EDUCATION

No doubt you have already have a classroom website or will be required to create one in the
very near future. Virtually every classroom teacher around the globe is being caught up in the
development of this essential communication tool. Most of the early birds to this challenge went out and used providers such as Teacher Web. Now, more and more districts are implementing a provider that the entire district will use that provides continuity and uniformity. This obviously will have its benefits for staff development but may stifle creativity.

I started about 8 years ago with a variety of services, but about two years ago my district settled
on one software host for us all to use. I dove in and decided to embrace the challenge to develop a comprehensive site that would be useful for students, parents, and teachers. Visit my classroom
website to see how I have put many of the following ideas into place: The Borgeson Bunch. I would like to share with you some of what I have learned during that journey:

The first thing you will need is a website template. My source is School Loop . This was determined by my school district for me. If you are striking out on your own, consider these options:

Hosts

Once you have your blank canvas it's time to start building your site from the ground up. Keep in mind that your site needs to be:

• useful to a variety of visitors
• pleasing to the eye
• and updated regularly

Now you can have fun adding elements that will provide a worthwhile experience for your guests. The following are some categories of elements that successful classroom websites often incorporate.

Audio

Being able to record audio content will give you many options when building your website. You can leave messages for students or parents that can tell about assignments or upcoming events. These tools can be used to create podcast for a variety of needs.