Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Webpages Outdated?
After linking to the webpages from the three schools located in our march 9th course notes, I was was again impressed with the work being done by fellow media specialists. All three sites were very good and very informative. I then read Dr. Bennent's statement that some people think webpages are outdated and might should even be dumped and replaced with wikis or even blogs. I was surprised to read this. Webpages still have a place in our media centers and school districts. They are created by professionals within the school and can often be the first piece of information a visitor sees about the school. It is with this in mind that I think we should not dump webpages and replace them with wikis, etc. Wikis are a little to democratic for me when it comes to the school or media center as a whole. If the first thing someone visiting the school on the web saw was a wiki, a site that could be accessed by and compromised by an ill-willed student it could leave a bad impression. I think there are some security issues to having the main page be a wiki that need to be dealt with. I still like the idea of using wikis and blogs as collaboration tools and for use with students on projects, but am still holding to the tried and true webpage for now.
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Your post is interesting to me. I read Dr. Bennett's comment as a thought-provoking one...you need to decide what technology you and your school is ready for. I agree that the school website is usually the first stop for a parent that is looking for information. I know that on my kids' school website, the teacher's put in links to their own "blog" as a way to inform students about assignments and homework of the day. Some teachers are very good at updating and some never use it. Our media center website at that school is sadly outdated, I think. It is not a priority for the LMS to get it to look modern and updated with lots of resource links. It does not have any pictures or even list the staff! The good thing about a webpage is that you can add all of the links that you want for other technologies that you are using....I am not sure if you can add everything to a wiki. And, I do agree that there would have to be certain rules with the wiki!
ReplyDeleteMy point is that as the LMS, a big part of our jobs will be keeping current with technology, letting others know about that technology and being a model for that technology. I think we have to keep our options open and be open to using all that we can---because that is how our population of students will be.
Re: Webpages Outdated?
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't think that wikis should replace Webpages altogether. Are we really ready to give young learners the power to alter the site. I do like blogs because that' a communication source, however, I do not think that they should be in the place of a Website moderated by media center personnel. It should be installed in the Website and only be used for research purposes.
I agree with you as well. I wish ideas, ways of doing things, and most technology wouldn't become "outdated" so quickly! There are some things that just shouldn't be done away with, and one of those is webpages. Especially for a school media center, the webpage should be managed by an adult, added to by the media specialist and maybe teachers, and not editable by students. There could, of course, be a wiki that is linked to on the main page that students could contribute to.
ReplyDeleteI agree that for now webpages are best and that rules have to put in to place if media centers decide to use wikis. I think webpages of the future will probably be wikis. The Creekview High School webpage example that Dr. Bennett listed is an excellent example of a wiki as a webpage design. Students like to be interactive, and providing students with blogs and online surveys will be a great way to get students interested in the media center and reading. I would like our school to have a book recommendation blog - a place where students write book reviews. From my experience, students like to read what other students are reading. This would really help those students that ask - what should I read? I get that question a lot from students on book checkout day. I guess the wiki could be linked to the main webpage.
ReplyDeleteWebpages outdated? No way! They are becoming better than ever, when updated with the latest and greatest wikis, podcasts and the like. I suppose I am a bit biased having written a few web pages for educational institutions. But the truth of the matter is that they may migrate to well-monitored wikis, and there will probably be more changes to anticipate, but the primary use of a web page remains the same, in my eyes, which is to say: communication, updates and reference. And we are a web page world!
ReplyDeleteMany school media center webpages are boring. There is nothing that really grabs the student's attention. I think if we are going to reach out to our students, we have to design our pages with them in mind. If you work in an elementary school, include links to popular sites K-5 students enjoy; add some podcasts (even K-2 can do these!); look for ways to make the site interactive. I cannot for the life of me remember either of my two daughters coming home and looking at their elementary school's media center webpage. Now that my oldest is in middle school, I know she has visited her middle school site - the SLM has a blog. Students who respond are entered into a weekly drawing. She also has several student created podcasts on her site. The high school site Dr. B. recommended is great - even has a Twitter link. I visited a high school this weekend and noticed signs posted for students to join the school's Facebook page . . . hmmmmm, wonder if the media center has a link here. If we want the media center to be the hub of the school, we've can't just be in the mix - we've got to plan the recipe and stir things up.
ReplyDeleteWeb pages are a very valuable tool for the school community. They should convey the information that someone needs to help them with school work, or help them make a decision about whether or not this is the right school for their student. The media web page is a second chance to make a good impression. I think the blogs/ wiki's are very helpful for schools who do not have dedicated web space or access to update the school's web site. The wiki or blog gives the media specialist the autonomy to focus on what they see as critical information.
ReplyDelete