Why?
Websites can be an effective tool for teachers to communicate with students, parents, administration, special education teachers, and support staff. They take a lot of time on the front end, but can save you a lot of time in the long run. The more time you spend each year adding and modifying your content, the more useful the site will become for you and your classroom community, and the more proficient you will become at building webpages.
Tips
As you c
reate a website there are times when you will get frustrated. I guarantee it.
Stick with it, it is worth the time saved in the long run.
If something is not working the way you want it to, assume that you are not doing something right. Blaming the computer has lead me to be wrong 99.9% of the time.
Hover over icons if you are not sure of their function.
When you do get frustrated use trial and error, the help menu, ask another person who has more experience, or take a break.
Instructions
If you can do these ten tasks, you can create a great website that will benefit your students
Decide on the purpose and imagine the layout for your site. Are you trying to organize your teaching materials for yourself, communicate content to students, faculty, and parents, or all of the above. Your organizational format should reflect your site's purpose
See examples: Mike's site, Alex's site, Kara's site, my site, Pfout's site,
Create a site with some links. Watch the video at right. ---->
Insert images to your site and customize their size, position, and wrap features.
Add a logo to your site's header.
Add a navigational sidebar or a horizontal navigation bar.
Insert a youtube video, calendar, picassa slideshow, or google doc. You can also link to these items if you prefer.
Ex-I post expemplary student work using google docs and use google calendar for daily agendas.
Ex-I post and present unit notes for students.
Create and embed a google form to use as a test, survey, or homework when you want to compile information from students.
Ex-I use a form as the end of the year teacher evaluation.
Advanced
When you have mastered the ten tasks above you are ready to take it to the next level and tailor your teaching website to reflect your educational personality and better reach your audience.
Ex-stephensteach.com
Click on manage site and make it flashy by playing with the site layout, colors, and fonts, and themes.
See who is visiting your site with Google Analytics.