Teaching Techniques

"I've got to get my kids doing web pages."

Great idea. The immediate response should be "What for?" While there may be an academic reason for doing it to teach the concepts of just what web publishing is and how it differs from paper publishing, the bottom line should be that there needs to be a curricular reason for this activity.

In an already crowded curriculum, there need to be sound reasons for spending the time learning the techniques yourself first, applying it to some sort of Internet lesson, and the finally devising the appropriate student activity / project to go with it.

But, what about student names and pictures? What types of things should we allow or not allow? Can a student have her/his own web page? These are all good questions.

Once the students have created their own webpage, how do I assess it? What types of things should I be looking for in terms of design, functionality, content, Internet use, etc.? More good questions.

There is no one simple answer to the above. However, the content at the "Empowering" site provides more than an adequate starting point. This page is part of the Loogootee Elementary West Community Schools web site. At this web site, you'll find links that take you to rubrics for assessment, sample Acceptable Use Policies, and a permission form for students who will be publishing to the web.

At the site, the author attempts to address all of the above concerns and more. Loogootee's technology has evolved from one Apple IIe computer in every classroom to networked IBM computers today. It's an interesting site to visit and read of their successes.

If you are interested in learning more about how webpage creation is done with Claris Homepage, contact Carol Edmondson and register for the Webpage Creation Workshop. It's all part of the Computer Professional Development Catalogue.