School Websites

We'll start our exploration by examining school district and building level web pages. Explore the Atlanta Public Schools, Rockwood School District, and Richmond Community Schools pages . While you may not be involved in the development of the district page, you may be in charge of designing your building level page. What goes into a school building page?

Begin by identifying a clear mission for your school web site. Although you'll provide many resources for adults, try to maintain a student-focus for your school site. It should reflect the philosophy of your administration, parents, teachers, and students. Is your school teacher or student-focused? Is it an exciting place to work and learn? These questions should be answered with the first screen that is presented to the user. Check out Howell Township Public Schools, McAllen Independent School District, and Richland School District Two.

See what you think of the website for Woodlands Junior School in the UK. Check out their interactive and online games, and popular homework help and British Culture sections.

Check out the Fairbanks North Star Boruough School District in Fairbanks, Alaska website. Do you see schools that focus on student projects? That is an indication that it is a student-centered school. Notice the emphasis on student faces and student work. Look at the Highland Park Elementary page from Austin, Texas or the Kenston High School page from Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Is it student-oriented, adult-oriented, or both? What are some examples?

When exploring school pages, look for simplicity. You don't need lots of pictures, sounds, and animations that will slow down the page. The page should also be easy to use and navigate.

It's important to keep your school pages up-to-date. You need to develop clear guidelines and timelines for revision. Otherwise, you'll end up with last month's lunch menus and last fall's football scores on your page.

Finally, make your page interactive. Use the power of the Internet to link to classroom pages and outside resources. Your school site will contain all kinds of information about your school, the personnel and students, as well as the resources and services your school provides. Some schools include pictures of the building, maps, and even a virtual field trip so people will become familiar with the facilities. Many schools include information about the administration, teachers, support staff, and students. You may also wish to include classroom, department, program, and special events web pages.

The contents of your school website will depend on how many people get involved with the program. For example, your first year, you might have one teacher with a wonderful classroom page, but the rest of the links may be under construction until you recruit more teacher involvement.

Go the Cool Schools Pages from Teacher Tap and explore examples of classroom pages. As you explore school websites, look for the following elements:

• Clear Mission
  
• Simplicity
  
• Ease of Use
  
• Student Focus
  
• Updating
  
• Timelines
  
• Good Links