Tutorial
Contents
Page 1
Introduction
Page 2
Getting
Started
Page 3
Designing
Your Site
Page 4
Online
Services
Page 5
Creating
Your Own
Elementary
Website
Elementary
Extras
Our
Classroom
Website
Our
Classroom
Teacher's
Website
Elem.
Extras for Teachers
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How do you utilize your
website and create something more than just an online newsletter? I
have provided a few ideas, examples, and hints below to help you get
started.
Before you get started,
please remember:
- Check your school
Internet or Acceptable Use Policy. Some districts even have design
standards for teacher websites.
- Continue to work
closely with district technology coordinators and webmasters.
- Never print the last
names of your students on your web pages. I may occasionally use
first names, but never last names.
- While I make my
professional email address available from my site, be careful if you ask
families for theirs. I offer a general notice to parents that they
may forward their address to me, but I do not specifically ask for
their address. Phone numbers are fine, but email is often still a
private and secure environment for many.
- I suggest you survey
families to see what percent has Internet access at home.
Why create a lot of work for only 25 % of your class?
- I make it a habit to
avoid anything that might be controversial online. For instance,
if I am disappointed with behavior and wish to address it in my
newsletter, I am careful to remember that I am publishing to the
world. (Ok, so nobody else actually ever looks at my site! Still,
it's a good habit and policy to follow.)
NOTE: Many external
links are included below, please use browser 'Back' button to return.
Website
Guide for Students
- Collect &
provide valuable websites that you want your students to use in
the classroom or at home.
- Be sure to provide
explanations with your links.
- Be careful not to
organize in a way that make some seem "fun" while others
are not. (Guess which ones get chosen?)
- This is easier than
maintaining cluttered "Favorites" folders on each
computer you use.
- Enables you to
preview and mostly maintain control over student Internet
use.
- I think of this as
an electronic learning center. When students are online, they must
begin with my site.
- Requires maintenance
of links, many disappear or change addresses.
- Example
Link
|
Newsletter and Calendar
- This is probably the
most widely chosen use for teacher websites. It certainly has a
place within your website.
- Including pictures
of your students, classroom, and projects help to generate
interest. I print a hard copy for families not online.
- Example Link
(My current newsletter for my classroom)
Individual Student
Pages
- I have established a
page for each student in my class. This works well for displaying
student work.
- Student Awards: I
created images using Adobe Photoshop and assign class awards that
can be displayed on their individual pages. This has really been
received enthusiastically and the students ask a lot of questions
about how they might acquire more rewards.
- Example
Link
Showcase for
PowerPoint Presentations
- Your students can
create a PowerPoint presentation that can be viewed online. If it
is saved as HTML, it can be viewed as a web page with links to the
slides within the presentation. Example
Link / Student Created
- PowerPoint can also
be saved as a slide presentation (normal way of saving) and
displayed on a web page and opened with PowerPoint. Example
Link / Student Created
- A free download is available for
PowerPoint Viewer. This allows users to view a presentation even
if they do not have PowerPoint! Be sure to provide a link for your parents.
POWERPOINT
VIEWER LINK
Book Reading
Showcase
- Displaying goals
and using a page as an incentive works really well and
generates a lot of excitement with many students. I have a page
dedicated to the books the students have read. Example
Link
- I
plan to include student book reviews in the future, but am trying
to find a way to manage that workload. Cutting and pasting their
reviews is manageable, but getting them on a computer to do the
actual typing for every book they read seems a bit excessive. Stay
tuned...
Picture Studio
- Much like displaying
student work, I created a template for storing and displaying
pictures.
- Storage space has
not been a problem yet, so I archive all pictures.
- Example
Link
Showcase for Student
Work
- Often times requires
using a scanner or digital camera.
- I scan all student
work as an image, even if it involves writing and text. (As
opposed to scanning as a document.)
- You may cut and
paste student writing into your site without providing student
access to your site or without having a scanner and camera. This
could include showcasing creative writing, poems, book reviews -
any type of writing!
- Classroom projects
work very well, especially those involving cooperative learning.
Think big - create something permanent that can be referenced by
others in the future. Example
Link (Mrs.
Huber's class in NY used KidPix and had the tech.dept. display
her classroom page using FrontPage.)
- A student newsletter
within your newsletter provides more opportunities for displaying
student writing. Create a page for
displaying writing, then make copies and use as templates for future
pages.
- Create a table as a
template for information gathering, categorizing, etc. It could
look much like a spreadsheet without the same capabilities.
Students can do all of the typing. Works well for displaying
research in social studies and science.
- Remember to remove
student's last names.
Webquests
- Provide webquest
explanation
- Provide links to
established webquests you are interested in using.
- Create your own and
display them within your site.
- Create a template
that can be used for multiple webquests. You do not always have to
put the time into the design if your quest is well written. A
consistent template can save you a lot of time. If it helps you to
incorporate higher order thinking and research skills, it's worth
the trade-off in design.
- Example Link
WebQuest
Site
WebQuests
Info.
on Webquests
Ed Helper Webquests
Create Your Own
Quickly
Printable Forms
- This is where your
students can really begin to use your site. Many of my students
get a start on work ahead of time or replace lost forms.
- Math facts,
duplicates, spelling lists - anything can be included.
- Requires Adobe
Acrobat to create. Is VERY easy. Just open a document you created
and save using Acrobat, which creates a 'pdf.' file. It cannot be changed
or edited online by anyone other than you.
- Literally takes less than a
minute! I create activities in Word and save using Adobe Acrobat -
it takes 2 mouse clicks.
- Anybody can open and
print these pages with the free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Page displays and
prints exactly as you created it.
- Example Link
1
- Example
Link 2
Reference /
Tutorials
- I am starting to
view my website as a word processor and file cabinet. (Of course,
I keep it more organized than the ugly gray one in my room!)
- If you create your
own pages for classroom use, create them on your site or copy and
paste onto your site. You can introduce the skill in a computer
lab or around a computer instead of in front of the classroom.
This is a nice way to build a usable site for the future - just
leave everything there!
- If you create in
your web editor, the hard copy might not be as clean as a document
creator, like Microsoft Word. If the trade-off is not good enough
for you, copy and paste. If you are comfortable with the design,
just print your web page and distribute.
- I have never scanned
purchased activity pages and posted to the web - be careful about
copyright infringement. However, it is possible.
- Serves as a constant
reference for students throughout the year that can also be used
from home.
- Example Link
/ Reference for Spelling List
Rubric Reference
- As rubrics become
popular in the classroom, a webpage is the perfect place to store
them. Not only can the students reference them constantly, parents can
always be aware of your expectations. I am planning my rubric page to
be a part of my site for the coming school year.
Creating
Rubrics
Rubric Generators
Rubrics
for Web Lessons
Rubrics
for Evaluating Webquests
Software:
Rubicator 3.0
Student Created Web
Page
- It may be tough in
an elementary setting, but allowing students to actually design a
page within your site may be a manageable project.
- You can design a
template for students to follow that is consistent with your
overall design but still enables creativity. The more you provide
in the way of a template, the easier your project will be.
- Students can work in
your editor but not save directly to the site. You will then need
to upload finished products.
- Students can take
pictures and scan. You will probably have to do all image sizing
and editing, if required, before uploading pictures.
Teacher Web Page
Examples
Individual Teacher
Page Examples
Introduction
| Getting
Started | Designing
Your Site | Online
Services | Creating
Your Own
|
