Schutz American School
51 Schutz Street
Alexandria, Egypt 21111
Phone: (20) (3) 576-2205
Fax: (20) (3) 576-0229
| Creating a Class Home Page.... |
A class homepage is an innovative way you can use to inform the world about your class. Parents, students, and community members can view information about your classroom 24 hours a day. You can tell about your class content, discipline procedures, homework, grading policies, and extra credit options. Parents can locate answers to questions such as, "What does the curriculum cover and what units will be studied?" Receiving feedback (e-mail) about what you are doing in your classroom is convenient and easy using a class homepage.
Students who visit your site can investigate other sites that will supplement what they are learning. Other educators visiting your site can find resources and get ideas for projects. You may want to include resources for parents. A class homepage also allows you to publish your students' work in front of a worldwide audience.
Creating a class homepage is a perfect opportunity to get your students involved in learning. Students can:
- help locate and gather Internet resource sites;
- contribute some of the information that you put on the homepage;
- create a scavenger hunt pertinent to the class subject. E.G. Internet Scavenger Hunts
The success of a homepage depends on its organization. If visitors feel comfortable navigating your site, they'll spend more time there, enjoy the experience and revisit. Your site should present information in an easy-to-understand format. Teacher's Home Page Builder provides a format for creating a class homepage.
Scrolling should be kept to a minimum. Several classroom-related icons - such as a teacher's desk, bulletin board or bookshelf - can link to appropriate information. Cyberbee's School Clip Art provides free clip art for you to use.
The overuse of font styles, colors, navigational tools, graphics and spacing can limit the effectiveness of your homepage. Backgrounds should not distract from your text. Create color combinations that complement each other without being overbearing to the viewer. Use graphics sparingly. Take download speeds into account when applying graphics to your homepage. Remember to use graphics that are relevant to the theme of your page. Always provide buttons to return back to the main page and previous page.
A brief description of linked pages/sites should be displayed on your pages. This will guide users to useful sites and help prevent unnecessary wandering. The content of these sites should be relevant to your curriculum.
Your homepage is a professional publication. Don't forget to proofread your text for spelling and errors. Part of creating a professional homepage is keeping it current and up-to-date. Check your links and make sure they work as you expect. If you are posting student projects and work, be sure that you have proper parental permission.
A classroom homepage is an ongoing project requiring maintenance and the addition of up-to-date information. Check out Mrs. Adams' Study Guide Page.
