NPD 2.0

Many of you gave feedback in the recent teacher survey stating that you would be interested in having a classroom webpage or website.  We would like to share with you some examples of teacher sites, some pros and cons of each type, and gather your feedback. 

Please take a look at each type of site and let us know:

• Are you interested in having a classroom webpage/ website?
• Which of the example(s) would you be interested in using?
• How often would you update your website?
• Any other feedback or conversation you would like to offer…

Example 1: Teacher Web (click to view the example)

• Pros: Easy interface for teachers to navigate and update their own pages, ability to customize content and format of page (clipart and backgrounds related to education), site designed specifically for teacher websites.
• Cons: Cost of $39 a year.  Currently, the district does not pay this fee.

Example 2: Scholastic

• Pros: Quick and easy to create and update and it is FREE!
• Cons: Scholastic places ad links for their products on your page that you can not control, limited design options.

Example 3: Blog

• Pros: Simple text-box interface for updating content of page (similar to Word), many types of blogs to choose from (the page you are reading right now is also an example of a blog), many design templates to choose from, and it is FREE!
• Cons: Page layout design is limited to template, posts organized by date (most current post defaults to the top of the page) 

Example 4: Template

• Pros: No worries about setup or design of page, click and enter content.
• Cons: Will need to use Microsoft Front Page or Microsoft Expression software to update page, no control over colors, format, or design of page.

Example 5: Teacher Created Page

• Pros: You have complete control over the setup, design, layout, and presentation of your website.
• Cons: Need to have a knowledge of web design and software (Front Page or Expression)

Please leave your comments below.  Come back to the post every now and then as well to see what other teachers are saying and feel free to comment on their ideas.  We will also be checking in and joining the conversation along the way.  This is a collaborative site, so conversation is encouraged!