Why does my school need a home page?

There are no mandates or laws stating you should create a home page. As a teacher, I know how much time you don't have. However, as a teacher, I would also like to offer some very valid reasons as to why you should spend time on a home page.

World-Wide publishing

Where else can you find such an inexpensive way to publish kid's work to a world-wide audience? Not everyone has access to the Internet from home, but it still is thrilling for students to know that their story, poem, drawing, etc., can be seen all over the world.

It's here, it's now

The increase of the popularity of the World Wide Web has some staggering figures attached to it. We all want to prepare our students for their future. I don't think we can deny that technology is in their future. Creating home pages can give students experience in keyboarding, desktop publishing, hypermedia, converting files and graphics, networking, modem connections, and even programming. Not to mention all of the non-computer skills.

Responsibility

The Internet is not a governed body. It is a conglomerate of businesses, institutions and people who freely choose to cooperate (what a lesson to learn there!) It only survives because people contribute as well as take from it. There is a lot of emphasis today on all the wonderful resources students can find on the Internet. Creating a home page is one way students can give back to the WWW.

Community Relations

Many schools are realizing the benefits of a community partnership. A home page is another avenue you can use to inform the community about what's happening at your school. You can show the world the wonderful things going on at your school. The unique qualities of a home page include timeliness, interactivity and creativity. Your home page can include a calendar of school events which is updated frequently. It can be interactive in the sense that you can actually collect data from visitors. Visitors also have the ability to choose which topics interest them.

Final Note

Make a home page only if you want to. Don't create a home page just because everyone (including Mr. Rogers) has one. It does take time and effort to create and maintain your page. Make sure you believe this is something useful before investing your time.

Questions/Comments?? Please contact al_gonzalez@chimacum.wednet.edu

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