Web+Design+and+Development

= EDLD 5388 Web Design and Development = Resources: [|Step by Step Site Plan] [|Site Content for MHS] [|New School Spaces]

Assignments: Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5:

Discussions:

Week 1. What are the job roles on the Web site team at your school? The role of the Web site team at MHS is not very apparent. As a matter of fact, I do not think we have a Web site team. According to the authors of Deliver First Class Web Sites, 101 Essential Checklists, "If you look closely at professional, successful web sites that serve their users well, such as Amazon.com, you’ll find that the details of these sites’ offerings, functionality, audiences, and so on have been considered and addressed, and that the sites work flawlessly." (page 2) In contrast, the school Web site is horrible! The only thing on the site is the school newspaper. The former Web Master for the school site did a great job of constructing the site. The only problem with maintaining a Web is the time involved to keep it from being static. I offered to help keep the Web site relevant, but there were too many strings attached. The person responsible for the site also had to teach a full load of classes and keep up with the digital signage at the football games. This included the animations and the camera for the JumboTron scoreboard. (@http://www.texasbob.com/stadium/stadium.php?id=477 ) The Web Guidelines for the Salt Lake City School District includes a detailed list of 'Responsible Persons' which include the District Web Coordinator and School Principal and their responsibilities. Salt Lake City also allow teachers to "publish District or school web pages." If we had to design a Web site team, I think Salt Lake City's Web Guidelines would be a good source of inspiration. Salt Lake City School District. Web Guidelines. (2009) Retrieved May 31, 2010, @http://www.slc.k12.ut.us/policies/guidelines.html
 * Sources:** Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists. Shirley Kaiser. (2006) SitePoint Pty. Ltd. (page 2)

Gail: I agree with your assessment on online tools. Districts need to adapt and rewrite acceptable use policy (AUP) to reflect the use of Web 2.0 technology. Teachers at our school also send forms home for students and parents to review and many just sign without reading it. I include a list of infractions and consequences for parents and students to sign. But, even with this information, I am constantly writing referrals for students for flagrantly disregard of District policy in regards to Internet usage. I have to deal with permission slips for my clubs and as Web Mastering teacher. Every year I have at least one student who does not return signed forms. I used to not allow them to use the Internet without that form. For students who did not intend to do anything anyway, this was like saying it was okay to do nothing. This year I counted it as a grade every six weeks. When students get their progress report, those with zero for AUP would ask what that was about. My response it that it would continue to be a zero until I received AUP form returned to me. I only had one student who, to date, has not returned the form. He is rarely at school and low grades did not seem to phase him. Charlotte: As Webmaster of the MHS site you would have a big job that would include organizing and updating information for our school Web site. The site is created, but not maintained! Finding a team may be a challenge; on the positive side, there are six BCIS teachers and two techs. You may be able to solicit their help with new and updated technology, knowledge or industry and technical skills relevant to Web building. The problem may be getting commitment since all teach full loads. Keeping up with technological trends is time consuming and requires someone with the time and commitment.

Week 2. What are the most important best practices for usability in Web design that you have learned about this week? As a Web Mastering teacher, I enjoyed the readings from Deliver first class website (2006) assigned this week (even though I DO NOT have the book, thanks to whoever put the link online!). It reinforces what I teach my students. I learned several principles that I will be able to share with my Web Technologies (new name for Web Mastering) students ... if it is offered next school year at MHS. I will implement tips shared about color, navigation, and search engine optimization on the Web sites I maintain. I also have a lot of new bookmarks to share with my students to help them design their Web sites. The design principles in the lecture and the book are: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. These are the principles I stress when teaching the unit on design in my class. I will focus on best practices for usability in Web design as it relates to Effective Typography (Kaiser, 2006). I learned the following font principles: • to use HTML markup and CSS for typography needs to reduce load time and improve accessibility. • to specify fonts with Mac in mind. I always thought that browsers would choose the best font based on what user had available. • to avoid using more than two font families on a page. This will be hard for my students. They love mixing font families... they may start their site with Times New Roman and switch to Verdana and then add some other font, like Jokerman, to the same page. I remind them that older computers may not be able to display fancy fonts so the resulting page will appear in Times New Roman or Arial. • to use highly stylized novelty fonts sparingly, and if you use them at all, to test it on to make sure it you like the mood and look and feel of the resulting display. Student love to go to sites to create funky fonts to add to their sites! I must admit, I love their creations and creative spirits.• that using two contrasting fonts will provide greater visual impact. • to use boldface only for strong emphasis and avoid all-bold and all caps. This is another area that my students need reinforcing; they break these rules constantly. • to avoid using huge type. Another area that I have to work on with my students, but most use fonts that are too small. Most of our sites are created in HTML, so that could be an issue. (Kaiser, 2006, pp. 246 - 250).My students understand design principles. Font and font faces are areas where they really love to be creative.
 * Source:** Kaiser, S. (2006). Deliver first class web sites: 101 essential checklists. Collingwood, VIC, Australia: Sitepoint, pages 246 - 250.

