Granted, the benefits of having a class website are pretty similar to those of a blog...Like a blog, a website is a great teaching tool that allows students to work through a medium they are familiar with...the internet!
In any case, here are some tips and ideas for using a website in the classroom!
In any case, here are some tips and ideas for using a website in the classroom!
- Communication
- Similar to a blog, having a class website is a great way of communicating with students and families at home.
- A connection between home and school:
- class assignments and due dates
- lessons and larger projects
- field trip plans
- volunteer ideas
- class pictures and student work (with parental permission of course!)
- Enriching the classroom
- Links to cool websites that are related to core areas and lesson content
- www.brainpop.com is a great resource!
- Posting daily or weekly challenges in Math or Language Arts
- Use your class website in a learning station as a springboard for a WebQuest or other learning activity.
Blog vs. Website:
For me, the jury is still out on this one. Dreamweaver was difficult to master (and i'm nowhere close), where as a blog tends to be pretty user-friendly from the get-go. However, a website seems to have fewer content restrictions than a blog and can continue to grow and expand.
Tips:
- Use a template.
- For me, this helped to see the big picture and let me focus more on content.
- Limit the breadth of your tables.
- It's just annoying to have to scroll over to see the whole page.
- Put stuff in tables.
- This keeps your content in place and again gives a structure.
- Save your content to the right file.
- ...or else!
- Use anchors for easy navigation.
- Make your website visually appealing.
- good contrast in colors
- work within a color scheme
- Be weary of copyright and privacy issues with pictures and other borrowed content.
Happy Coding!
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