Classroom and Teacher Pages
Second graders, middle schoolers, and high school seniors can all be involved with the development of a classroom page. Whether the page will post homework or be used to share student poetry, classroom pages are a great way to break down the walls of your classroom. Many schools now have a directory to staff websites. Check out some of the teacher websites for Huron City Schools (Look for highlighted link to webpages) (OH).
Consider projects that involve students in technology-rich projects. Share information that is unique to your area. For example the first grade classroom at Highland Park Elementary developed a project to teach people about the cotton industry - Cotton Fields. Children in another part of the world might share how they grow rice or corn.
As you design a class web page, consider the purpose. For some teachers, a class page is a way to reflect on classroom activities and forecast the future. It serves as a living classroom portfolio for both the teacher and the students. For others it's a tool to assign homework and guide learning. Visit Chemistry Geek page, Mr. Leckie's Web Page, and Mr. Donn's Ancient History page. Think about how children, parents, and the teacher use these pages.
Whenever possible, get students involved with the development of the class page. For example, you could assign small groups particular tasks or ongoing activities. Students could do their work in a word processor or graphics package, then you could put it together for the web page.
Go the Cool Classroom Pages from Teacher Tap or Teacher Pages from Brick by Brick (both at eduScapes) and explore examples of classroom pages. As you explore classroom websites, look for the following elements:
- Classroom Information
- Rules
- Policies
- Guidelines
- Teacher Information
- Student Information
- News
- Rules
- Assignments
- Homework
- On computer activities
- Off computer activities
- Homework
- Project Sharing
- Writing Projects
- Drawing Projects
- Multimedia Projects
- Writing Projects
- Communication Projects
- Collaborative Projects
- Instructional Content
- Information
- Tutorials
- Simulations
- Case Studies
- Tests
- Webquests
- Information
- Links and Pathfinders