Adelina, I agree that repetition is extremely important. Our District site does use repetition. The problem is that it is not consistent. Most pages linked in the top left navigation are pretty consistent in that the pages mirror the home page. The color, top navigation, footer, and banner are consistent on these pages. The site needs work. In our unit on design, the students critiqued the District site. It has many design principle don'ts! Even Web Mastering students noticed this. When they were challenged to re-design the site they realize that this would be a monumental task...no one wanted to tackle that dinosaur. The students also noticed that the Web site for the high school is horrible, but again, no one wanted to tackle it. The elementary and middle school sites are terrific. So, yes, repetition is important.

Jack, I learned about checking sites in different browsers the hard way! I am the Web Master for our church site. I found a site a year ago that allowed me to check the site in different browsers. It was an eye-opener. I have not check our school site, but I am sure there will be inconsistencies across browsers. I like to include shortcuts in sites I design. According to Kaiser (2006), "Provide shortcuts to your site’s most frequently visited pages. Shortcuts makes using your site’s key functionality more convenient for visitors. They also give you the opportunity to highlight your site’s most popular content on your homepage" (page 63). I also ran the W3C line checker and it found a few issues with the school web site.Kaiser, S. (2006). Deliver first class web sites: 101 essential checklists. Collingwood, VIC, Australia: Sitepoint.

Week 3. What is the relevance of the Open Source Movement in K-12? "To be literate today involves acquiring new skills, including those of using technology, understanding science, having global awareness, and most important, having the ability to keep learning, which involves gathering, processing, analyzing, synthesizing, and presenting information as well as communicating and collaborating. Free, online tools can play a large role in helping students acquire these skills" (Solomon and Schrum, 2007). According to the Open Source Initiative, "Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in." Open Source is here to stay. The Texas legislature is embracing open source as outlined in Chapter 66. State Adoption and Distribution of Instructional Materials. The State of Texas' Acquiring Instructional Materials for School Year 2010-2011 states that, "The Agency may offer school districts state-developed/state-owned open-source textbooks that are available for downloading from the Internet at no charge to a student and without requiring the purchase of an unlock code, membership, or other access or use charge, except for a charge to order an optional printed copy of all or part of the textbook." Solomon and Schrum (2007) states that "Web 2.0 signals a transition from isolation to interconnectedness - not just for programmers but, more importantly, for end users." An important aspect of open source is that it is a way for schools and districts to save money on technology and in Texas (and other states), textbooks. Open source resources allow students to be creative in many ways at home and at school, free of charge in most cases. For example, GIMP can be used, free of charge, to create and edit pictures. I like using PhotoFiltre (which is free) for photo editing. OpenOffice is a free alternative to Microsoft for word processing, spreadsheets, and slide shows. There are many free Web design programs, including Amaya, which we were introduced in this week's lesson. Open source allows students to connect and collaborate with students in across the room or in another country. Open source programs empower students to be successful and removes funding barriers. Open Source Initiative. Retrieved on June 10, 2010, from @http://www.opensource.org/ ATTACHMENT III. Text of Proposed New 19 TAC. Chapter 66. State Adoption and Distribution of Instructional Materials. Subchapter BB. Commissioner's Rules Concerning State-Developed Open-Source Textbooks. Retrieved on June 10, 2010, from @http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/commissioner/proposed/0410/ch66bb-one.html
 * Sources:** Solomon, G. & Schrum, L. (2007). web 2.0 new tools, new schools. Eugene, OR. International Society for Technology in Education.

