When constructing a media center web page, the most important question is "What do you want the purpose of the web page to be?" Once you determine the purpose, you can decide if a web page, wiki, or a blog would be the best idea. I think that a web page is the best idea. That is just my opinion, but others may feel differently. A lot of blogs and wikis are blocked so that would create a problem when students go to view it. When you begin to create your web page, it is a good idea to view other media center's web pages just to get an idea of what they have included on theirs.
I would want to have a media center web page that helped students, teachers, parents, and other members of the school community. Web pages should contain many different items. A few things that I believe are important is the goal of the media center, a link for any reading program used in the school, a school calender, contact information, the library catalog, and any important information. The web page should be easily read, and should not contain an abundant amount of information. You want to keep things, shall we say, "short and sweet." Web pages should have a font that can be read easily by the users. The web page should contain images that grasp the users attention, but the web page should not have too many images on the page. The age group viewing the page should be considered when building the website. The website should be promoted througout the school. Classroom teachers should have it easily available to their students, and the website should be introduced to faculty and parents. I believe that a well designed website will benefit all users. The website should be educational and fun for all.
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Brandi, I agree with your 'short and sweet'. some websites are simply too busy. And I don't really like the ones that change while you are watching them or scroll through information too fast for reading and absorbing. I've found the toughest thing is the updating. You have to put it on your calendar to check links and information regularly. Some websites just sit there and get old. I look forward to viewing your first website.
ReplyDeleteBrandi,
ReplyDeleteI think you may be right about the media center using a web page. I get so frustrated at school with the blocker I really don't know if a wiki or blog would be allowed to come through. I need to try it and see. My guess is that it will be blocked! I would want my web page to be helpful to all patrons and at the same time work for me. I liked the North School website. It was very user-friendly and clean to look at. You were not overwhelmed with information, but the information was there. The use of buttons and pictures hyperlinked helped create that clean appearance in my opinion. I also think that you would have to stay on top of updating your media center web page so your patrons would keep coming back to see what is new. That could be quite a task with all the cutbacks taking place in the schools right now. I definitely think you would have to set time aside to update regularly to keep your patrons interested and finding what they need.
I like what you said about how a website should benefit the students, teachers, parents, and community as a whole. I think that as busy as we all are, we should definitely make sure that we are creating a tool that is user friendly for all stakeholders. I also completely agree that this tool should be to the point. Don't fill the site with "space takers." Make sure that the information is relevant and applicable. I, like you, believe that this is a valuable tool is used correctly.
ReplyDeleteLike the others above me, I agree that the media center website should benefit all the stakeholders. This is a tool to get information out there, and if it is buried too deep, no one will ever see the information. I find, many times, that media center websites are buried under loads of other information. Is that because they themselves don't have much info or because of a myriad of other reasons? Who really knows.
ReplyDeleteHaving a clean, simple website full of information should be a goal for all of us. This is a tool that should be used efficiently and effectively to get the most out of it.
I like how you recognize that significant thought and planning should go into webpage design before constructing a site. Priorities need to be set, and the designer must have a vision of future needs and purposes the website will serve. It may also be beneficial to brainstorm different layouts and organizational structures. This planning will ensure that the website is truly user friendly and meets the needs of the school and learning community.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your statement regarding the need to promote the website. When we invest so much time creating a tool for learners to access media center resources, school calendars, and other important links and information, we need to let others know that it exists. Without promotion, the entire purpose will be defeated. I have been surprised at how little website promotion typically occurs in a school. Educators should not be surprised when they discover that their media center has an excellent and helpful website.
We can promote these websites by posting links to staff emails, making brochure type handouts, or providing a tour of the website during team meetings or an in-service. In addition to making teachers aware, this would be an excellent addition to the media center orientation at the beginning of the year. Students can benefit from the site as well, so they should be aware of the features.