Reflection # 4 Tools for an Effective Website

An effective website requires several key elements. An important part is the overall organization of the site. Can I see the name of the school clearly when I first get to the website? Can I find important phone numbers and addresses all in one place? Is there a clear section for like items? These are all things that must be considered when designing a website.

I also believe it is extremely important to include pictures of current events going in the school. At Clarksburg, for example, since out marching band had a huge trip to perform in China back in the beginning of the school year, updates and announcements about the trip as well as pictures were available before, during, and after this event. It really helped students, staff, and parents stay connected as well as proud of all the positive things that appear to be going on at the school.

Important documents should be available for parents, basic information about the school, a calendar, a newsletter online, and links to other important MCPS website are all crucial parts of designing and maintaining a helpful and competent website. I think it would be a bit harder to incorporate a link to teachers' classes from the main website since at my school there would be hundreds of pages to link, but there is a link to EDLINE, which all students and parents have their own individual login to. They cna access individual teachers' class sites from that one universal link right on the home page of the school.

I think I am going to use the googlesites tool to build my website. I really like the way my school has their site set up already, so I plan to incorporate many similar elements. The school name, contact info, vision and mission, basic history, student pictures, calendar, e-newsletter, and links to other websites and important documents are all things I plan to include in my website.