@ Bobbi: Thanks for the fresh insight. Districts do tend to fund fun, no pun intended, even though technology can be fun for students who come from homes where it is unavailabe. Like your school, most teachers at MHS only has one student computer and this computer may or may not work. I think all students need access to computers in the classroom. And these computers must have technology available for student success which is attainable by using open source programs. @Allison: I like open source programs. Many can be accessed and downloaded on the computers on campus, which is a plus. Our district erased our PhotoShop when re-imaging computers. We were able to download and use PhotoFiltre to edit photos for our projects. We may use Amaya for Web design, if I can educate myself on how to use it well enough to teach my students to use it in place of FrontPage (which was also erased in the re-imaging). @Gail: Schoology is also a great way for students to collaborate. Plus you can give them immediate feedback, which is always advantageous. @Jack: I agree with Allison, your post is eye-opening. We think of the benefits and forget about the drawbacks. Some programs may also come from less than scrupulous sources. Dawanna, I do not have programming or database background either. I had computer classes in the 80's. The good thing about programming language is that is does not change much. HTML is changing, supposedly for the better. It is relative easy to learn, compared to other computer languages. Plus, there are so many cheat sheets available to help you learn code. Give it a chance; you will love it.

Week 4. D o you currently use podcasting as a communication platform in your school? If not, why not? If you do, what has your experience been? The implications for podcasting, according to Solomon and Schrum (2006), include student's being able to replay the audio of traditionally delivered information to review or catch up (p. 57). They further state that students can create podcasts as a way of sharing their expertise and opinions, to keep notes, to reflect on the day's lesson, or to keep track of project activities (Solomon and Schrum, 2006, p. 57). I have not used podcasting but after reading this week's assignment, I will be trying it in the very near future. The reason for not using podcasts is, frankly, I had not ever considered them. My students use so much technology and we have to cover so many different things that it never occurred to me how powerful this Web 2.0 technology can be in the classroom. I have had students who have wanted to record themselves for PowerPoint projects; but I did not consider helping students create podcasts as a way to enhance projects. I also think that administrators can use podcasts for teachers who need to review information from faculty meetings or staff developments. The authors state that, "Anyone with a simple computer, microphone, and access to the Internet can create a podcast and make it available online" (Solomon and Schrum, 2006, p. 57). According to Educause Learning Initiative, "Podcasting allows education to become more portable than ever before. Podcasting cannot replace the classroom, but it provides educators one more way to meet today’s students where they “live”—on the Internet and on audio players (EDI, 2005)." One drawback I foresee is blocks by the District server. Another concern would be abuse by students. Other than that, podcast are a valuable resource for students and teachers. **Sources:** Solomon, G, & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: new tools new schools//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. 7 things you should know about…Podcasting. (2005). Educause Learning Initiative. Retrieved June 17, 2010, net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7003.pdf @Jack: I agree that in our learning organizations, namely our classrooms, there should be "...continuous and collective learning, knowledge sharing, and collaboration." I think by and large this happens when students are allowed to work in group settings. It is very easy to accomplish in computer labs because most are designed so that students are in close proximity to each other. They can not help but share; even though I have had a few students who are so introverted that it is impossible for them to open up to others around them. I encourage my students to talk and collaborate, to share and peer tutor, and to problem solve in pairs before asking me for help. Leigh: It is so cool that your school allows this technology! I think administration would shrivel up and be blown away before allowing blogs. They would probably think it is MySpace or FaceBook which is taboo; these sites are totally blocked and strictly forbidden (even though students still figure out how to get around District blocks). Our District uses a lesson plan program with a built in Web site but it is not very easy to use. I tried to be creative with my Web site and it looked like junk, so I stick to a paid site.

And I agree with Jeff, it is much easier to update a blog. Web sites can be time consuming to keep relevant and up-to-date. 

