Building an Instructional Website
(More Options and Activities)

Using Web Sites in Teaching

Basics of Web Development-Issues
Site Maintenance
Publishing Policy
Web Hosts
Copyright Information

Developing a Web Site
Development Resources
Content Standards
Evaluation Rubrics
Virtual School
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators

Vicki Blackwell's Internet Guide for Educators  Tangipahoa Parish 

Tips on how to design an instructional website 

Using Web Sites in Teaching -The Internet offers wonderful resources for students of all ages. It is exciting to find new sites that compliment the curriculum.  The Internet also offers the opportunity to collaborate with people globally.  

Make Your Own Web Activity   

1.  Decide the intent of your site.

2.  Determine your audience.

3. Plan it out---create a story board.

4.  Create a easy to navigate, pleasing to the eye page using HTML or a web authoring software such as Netscape Composer or Microsoft Frontpage

5.  Establish credibility-- include author and host, date created and updated, email address.

6. Create links to well chosen sites that reflect your curriculum and Louisiana content standards.

7.  Check and fine tune your site.  Be sure to check for spelling and grammatical errors.  Make sure the hyperlinks work as you intended. Check the download time.

By following these steps, a web page can be developed  that is not only rich in content, but will be aesthetically pleasing for the visitor. The most important feature of a website is the content… this is followed by the visual presentation. Check out web pages from other school districts and see how your web page or activity compares to them. Once an activity has been created, constantly check and revise the data to keep it current and informative. 

Basics of Web Development  - Issues

           A.  Site Maintenance:  Creating and maintaining your school or classroom web site is a rewarding and exciting experience but can become a big job for one person. To keep your site current, have clearly stated goals for the intent of the site and delegate  responsibilities to others.  

            B. Publishing Policy:  Before publishing information created by students and teachers, publishing policies for your school should be addressed.. Publishing guidelines are local decisions that the school and/or district should make. A committee of the school population, teachers, and administrators should study, create, and propose the school policy for publishing information on the Internet.

            C. Web Hosts:     If availability for an instructional website is not available on a district server, there are several places that will host your school web site. Some will do this for free while others will charge you for the space that you use. For an additional price, some will offer you extra services such as web resource tools which will help you build dynamic content for your site. Whatever resource you use, you should avoid using web servers that force you to display non-educational banners or advertisements. Some of these banners may display material that is inappropriate for students to visit or they may be trying to sell products or services that students and parents don't want.  

           D.  Copyright Information:  Copyright resources   Understanding what is fair use, the necessity of getting student  permission to publish their work, and crediting other people's work before publishing information is important.