This was a productive week for me. I have done some exploring and have found some answers, though not necessarily those I was hoping for. One of my GAME plan goals is to do the research, planning, and learning necessary to launch my own teacher website. Though this may not seem like a giant leap considering the hundreds of thousands (millions?) of teacher websites out there, for me it’s a big deal and I want it to really work (as opposed to being something I start and abandon later when the newness wears off).
After speaking with our web-master, my suspicion that our school website is not set up to host teacher sites was confirmed. If I wanted to have my own site which I could easily update without first submitting all of my information to the web-master, I would have to look elsewhere. I visited Class Jump,Educator Pages, and Bloust, all of whom offer free user-friendly web sites for teachers. I also revisited the class blog I had previously set up through Edublogs to assess its features, possibilities, and limitations as compared with other hosts. In the process of exploring these sites, I set up user accounts and began to create preliminary, “draft” web pages at Class Jump and Educator Pages. Bloust seems a bit commercial, so I have skipped it so far, though I’m planning to give it more attention in the coming days.
What I have discovered in the process is this: (1) My own ideas for how exactly I want to use my website and what it should look like are not as clear as I had previously thought; and (2) It is difficult to find a free website hosting site that offers everything you’re looking for. As I tried to visualize myself, my students, and their parents using my website, I also became increasingly concerned that I might not be up to the job of updating and adding to my site as regularly as needed (which would actually be daily if students are tp be able to rely on it for assignments and documents). Suddenly the whole idea seemed like a lot more work than I had bargained for. This is the point when I stopped exploring and took a nap.
Optimistic and encouraging comments would be greatly appreciated.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
My school district's website has links to teacher pages and we are required to update them on a weekly basis. For me this is far more realistic than updating them daily; although the process of adding homework assignments hardly takes any time at all. If you are truly interested in creating a website I think the initial set-up sounds like the hardest part (including choosing the site you want). Once you have it set-up, it's pretty quick and easy to change weekly work and assignments. I just tell my students that specific homework assignments aren't always listed on my site. However, test dates and major projects are always listed on my site. You mentioned making documents available on your site, and I think that sounds interesting. I'll have to see if I can attach files to my site so that the students can access them at home. And that way they'll stop bothering me when they lose something! I can just say, download from my webpage.
ReplyDeletePosting documents along with assignments and important due dates is definitely something I will strive to do on my site (once I get one up and running, that is). I think the whole point of having a website designed primarily for a student audience is to help them on their way to becoming self-directed, well-organized, and independent learners. By making all of the materials available online, learners are given the support they need to be self-reliant and take responsibility for their own learning. I just hope I can post regularly enough for them to be able to really rely on my site. If the information I provide is spotty, they likely will not assume responsibility for their learning in the way that I hope for.
ReplyDeleteTsenla,
ReplyDeleteAs you know, what you are attempting is indeed challenging! The process is messy and comes with many detours, as you ran into this week. However, I do know of several educators that have seen it through, found a website, and developed a system that fits their needs. The idea of keeping the website updated everyday seems daunting. Would it still have merit to have a website if you did not update it everyday? For what it is worth, when I developed my teacher website this year, I decided to use it as a general information board. I have each classes projects outlined for the quarter; however I did not attach assignments. I include daily homework expectations. Daily assignment posting is unrealistic for what I can do and for what my parents and students demand. I know this because I polled my students and parents to see what they would find most helpful on my website, and went from there. When I asked for parent feedback at open-house, they were happy that they could access information about the course. Many parents said it is helpful to compare my website to what students say they have as homework and projects. Surveying might help you make a decision about how complex you want or need to make your website.
Baby steps. That is my advice and encouragement for you. Start out with small, realistic goals. Eventually, if it is a priority for you, you’ll find a way to implement all the features you originally intended. I enjoy following your GAME plan! Keep up the great work! You are making it happen!
Rachel Odland
Thanks for the encouragement! Just what I needed. You're right: I should start small, get used to maintaining the site, and then develop it as needed or wanted. There are definitely some documents that I would include (like vocabulary lists, for example), but otherwise sticking to more of an overview of projects, important due dates, and general expectations. I also really like your idea of surveying the students and parents to get a clearer picture of their needs. I'll give that some thought...
ReplyDeleteThanks again for your insight and optimism!
Tsenala,
ReplyDeleteClearly, you're going to have to go into business and create an education-based website that includes all the features that you want. And no, I'm not being silly-- this is how you could retire. I became very tired of linking my class calendar to the website and having no way to communicate with students on the site. I think that people who are designing this hosting pages have no clue what we actually would use the webpage for. I like Rachel's idea of the form letter/survey for parent desires.
Good luck!