Below are two teacher created websites I have evaluated. The evaluations give a brief summary of the site, 3 recommendations and 3 commendations.

Mrs. Healey’s Class – This site was created by Mrs. Healey for her first grade class at Mill Hill Elementary School in Southport CT. The site is very well developed and has many sections for both students and parents. Some of the sections address what the class will be like so that future students can lower their anxiety levels. There is a photo gallery of the class and an agenda of what a typical day would be like in her class. There is also a supply list and special day’s calendar. Parents may enjoy the “Parents Corner” which is full of links to everything from volunteer guidelines to tips on helping your child survive 1^st grade. One aspect I found to be extremely useful was the sign-up to be on Ms. Healey’s mailing list. This site is a utopian example of what every teacher web page should be like.

Recommendations: Well, after viewing this site thoroughly, I find it hard to make any recommendations. I truly believe the site is constructed near perfection. For the sake of this assignment, I will make some recommendations of possible additions to the page. First of all, I think a password protected area for parents would be a good idea. Student work and pictures could be posted often without having to edit faces or worry about safety. Secondly, I would consider adding some wave files of classroom background sounds to play when looking at the “what we’ve been doing” sections. It would be wonderful to feel the ambience of the room while looking at the photos. Finally, my last recommendation is not a large one, but placing a link to her school’s page prominently on the first page would seem appropriate. I had to hunt for it in the links section, and even then it was not one of the first links.

Commendations: Where to start??!!? This site is designed for ease of navigation for parents and has kid appeal as well. It is warm and inviting and demonstrates how invested Mrs. Healey is in her students and her profession. The parents section gets the thumbs up from me. It is very well developed and leaves parents with little to wonder about. The website contains A LOT of pictures. This is an important factor that will keep parents and students coming back regularly.

Mr. MacMillan’s Page – This site was created by Aaron MacMillan, a Social Studies teacher at Rio Linda Junior High. The site is primarily an outline of units on the Civil War. There are links to pages with information and pictures for each unit.

Recommendations: The general layout and feel of the page is disjointed. The initial page seems empty and uninformative. Perhaps a better explanation of the page’s purpose, information about his class expectations and goals, or even information about the school would be a tremendous boost to the page’s overall appeal. Secondly, the chosen color scheme seems too drab and dreary. Adding some brighter and warmer colors would make the page feel more inviting as well. Finally, many of the text / picture tables seem too large for the average browser. Reducing the size of the images and font would make its overall appearance seem more organized and appealing to the eye.

Commendations: Mr. MacMillan has e-mail links prominently displayed on many pages inside his web page. This gives viewers or students easy means to contact him with unit questions or suggestions. Secondly, there is a link to his school’s homepage displayed on his main page. This makes it easy for visitors to return to or explore the school’s main site. Finally, the site does contain an abundance of pictures. This makes the page appealing to students and makes the reading much more interesting.