, tutorials, simulations, homework references, teaching units, student projects, links to educational Web sites, online courses and links to library resources and virtual museums. STUDENT RESOURCES Example: Ligon Middle School Ligon GT Magnet Middle School is a middle school located in a neighborhood of Raleigh, North Carolina. The principal of the school is Scott Lyons, who reinforces the concept that arts and academics lead to achievement. , Raleigh, N.C., helped found MidLink, an online magazine with worldwide contributors and readers (longwood.cs.ucf.edu/~MidLink). Related ideas in this category include links to pages for student organizations, team records and schedules, school newspapers, excerpts from plays and music performances, award announcements, and resources for alumni. COMMUNITY RESOURCES Example: The students at University Park Elementary School elementary school: see school. in Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks (IPA: /ˈfɛərbæŋks/) is a Home Rule City in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. , wrote colorful online stories about ice carvings, sled dog sled dog Any working dog used to pull a sled carrying people and supplies across snow and ice. The breeds most commonly used are the Alaskan malamute, Laika, Samoyed, and Siberian husky. All are powerful dogs with a thick coat and high endurance. See also Eskimo dog. races, riverboats, and life in Alaskan villages (www.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/upk/upk.home.html). Other community resources include links to information on area attractions, community celebrations and special events, local directories, online community tours and recognition for businesses that donate goods and services In economics, economic output is divided into physical goods and intangible services. Consumption of goods and services is assumed to produce utility (unless the "good" is a "bad"). It is often used when referring to a Goods and Services Tax. . PARENT RESOURCES Example: The Marple Newtown School District Marple Newtown School District is the school district for Newtown Township and Marple Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. List of Schools in the District Elementary Schools Middle School High School , Newtown Square, Pa., provides separate Web pages for the school board to report on policies and upcoming meetings (marple.net/schools). Related resources include forums for parents on school issues, links to educational magazines and newspapers, and information for school volunteers. PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES Example: The Clark County School District The Clark County School District, as of 2005, is the 5th largest school district in the United States. It serves all of Clark County, Nevada, including the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, and Mesquite; plus the census-designated places of Laughlin, in Las Vegas, one of the fastest-growing systems in the United States. It posts job opportunities on the Web for administrators, teachers and support staff (www.ccsd.net). Other professional resources include links to grant opportunities, workshops, conferences, sources for lesson plans and professional associations. ESSENTIAL SITE ELEMENTS After reviewing thousands of school sites, here are 10 essential elements that all sites should share: 1. School locations are described clearly and prominently, with directions, telephone numbers, mail and e-mail addresses. 2. Opening pages have clean uncluttered designs with limited text and multimedia features so they load quickly even with dial-up connections. 3. Site content is organized into logical "groups," such as users--students, teachers, parents, and administrators--schools, grade levels or curriculum content areas. 4. Navigation menu selections should be consistent from page to page, so it is always easy to return to opening screens and jump to different sections. 5. Check and recheck every selection on the entire site regularly, to remove dead links and update URLs. 6. Use multimedia elements such as graphics, animations, music and sound effects sparingly and with purpose, especially when grouped on any given page. 7. It is helpful to offer a selection of low-bandwidth, high-bandwidth, and "text-only" display options to make the site accessible to more users. 8. Provide opportunities for users to contribute content to the site, such as stories, graphics and artwork. But also be certain to protect the identity of students, including photographs, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. 9. While it is useful to indicate the dates when site pages are updated, old dates make pages seem obsolete. 10. Give users reasons to return to the site frequently, by offering features such as news headlines, weather reports, sports scores, school announcements, live camera shots and class assignments. SITE DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES The following are new and classic online references recommended by the school Web site developers quoted in this article: * Building a School Web Site (www.wigglebits.com) * Creating Killer Web Sites (www.killersites.com) * Designing School Web Sites to Deliver (www.fno.org/webdesign.html) * Educational Web Design (www.oswego.org/staff/cchamber/webdesign/edwebdesign.htm) * FrontPage Tutorials (www.electricteacher.com/tutorial2.htm) * Tips for Developing School Web Pages (www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/online/index.html) * Web Design Teacher Resources (www.dw-fw-beginners.com/instruct/teacher_resource.htm) * Web Style Guide (www.info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual) * Web Teacher Web Tutorial (www.webteacher.org/windows.html) EXEMPLARY SCHOOL SITES The multimedia school sites below show the effective integration of multiple application ideas, use of the "essential elements," and variations on the theme. Additional examples from around the world are available through directories such as the Connected Teacher K-12 School Sites (www.classroom.com/community/connection/states.jhtml), and the International Registry of Schools on the Web at Web66 (web66.coled.umn.edu). * Davidson County Schools Davidson County Schools is a school district in Davidson County, North Carolina. The administrative education board is headquartered just off of U.S. Highway 64 on County School Road just outside the city limits of Lexington, North Carolina. , Lexington, N.C. (www.davidson.k12.nc.us) * Hartford Union High School Hartford Union High School (commonly known as HUHS) is a public high school in Hartford, Wisconsin. It has an enrollment of about 1700 students. For additional information about Hartford Union High School, please visit the district's web site at [1] References , Hartford, Wis. (www.huhs.org) * Hunterdon Regional High School, Flemington, N.J. (www.hcrhs.hunterdon.k12.nj.us) * Mankato Area Public Schools, Mankato, Minn. (www.isd77.k12.mn.us) * Mt. Carmel High School, San Diego, Calif. (powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/pusdmchs/pages) * Nauset Public Schools, Orleans, Mass. (nausetschools.org) * Oswego City School District, Oswego, N.Y. (www.oswego.org) * Rochester Community Schools Rochester Community Schools District serves Rochester, Charter Township of Oakland, and Rochester Hills in the U.S. state of Michigan. It currently has upwards of 14,500 students in 21 buildings. , Rochester, Mich. (www.rochester.k12.mi.us/schools) Odvard Egil Dyrli, dyrli@uconn.edu, is senior editor and emeritus professor of education at the University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut is the State of Connecticut's land-grant university. It was founded in 1881 and serves more than 27,000 students on its six campuses, including more than 9,000 graduate students in multiple programs. UConn's main campus is in Storrs, Connecticut. . |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion