Week 8 - Classroom Websites

Coiro, J. et. al. (2011). Using Websites Wisely: Online Resources Can Deepen Student Learning – If Teachers Design the Right Tasks and Learner Supports.  Educational Leadership, 68(2) p. 34-38

The basis of this article is offering educators information about the uses of internet web sites in educational instruction.  The key point of advice includes exploring the sites one's self first to see if it includes necessary elements to provide information.  Good websites should not remain static, including unchanging data that will not change, such as articles, but should also have interactive features for learning such as games, labs, and web-quests.   It is also important for sites to include information about how educators can utilize the sources information for the classroom.  If a websites also includes educational guides and standards for learning it helps educators be certain that the material is appropriately matched to serve the learning goals they hope to foster in their students.

This article has some really great information providing websites and actual information for teachers to utilize.  Using Websites Wisely offers practical resources and actual websites for teachers to utilize, rather than theoretical advice with no real means to assisting in the real process.

Miller, S. et, al.  (2005). Evaluating the Importance of Common Components in School-Based Websites: Frequency of Appearance and Stakeholders' Judged Value. Tech Trends, 49(6), p. 34-40

This article found in Tech Trends may be a little dated, but still held valuable research information about School-Based websites.  The first stress is how integral the need for setting goals is when planning the project for creating classroom websites. Without knowing the needs and plans for a school website the task can get out of hand or become unfocused.  The research showed what ingredients are considered the most necessary or the least important to consider including in a school website.   School themes, motto’s, mascots, and goals should be included.  General information including locations and addresses, school rules and policies, news, scores, teacher biographies and contact information should be listed.  School calendars and cafeteria menus should also be included as useful information. These details are the most useful as well as the most frequently included in average school sites. 

Being that the age of technological development is well and expanding it is hard to feel comfortable quoting information about the modern web that is over 2 years old.  Advancements in technologies and the Web 2.0 that we experience today suggest that this information may be out of date.  However, I still believe that its findings are relevant to schools needing to develop websites who may be a little behind the punch of having made them in the last decade.

Dunn, L. S. (2011). Making the Most of: Class Websites Can Serve a Variety of Purposes. What Do You Want to Do with Yours? Educational Leadership, 68 (2), p. 60-62

Dunn's article consists of information that explains the 5 main types, or levels, of educational websites  There are static sites, semi static, supplemental resources, the forth level would be integral curricular, and the final being pedagogical memory.  As each level increases, there is a correlation to the level of teacher time, input, and management necessary to utilize these forms of websites in their classroom instruction.   The article also provides information as to internet locations where an educator may possibly look for examples of exemplar sites already in action, or places they could get started utilizing these resources in their own class.  The article also recommends that teachers take into consideration the level of technological savvy, responsiveness, as well as internet access of your community and individual students before jumping into a website project headlong.

This article is pleasantly pithy in offering information, providing one example of each topic, and offering some pointers.  One might say that the article leaves you wanting a little more depth or advice on the matter.  This article would merely be able to spark an interest about the topic or use of classroom websites, however, more research or individual digging would be needed to learn more or become an expert.