A Web 2.0 tool that I find interesting and one that will help me in my professional studies is the iWeb. I never thought I would be able to create a web page, but with our Full Sail program it was the first tool we were asked to use to create a bio of ourselves. Uploading iMovies, Garageband audio files, and setting up a blog were among the assignments that I navigated while learning some of the features of the iWeb tool. The iWeb will be useful in education to set up communications with parents and family about art that is happening in the classroom and at school.
The iWeb allows a teacher like myself to create a site on my own computer, and then export and upload it to the web. The site can always be republished and updated, and it is user friendly for a teacher. The blog pages are formatted so the most current blog entry is accessible first followed by a list of other blog entry topics. The blog posts are shown with a title and blurb so the reader can push on a link to read further. There is a comments box that readers can use to respond to the author’s posts. Parents and teachers could share dialogue about the projects or events going on in the classroom.
A website has multiple pages. The home page is where the site is introduced, and in preformatted websites one navigates to other pages using the links that are listed along a bar at the top. It is important to activate the link back to the home page on a website, so the reader can find his or her way back to the introduction page.
Another feature of a website is that the author can subscribe to RSS, (Really Simple Syndications). This is a feature that I am still learning about. The web page can link newspapers, journals and writings and ….”have the latest news and features delivered directly” (Schrum, p. 197). Having an RSS feed on your website is an attractive feature that allows you to have the news you want regularly delivered right to the sight instead of having to navigate from site to site.
As described in an article by Microsoft Corporation, if the author subscribes to a current syndication the feed will provide constant updates keeping your sight fresh and making it more likely to be visited by readers. Having a relevant feed is also helpful. For example a site on harbor cruises might benefit from a syndicated weather report subscription, or a real estate investor could benefit by having a subscription to a realty company. Authors of websites can also provide RSS channels for readers, so that any updates you put on your website will be fed directly to the readers. This way readers won’t miss an update if they don’t get a chance to check a website regularly(2009).
An art website might have an RSS feed to the local museum.
Resources:
Microsoft Corporation (2009). RSS Feeds: Benefits for You and Your Samll Business.
Retrieved October, 2009 from:
http://www.microsoft.com/australia/smallbusiness/themes/sales-and-marketing/rss-feeds- vista-outlook.mspx
Schrum, L. & Solomon, G. (2007). Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools. Washington D.C: ISTE.
Spiderweb image from Pics4Learning.com manipulated in Power Point by Beckie Lamborn. Retreived from: http://pics.tech4learning.com/index.php? search=qsearch&query=spider+webs&sfield=1&sorder=desc&viewmode=2&page=5&mult=1
Hi Beckie, My strong recommendation regarding your iWeb is to move forward and never try to make the old stuff better. I learned the hard way that you will have major problems trying to go back to old pages and improve them. Just move forward! But then you probably already know that.
ReplyDeleteI was a little taken aback by the spiders, but love the rest of your posts. The real animal pictures are great for your kindergarten students. I bet they love your site. How many computers are in your classroom?
Hi Beckie,
ReplyDeleteI too have found iWeb to be an amazing tool! It is absolutely easy to use, and for teachers, like you said, will help with the ever-important task of communicating with parents. Not only is it visually appealing (of course, it's Apple!), but the purpose of the pages are clear and easy to both edit and view. As far as communicating with parents, the blog is definitely a new and useful feature to keep the lines of dialogue open.