Purpose

The intended audience of this web site will be the teaching staff of my building. This web site will contain technology resources that can be used in a variety of content areas. I have seen teachers try to find resources and web tools using search engines with poor results. After sorting through advertisements, resources that are not age-appropriate, and poorly constructed web tools or resources, many of my colleagues feel frustrated with this process. I want to use this site to compile some age-appropriate (fifth and sixth grade) resources that I have found in previous classes and postings in educational technology blogs. To facilitate quick searching through the site, I will include resources that I have used or that come recommended by other colleagues or educational technology bloggers. By removing some of the time and frustration created by using a search engine, I am hoping to make the process of implementing technology in the classroom less difficult. I want to create the site so that it can be updated with new resources as I find them, or as other teachers recommend them to me.

Needs Assessment

I talked with a sample of staff members about how they find technology resources and information online and how they searched for it. This informal survey also included how they use technology beyond the classroom and what issues dealing with technology concern them. I also took into account previous conversations I have had with staff members about these subjects.

Questions:
What kinds of technology resources or web sites do you most often attempt to find with a search engine?
How do you (or would you like to) use technology beyond the classroom?
What issues dealing with educational technology concern or interest you?

Audience

The staff at my building represents a mixture of experience both in teaching and technology use. We have teachers nearing retirement as well as those in their first few years in education. The level of comfort in using educational technology is also a wide continuum. I want this web site to be useful to the early adopters as a source for additional ideas and resources, and as a starting point for those who are less comfortable or fluent with using technology in the classroom. This site could also be a place for those more fluent with technology to share their resources with the rest of the staff.

Content

Based on the feedback I received in the needs assessment, I will include pages on the following topics:

Presentation of Information/Rationale of Organization

The content of this site will best be presented in a hierarchical format that allows the audience to move freely from topic to topic. This organizational system will allow users to go directly to the desired page without having to unnecessarily navigate through pages arranged in a linear manner.

Sample Navigation Panel

A panel similar to this will appear on the left side of each page.

Home

SMART Board Resources

Interactive Activities

  • Communication Arts
  • Math

Digital Citizenship

Communicating with Other Educators

  • Personal Learning Networks
  • Blogs/RSS Readers

Communicating With Parents

Media

I will create a site banner using a graphics program that will display on all pages. The body of the main page will contain a picture of our mascot, a timber wolf. I will use the image at this link: www.photos8.com/wolf_staring-wallpapers.html. As stated in the user agreement, I will publish a link to the website, photos8.com, underneath the photo. I will take any additional photos myself that are needed for secondary pages of the web site.

Rough Draft of The Site Banner
Sample Banner Image

Color Scheme and Rationale

I am using blue (#0033cc) in the website because it is our school color and it is used in our building website. I plan to post a link to this site on the school site and I am using the uniform color to create continuity between the two sites. I used the web tool at http://createafreewebsite.net/html-color-tool.html to generate a color scheme that would work with the blue I have chosen. I will use the neighboring colors #CCCCFF and #9999FF to provide unity within my site and the contrasting color #FF9900 for impact or emphasis. The blue hues will promote comfort and cooperation, along with school spirit, and the contrasting orange hues will provide a sense of confidence and energy.

Color Samples
Color Samples

Outlines of Web Site Organization

Organization Drawing

All pages will have a link to the home page.

Web Site Ouline Diagram
Outline of pages and proposed content:
Home/Main Page
SMART Board Resources
Interactive Educational Activities
Interactive Educational Activities Subpages
Digital Citizenship
Communicating with Parents
Communicating with other educators
Personal Learning Networks (Subpage)
Blogs/RSS Readers (Subpage)


Updated February 12, 2011
Copyright © 2011 Gregory Gilmore
115 Lakeview Drive
Wood Heights, MO 64024
816.630.0437

gagzq7@mail.missouri.edu