13th and 14th Week

Website Design

These two weeks have been rather enjoyable and work extensive with the development of our websites. My website (http://www.cantonlocal.org/education/staff/staff.php?sectionid=814) is linked through the high school where I teach. I update the weekly indicators every week, and I try to either put a helpful link or a tutorial on for difficult concepts when needed. But, this go around was a little different. Our band was getting ready to go on a Disney trip, and I had some students going on vacation. So, my work was a little more involved. The placing of the Course Management System under the Useful Links in my website was an enormous help. Since, we did this a week or so ago I was able to get the students log on information done before they left. The main benefit I found with the website is the communication piece. Students have no excuse for missing anything, and parental problems are nil. The parent can see what is going on in the classroom on a weekly basis, and it has saved me headaches already when dealing with absenteeism. I am planning to buy my own personal web space this summer, and place all of my classroom contents on the web. I think the most current statistic for internet access is approximately 80%. That means I should only have to deal with 2 out of every ten students when it comes to missing assignments and reteaching. It is going to be a work in progress, but after the foundation is laid, I think it will be worth it. In my classroom, I have already been using a hybrid teaching strategy so the kids know how to navigate and use the features, and most if not all kids have enjoyed the added use of technology in the classroom.