Submitted
by: Tina L. Thomen
SLM:
521: Telecommunications & The Internet
Fall
2005 – Updated 9/28/05
Elective
#3
Teacher
Websites
Mrs. Dowling’s Virtual Classroom
Description:
This comprehensive website surpasses any site for its range of both
informational and instructional quality. I found this site from a link provided
at Exworthy Educational Resources’ section, “Building a Website.” (http://members.tripod.com/exworthy/websitebuilding.htm#School/Classroom%20Website%20Examples.) Mrs.
Dowling teaches at Saunders Middle
School
in Manassas, VA. The
school’s home page explicitly states its’ emphasis on technology. Interestingly, the home page also provides a
link for the general public to view free or premium web templates at http://www.steves-templates.com/.
Mrs.
Dowling teaches Reading/Language Arts to four various groups of 7th
grade students. The reading/academic
levels of the students were not evident from her website. Useful aspects of this teacher-made website
are numerous. Mrs. Dowling fosters easy
navigation to 20 various tabs that include procedural issues, instructional
programs, external links, and pictures of students engaged in learning. Parents and students could easily search the
site to answer any question about the curriculum, policies, and learning
opportunities. Date visited – 9/28/05. http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD.html
Recommendations:
- Excessive detail can sometimes
overwhelm students and parents. The
sections about behavior and work policies are verbose and could
effectively communicate a similar message with fewer words.
- A variety of 37 main topics link to a
multitude of resources. Yet,
annotations are not listed for these links. Concise descriptions for suggested links
would enable students to filter more efficiently.
- The site offers an “awards” tab that I
predicted would post exemplary work of students. While I support posting the awards
earned for her website, Mrs. Dowling may want to include a subsection for
student class awards as well to set a tone of positive reinforcement. In
her vibrant and superb photo gallery, she shows the student awards
ceremony. A simple link from her
main awards tab to the photo gallery would fulfill this need.
Commendations:
- Students can electronically submit
assignments and extra credit activities by simply clicking into the
posting areas. Daily “words-of-the-day”
builds vocabulary skills directly from the home page. Students link to online dictionary
resources and email Mrs. Dowling a sentence, using the vocabulary word in
context.
- Mrs. Dowling appeals to a variety of
learning styles by including all areas of study – literature, grammar,
speech, composition, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Parents and students can easily email
her directly from her site if they have any questions about the material.
- Mrs. Dowling covers every aspect of
her classroom. The INTERACTIVE
elements set this apart from other sites. Students can engage in grammar
quizzes and receive immediate feedback about their work. Classroom lessons can easily be
revisited by students at home and throughout the course if they need a review
on a given topic.
Description: I
located this website after entering an online discussion area for science
teachers who were inquiring about how to develop websites. Ms. Crawford’s
website follows a template provided by TeacherWeb.com which seems to offer
novice web designers a convenient tool for creating basic teacher sites. The
annual fee is $25 and teachers can customize their options. Ms. Crawford utilized 20 different tabs
including her biography, schedule, photo gallery, external links and detailed
outlines of lessons.
Ms.
Clayton teaches science to one 6th grade and four 8th
grade classes. Because I could not find
a link to her school’s page, I cannot determine exactly where she teaches. The
reading/academic levels of the students were not evident from her website. Useful aspects of this teacher-made website
include easy navigation to specific lessons.
Parents would appreciate access to the six-week-long view of lessons,
avoiding last-minute surprises for tests and research projects. Date visited – 9/28/05. http://teacherweb.com/TN/VanBurenHighSchool/MsBeckyCrawford/index.html
Recommendations:
- If this template allowed for
interactive functionality, Ms. Crawford could enhance the site by posting
instructional activities. As it
exists now, students may not visit the site often since it is geared for
informational purposes only.
- With annotation, the three links would
be more useful for students in understanding the value of these suggested
sites. Furthermore, adding a few
more links would also provide more options for students as they conduct
research.
- From a visual perspective, she should
consider increasing the type size and changing the font to complement the
playful graphics. Students would
engage more easily with a larger and different image as opposed to the
basic Times New Roman font.
Commendations:
- Ms. Crawford’s detailed lessons reveal
5 simple columns that connect the following for parents and students:
Weekly Dates, Standards, Resources & Projects, Test Dates, and
Vocabulary Lists. Her reflective
and thorough planning helps to set expectations for a manageable,
long-term view.
- Her photo galleries would motivate
students and parents alike. Photos
add a human dimension that connects parents to the school environment.
- Links to the state benchmarks are
posted, building a framework for her lessons and expectations. Parents and students benefit by easily
accessing these standards.