Assignment 11- Web Authoring

The idea of creating a classroom website is exciting, but once you get over the thrill of the idea, it quickly becomes intimidating. Where to begin? What will be its main purpose? How will information be presented? Who will have access to the site and how secure will it be? What links and resources should the site include? So many factors to consider can make the development of a website very overwhelming.
Luckily, our text provides some good resources to help answer some of these questions. It offers both commercial and free software for web design. The Google Sites seems most user friendly and free. I think I would start with this basic set-up, with the purpose of my website as an interactive site for both students and parents. However, I am one who likes to keep it simple, so I would try not to get too overambitious.

The website would let parents access the class’s pictures (after obtaining permission for pictures, of course), homework, upcoming events and links to important parent resources. I would post links to parent support groups, or websites related students’ particular diagnoses. I would also use it for parents to contact me directly, keeping several lines of communication open.

The students would use the website to access their pictures, homework (in case they forget it), and as a starting place for any instruction using technology. In the lessons I have planned thus far this semester, I have the students connect to sites I have already read and approved. So instead of starting the browser and going though the favorites, they can just connect to links on the classroom site, which I would set as my home page. Eventually, they could begin to add and expand the pages on the site, creating their own cyberspace. I think this would be very motivating for some of my higher functioning students.

I would try to make it as user friendly as possible, using tips from experts. Why reinvent the wheel? Top 10 Mistakes in Web Design (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox) is a great and simple link to avoid all those annoying little things about some websites. FindSounds - Search the Web for Sounds is a good tool to add sound to your webpage. Who wants a boring webpage?

I hope to get started soon on my classroom page. I just hope I can maintain it over the entire year. I have observed several teachers’ web pages in the last few years, and as the school year goes on, the updating happens less and less. I will endeavor to not let that happen.