Journey of a School Website

I have been designing websites since 1992. Started out on the Prodigy service, when I created our family page and added my first audio file with the cries of my newborn daughter, so my father (in Germany) could hear his granddaughter for the first time. Since then I created and designed websites in plain HTML code, MS FrontPage, Dreamweaver and over the last few years through WordPress. I attended the Web Design and Development program at a Junior College, went to seminars that specifically dealt with educational web design and took graduate classes in web design as part of my Masters Degree.

6 years ago, I was hired at my current school as a Spanish teacher and as a webmaster. I designed the entire school website (1000+ pages)  in Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

Old website had the following characteristics:

• Each teacher had their own website, with its own layout and design. If teachers wanted to change the look of their site, or a new teacher was hired, I had to design, modify or create new pages from scratch.
• Every update had to be approved by the office and channeled through me to format and upload via FTP to the site. No last minute news update.
• No update was possible if I was out of town or country. When, due to a hurricane,  school was canceled and knocked out power to my house, no news flash of school cancellation and re-opening was possible.
• The website shell, the non-password protected area was static and changed little to not at all over 5 years.
• Classroom pages (all password protected)  would be updated between once a week to once a month. Teachers had to be reminded to send in updates in a timely manner.
• Digital version made available online of weekly newsletter sent home as a paper copy.

For almost 3 years, I have been using a WordPress Blog for Langwitches. Immediately, I understood that the blog format could solve my issues with classroom teachers. As long as they could type a Word document, they would be able to upload their own updates to their classroom site.

In 2007, I set up a self hosted WordPress blog for EVERY classroom teacher.  Each one was able to log into their password protected site and update without having to go through me. I also sent them off to scout out some of the WordPress themes and  layouts.  I then uploaded their chosen  files via FTP into their theme directory. Some teachers have several themes in their directory by now. They can administer their own changes by switching themes  depending on the season or their mood.

We continue to transition…

… Change is important, but does take time.

Understanding the underlying concept of the difference between a blog vs. static website is important,   if we wanted to support our teachers in creatinging  a learning community with their classroom blogs.

While teachers were getting comfortable in updating content, uploading images and embedding presentations and other slideshows, the main school site stayed static and outdated. Prospective parents visited the site to get a feel for the school and for information, but current parents had little reason to visit the site. What a wasted opportunity to communicate with parents and cut down on unnecessary phone calls and paper copies.

It was time to convert the old static HTML site to a better format in order to allow:

• Multiple users in different roles to create, author, review, edit, revise and upload content
• Deliver up to the minute important news flashes to parents
• Allow file downloads for recurring documents
• Showcase and point out digital projects created by teachers and students
• Allow visitors to subscribe to content update via RSS feed or E-mail subscription
• Allow updating from literally anywhere in the world, even from an iPhone, Internet cafe or Starbucks in case of a hurricane or other emergency situation

A website group was formed, made up by people from the school office, who would be in charge of creating, reviewing  and updating current content to the new site.

Here were a few requests from that group. The website should include :

• Flyout navigation bar
• Lots of places to showcase images of events and students
• Search function
• Clean layout
• School colors, matching brochures and flyers
• Include the school logo
• School Calendar
• Easy and direct access to teacher’s individual blog

Here are some other examples of elementary schools, that are  incorporating web 2.0 tools to better communicating to their parent/home community.

Please leave a link to other school sites that you have found in the comment section.

• San Jose Episcopal Day School
• Lewis Elementary School
• Grandview Elementary School
• Pencrest School District
• Cambridge Springs Elementary