Bobbi: I am impressed so that your PK students created Animoto videos and a Photo Story. I love Animoto, but I did not introduce it to my high school students who I know will love it also. I agree with you that your PK students will enjoy podcasting. I recorded my students reading when I tutored reading. I would replay the recording so that the students could hear themselves read orally. They then had to critique themselves so that they could improve their reading skills. This was done in small group settings with headphones and a tape recorder. We have moved beyond that technology in the classroom; podcasting will has taken the place of tape recorders!

Week 5: Is there a functioning Web Oversight Committee at your school? How would you go about establishing one? There is not a functioning Web Oversight Committee at our school. There is a need for a Web site committee before we can have an oversight committee. Our school's Web site has been out-of-date for about 2-years. All of the other schools in the district have up-to-date information on their sites; MHS' site became static when the Web Master changed schools. I volunteered to help work on it, but there were too many other things that would be added to an already big job. People who do not work on Web sites do not understand how important it is to keep the information current and how that task alone is exhausting. Because we are a high school, the Web Oversight Committee would be made up representatives from all stakeholders, including parents, students, teachers, administrators, business, and community leaders. To establish such a committee would require commitment from all involved to invest time and talent on the committee. These people will need to be willing to help create, edit, and proof read, and test the site prior to launching any page or changes to existing pages on the now defunct site. The committee would not need to know how to create a Web site, but will have vested interest in making sure that the information on the Web site is accurate. The committee would have to be involved in all aspects of testing the site prior to launching it. This is important because there is nothing worse, to me, that a Web site that has numerous errors. So, to establish the Web Oversight Committee, I would recruit people who do not mind giving (these would be volunteers) time to the project. Each person on the team will have tasks. I would train the person or persons responsible for typing to use a Web design program and also how to read code to troubleshoot. I would recruit English teachers (or any person willing and good with grammar) for editing and proofing. I would need persons to collect content that is appropriate for the site. This would include ads, schedules, information pertinent to parents, students, teachers, and the community. I would offer incentives for students including the fact that designing the school Web site would look good on their resume. We would have to meet weekly prior to launching the site. This would involve testing each aspect of the site, including images, hyperlinks, pages of content, ads, color, and all design issues. We would use checklist to help our designs, content, markup, procedures for cross-browser, cross-platform testing, and discussions on testing labels, functionality, security, accessibility, and usability (Kaiser, 2006, p. 302).**Source:** Solomon, G & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New Tools New Schools. Eugene, OR. International Society for Technology in Education.

@Treena and Bobbi: Thanks for your great comments. Treena, I do not know if a survey would help; the site set-up would require volunteers. That is something to consider. What kinds of questions would bring out the most competent participants? You know that teachers hate long, drawn-out surveys. So the survey would have to be succinct and to the point to find interested, capable, dedicated participants. I think that the problem in not finding someone to maintain the site, its the time involved in maintaining the site. The former Web Master, in addition to working on the school site, had an almost full load of classes (two 60 minute conference periods), was the campus tech, and handled the electronic scoreboard during the football games, just to name a few of her responsibilities. Bobbi, I agree that getting community and business leaders together would be a challenge. We are the only high school in town. It is to their benefit to support the school and students. The school grooms the future leaders of the community. @Jack, congratulations on your position as Technology Coordinator. I did not consider the district tech coordinator. I would need her cooperation, expertise, and input to get a lot of things done. @Dawanna, I have also completed a survey just to get it over with! But I agree, a good survey will convey what a school is doing right or wrong. I also know, from one of our professional developments, that parents do not participate when given the opportunity to complete surveys. Also, when we have given them to the students, they rarely take the time to read and answer questions. They just want to get finished the survey. All in all, I think that surveys could be an effective way to make decisions or if you need to input of others (Solomon and Schrum, 2007, page 68).**Source:** Solomon, G, & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: new tools new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. @Julio, I HATE those pop-ups and I hope schools do not impose them on individuals visiting their sites! There has got to be a better way. I know that it is hard to get feedback from parents and students. Our district has had many surveys online for parental and community input; these surveys have not been successful. I think it is because there was no way to solicit support for the survey. Yes to survey, our mission is to find a way that is not intrusive or a nuisance like pop-ups.