EDCP 820 Final Exam

Geri Keane

Winter Semester, 2003

Question1.

During this class I have learned many thing about developing and preparing a website.  There were difficulties along with successes.  New ideas were explored and shared relating to creating and maintaining the site, how teachers can use a website and what makes one site better than another.

While we were learning how to develop and maintain our web sites for class, I had the most difficulty in remembering all the different avenues to check when a problem occurred.  I feel that I understood the concepts of the organization of the web sites when it was explained.  I had subdirectories (when they did not get accidentally deleted).  I renamed my graphics when I had to so the graphics would show on the web site.  I realized I needed to upload and refresh when I made changes to the pages.  The biggest problems I had developing and maintaining the site was when I did run into an error, not remembering all the different areas to check to try to find the problem.  For example, were my hyperlinks typed correctly or did I refresh the page after I uploaded a new version.  I do have to say though, that finally by the end of the class, I would remember more ways to troubleshoot before I had to ask for assistance. Most of my problems though were where things were linked to and if the links were typed correctly.

Without having worked with any other specific web deigns programs I cannot say that one is better than another.  From my perspective, I would have to go by the advice of others who have more experience.  I have heard from others in class that another program may be easier than using Front Page.  Other servers might also be better than Geocities.  Even if these programs and servers are better in one way, they are probably not “the” perfect one to use.  I liked the way we learned to use Front Page and Geocities by just doing it.  Talking about how to design a web page is somewhat helpful for basic instruction, but the best way to learn how to do it is by trial and error.  It was very helpful to have people learning that had different levels of knowledge in the area.  We were able to help each other out and bounce ideas off each other.  Since there was a wide range of interest and skills in the classroom, it was also nice to see other peoples work for ideas.  S

Teachers can use a web page in a multitude of ways.  One way is to use a web page as a means of communication to both the students and the parents.  Daily homework assignments can be posted.  Teachers can provide the students and parents with relevant web sites relating to the assignments or activities that are currently going on in the classroom.  Teachers can also use the site to post their weekly/monthly newsletters.  Although teachers can do this, they must also realize that not all parents have access to a computer or the Internet. Teachers should also communicate with the parents and students with a hard copy of the same materials.  Another way that teachers can use a web page in their classroom is by developing a web quest for the students.  Web quests can be made to fit just about any subject that can be found on the web.  Teachers need to make sure that there is a variety of web pages as resources for the students in case on of the sites is down.  Therefore the whole web quest will not be a failure if there are back up web sites.  Web quests designed by other teachers are also available to use. Yet another way that a teacher can use a web page is as a source of information to share with other teachers.  A teacher can create a site of various resources and links in a desired area of education and share these with other teachers.

There are many features that make one educational website better than another.  One feature that is more subjective than others is the viewers personal preference on how visually appealing the site may be.  Some sites may be just more pleasant on the eye for one viewer than it is for another.  The color of the page may grab your attention or be too distracting.  The font in also another factor.  Is the font too large or too small, is the font style easy to read or does the color of the font make it harder on the eyes to read?  Downloading speed is an important feature for me because I do not have cable access at home.  If a page has a lot of graphics that cause it to open slowly, I have often exited the site.  When a site requires a lot of scrolling to access materials it can be difficult to read and follow the content.  How the website is organized is also a consideration when I look at a site.  If I have to link through 3-5 windows to even see if I am going in the right direction to locate the information I am look for, often I will not continue.  I also like a site that provides me with other resources in the topic area. 

By deigning and maintaining my own web site, I have learned many new concepts, whether it is about the actual mechanics of the site, the variety of purposes a site can be used for and also evaluating a good site from a not so good site. 

Question 3.

            When using the Internet, safety is a concern for both my students and myself.  There are many dangers that can be encountered while surfing the net.  These dangers can be minimized in different ways by your school district.  Students must also be educated on the different dangers of the Internet.

            One of the risks that students and teachers may encounter while on line is accidentally coming across an inappropriate web site.  Whitehouse.com is a pornographic web site.  I have had students looking up one of their favorite musician and instead of putting in lilromeo.com they inadvertently put in romeo.com and before I could stop it, there was adult material on the screen.  Students and staff also need to know that not everyone they chat with in a chat room is who they say they are.  Many times on the news we hear of sting operation catching someone pretending to be a teenager, when in fact they are an adult trying to meet with the student.  Another threat that students and teachers need to be aware of the possibility of someone getting your password.  If someone gets a hold of a password, they can wreck havoc on your Internet account.  Once in a system with a stolen password, a hacker can do more than damage you account. 

            Our school has some protections to help avoid security problems when using the Internet.  The school has a firewall installed to prevent unauthorized host access. The school also has a filtering system in place to help prevent students from accessing inappropriate web sites.  This system works all right, but staff must constantly be on the watch for sites that sneak by, such as the lilromeo incident.  Once a staff member notices that a site has “snuck” in, we must notify the administration so the inappropriate site can be added to the filter.  The district also has an acceptable use policy that every student and parent must sign before the students can use the computers. 

            There are ways teachers can educate students on the many safety concerns when using the Internet.  Each school should have an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).  Teachers need to explain to the students the significance of these policies.  The students need to understand the reasoning for having an AUP, what the guidelines of the AUP mean and the consequences of not following the rules of the AUP.  Teachers and administration must also follow through on the consequences of breaking the AUP.  Parents also need to be informed about significance the AUP.  If there is communication and expectations laid out from the beginning between the school, student and home, problems can be avoided.  Students can also be educated on copyright laws and software piracy laws.  This can be done in different ways.  Students can research these laws and present their summaries of them.  Discussion of morals often comes into play on these topics.  Is it ok to take someone else’s work with out giving them credit either in a written acknowledgement or with a financial acknowledgement? Everyone else is doing it so why can’t I?   I feel very strongly that teachers need to make every effort possible in educating students about on-line safety.  Obviously how much information and how it is presented depends on the student’s age, but students need to know that there are serious security issues while on line.  These issues can be financial, emotional or physical. 

            The Internet can be an exciting world to explore with vast amounts of information.  When teaching students how to explore the web, teachers must also take on the responsibility of teaching Internet safety to their students.