Jennifer Postal

Elective #10

Internet use has increased immensely and as a result it has given teachers more opportunities to reach their students. Many teachers have created web pages so that their students are able to support the learning that is occurring in the classroom. On many such web pages students are able to communicate with their teacher as well as find resources for problems that they are having in class. These web pages are also give parents an idea of what is happening in their child’s classroom. Here are examples of two web pages that were created by teachers with a description as well as recommendations and commendations for each site.

Web Page #1

Mrs. Renz's 4th Grade Class (visited on November 5, 2004)

This web page was created for Mrs. Renz’s 4^th Grade Class at Vern Patrick Elementary School in Redmond, Oregon. The page gives visitors a lot of information about her class. Included are links to what is being learned in the class, the birthdays of the children in the class, a calendar as well as other pertinent information for the class. Mrs. Renz seems to genuinely love teaching and hopefully shares that love with her students. Overall, the web page is well done with appealing graphics and information that is informative to visitors.

Here are some recommendations that I would offer to Mrs. Renz:

1. The links that are on the page are well spaced but too large. Also, there is no description as to what a visitor might find in each link. Some are self explanatory but it is still important to tell what is in each link. The description might entice users to click on the link.

2. The page is very long and requires a lot scrolling. A web page that is better organized may help to keep the attention of the students.

3. There are too many links on each page. It is too difficult and time consuming to read every single thing on each page.

Here are some commendations for Mrs. Renz’s web page:

1. Mrs. Renz uses creative images that relate well to the topic that is on the link.

2. The site is easy to navigate since on each page the teacher provides a link back to the previous page. This is important because having something like that gives users more flexibility so that they do not need to use their “back” button.

3. The choice of background and font is easy on the eyes. The white background with black text allows for easy reading.

4. The page is updated frequently and gives visitors the date of the last update. This is important so that users can see how current the information is.

Web Page #2

Mrs. Choate's Second Grade Class (visited on November 5, 2004)

This web page was created for Mrs. Choate’s 2^nd Grade Class at Eton Elementary School in Chatsworth, Georgia. Included on this web page is a link for spelling words, a link for class news including school supply lists, a calendar for the school year as well as other information that may be important to parents. This site gives visitors a basic idea of what is occurring in the 2^nd grade.

Here are some recommendations for Mrs. Choate’s web page:

1. Update the site more frequently. Include current pictures of the class so that parents can see what is happening on at least a weekly basis.

2. Some of the backgrounds may distract the reader for the information that is on the page making it hard for the user to read the page.

3. Though the layout is easy to use, the links are bunched together. Instead, Mrs. Choate should list the links with simple descriptions as to what a visitor might find in each link.

Here are some commendations for Mrs. Choate’s web page:

1. Mrs. Choate includes both her home email address as well as her school email address. This is helpful since it gives students and parents multiple ways to contact the teacher.

2. The links are easy to use with cool graphics that kids would be interested in.

3. Each page of links has a button allowing users to click on it and go back to the “home” page. This is very important and useful to users.