Websites+in+the+Classroom

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= **Websites in the Classroom** Brooke O. & Erika S.  =



What is a classroom website?
A classroom website is useful for parents, students and teachers. The teacher can post related information for the the classroom and parents, such as assignment due dates, upcoming projects and tests, field trips, the possibilities are endless When designing your website, it is important to keep in mind what exact purpose you want the website to serve for you, your students and parents.

Why have a classroom website?
Here are a couple reasons why a classroom website would benefit you:
 * A resource that is always available for students and parents to access information about the class
 * Easy and sufficient way for teachers to always be in contact with students and parents
 * Great way to incorporate I.C.T. in the classroom
 * Incorporate blogs so students and parents can send feedback to the teacher as well as work collaboratively with other students
 * Can be used to post resources for students that pertain to the classroom's studies

How to build a classroom website:
There are an endless amount of websites available to aid you in your website creation, each have their pros and cons, however, there are a couple that are more user friendly. In our examples we will be using //Weebly// to demonstrate the options you have when creating a website. The most common include:

Google Sites

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** Weebly **

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What to include in your classroom website:

 * Introduction Page- On this page you can introduce yourself, share information about the website, such as how to navigate around the website and an introduction to the courses.
 * Students Page- On the students page, the author could include a sub-page for each course containing additional student resources for what will be covered in the course. A calendar could also be included to inform students of when assignments and tests will be taking place as well as to post important dates. Another resource that would be useful to have on this page is a list of rules and regulations of the classroom.
 * Parents Page- This page could include information for parents that the author might find to be useful resources to aid their children throughout the courses. There could also be a password protected page that consists of each students work and grades so that parents can be involved in their learning.
 * Contact Page- Here, the author can include a contact form for both parents and students to ask questions, give feedback and set up meeting times.
 * Forum Page- This page can be created for the students to communicate and create or continue discussions outside the classroom about course material.

Ideas to get you started:
To get your website going, there are a few fun gadgets that you can add that will make your website, here's a few:
 * Widgets- A widget is an application that can be found in iGoogle and other various sites that provide them, i.e. //Shelfari//, //Google Maps//. After you find the widget, you can embed it into your webpage by obtaining the HTML and inserting it into the HTML element available on the website creator. There is an endless amount of widgets available, including ones that are course specified, games, quote of the day, calendars, the list is infinite. For more information on installing a widget on your website go to @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoAvmjdbIQo. Inserting a widget can be a bit confusing so below you will find screen shots of the step by step process, a //Google//Map will be inserted as an example, other widgets will follow a procedure similar to this.
 * First go to igoogle.com and click on the "add gadgets" button at the top of the page. You should get the following screen.

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 * Next, search for the gadget you wish to insert, click on it and it will take you to the following page


 * You can then click on //Embed this Gadget//, found on the bottom right hand corner of the page. Clicking this will take you to another page where you can edit the color settings and the size of the gadget.




 * Once you are happy with the settings of the gadget, click //Get the Code//, this will then take you to the page shown above where you can copy the HTML and paste it into the HTML element on your website.


 * You Tube videos- To add a You Tube video you drag the You Tube element to your website then add the URL to your video, for more information on adding a You Tube video to your website go to @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3y6VJx6yQM&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL7C333F3B986EE893

As you can see, having a classroom website can be a useful tool to keep everyone including parents and students informed on what is going on in the classroom and what the expectations are of everyone involved. It can be extremely resourceful and it allows everyone to access necessary information. Overall, everyone has something to gain from incorporating this tool into the classroom-hope you enjoy it!