Monday, September 24, 2012
Two Teacher's Websites
In last week's blog I observed at Ms. Lau's webpage and found that it was fun, interactive, and helpful. Ms. Lau's webpage was easy to navigate, and does a good job at integrating learning and fun using videos, Facebook, and even rap songs to learn biological concepts. This page was similar to Ms. Hanson's webpage in that it is also easy to navigate, is interactive using the flashcards to study, that made me feel like I wanted to learn Mandarin, and outlined all of the course objectives. It also has good outside links to a dictionary, and to a typing program. The biggest difference I found between these two webpages is that Ms. Hanson's webpage focuses on the student and the parent. It has sections for the parent to understand what Mandarin Chinese is, and how it is read or write it, and course objectives. Whereas, Ms. Lau focuses on the student, and not at all on the parents.While I do think that it is important to keep the parents informed, and this is a good way to do it, if I had to choose I would also focus more on the student's learning. Both webpages are very good, educational, detailed, easy to navigate, and an extension of their classrooms which is the most important aspect.
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Veronica, I think that Ms. Lau's website was exactly how you explained it: Fun, interactive, and helpful. You could tell right away it was a science teachers website. I think that it was very helpful that she has a section for videos and animations. Personally, I think videos are great tools for learning because it gives you a sense of what something really looks like and not just reading it on paper. Also, having a "whats new, whats due" section helps keep students up to date and ahead of the game. The study aids are always helpful to students when preparing for a test. Overall, Ms. Lau's website had what her students needed to succeed in her classroom.
ReplyDeleteI just checked out Ms. Lau's site, and that video of the bio song is the best! Her site is a lot of fun, and like you mentioned focuses around the student. I agree with your statement on how even though the parents should be informed and have a designated section, the main point of the teacher's website is to provide additional information to the student. Teachers should cater their sites more towards the students' needs and integrate the parents into that.
ReplyDeleteGood observations. Another difference that can account for parent sections - age group. Middle school students still need parent involvement. Her other site was high school level just like the biology class. Another is - I require my teachers to communicate their learning objectives to parents since that is what their students will be assessed on.
ReplyDeleteMs. Lau's site is indeed a lot of fun. The video is a great way to liven the subject matter. But the overall site design does seem a bit dated and amateur. I think in a time where most commercial websites have a certain level of professionalism, it's important to also reflect this in a teacher website, even if the purpose may be different.
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