There are so many ways in which a media center web page can act as an invaluable resource for the students, faculty, staff, parents, and community members it serves. The media center website should be a hub of communication for any and all school information and events. It should also serve as a resource that reaches beyond the school by including community events and information.
Basic information, such as media specialist contact information, media center hours, and basic policies & procedures should be included on the media center’s main website. Links to more of the school’s related sites, such as the school’s home page and the school system’s home page, should also be included. A link to the school’s and/or media center’s complete policies & procedures handbook(s) should be included, as should a link to the library’s catalog.
Links to other internet sites and educational resources are very important to include on a media center web page. These resources can include databases (i.e., GALILEO), various search engines, reading program sites (i.e., Accelerated Reader), general educational sites (i.e., Starfall, Eduscapes), social networking sites (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), and much more.
Links to school forms can be included, such as newsletters (for certain grade levels or subject areas), or permission slips (for school events/class field trips). Class information can also be shared via class wikis on the media center site.
Links to community resources could also be included on the media center web page. This could include links to local institutions (especially places where students will be taking field trips), such as zoos, museums, etc. Links to local businesses or organizations could also be included.
Not only is content of the web site important, but I also think it is very important to consider the average age of the student population when designing a media center web page. The layout of the page should be user-friendly, and the site format to achieve this will vary greatly depending on the students’ age groups. A bright and attractive yet simple page would probably suit a younger audience, whereas a more compartmentalized and well-organized site might work best for older students.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteI like your suggestion to consider the average age of the students that will be viewing the site. This is especially relevant at my school. The majority of the students at my school are Hispanic so typically it will be the students that are using the site and not the parents. If the students can not navigate the site they will not use it. I think it also makes sense to divide pages or formats based on age. The information available to the younger students should differ a lot especially when it comes to research information and pertinent content info.
You made a good point in your first paragraph that a webpage goes beyond servicing just the school. It also services the community. A well designed webpage can be designed to integrate the community into the school. This might provide a great opportunity for the media specialist to enlist help and support on various projects.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned several great links, but I believe that some care should be taken in designing the home page so that these links are easily found. The way you have them organized in your blog might provide the needed organization. If a user cannot easily navigate the information, they will quickly become frustrated and quit the search. Also, some care needs to be taken to assure the links are current and active. I get so frustrated to when I click on a link and it goes nowhere.
You also mention your audience. That is a very important consideration and a great tip. The design of the webpage and the links should be age appropriate.
Thanks for the great ideas. The community connection and link ideas would be a great foundation in developing a webpage.
In agreement with the other comments made, the audience will definitely need to be the main focus. For an elementary and maybe even a secondary level, the need to make things a little easier to navigate increases. In most cases, the parents do not enter the site often, if at all, so targeting them will not be high on the list of necessities. However, if the occasion calls for an adult based section, then a small link could be provided for them, possibly just explanations and tutorials on helping the children with research. Never underestimate the power of tutorials. The idea of making the site more community focused is great and something to definitely look into.
ReplyDeleteYou pose some excellent points to consider as we all think about how to create web pages for our respective media centers. In thinking of the web page that already exists for our media center, there are a few pointers we can take from many of the excellent examples that were provided to us for these blogs. I like the slant of making the media center web page a major communication vehicle for the community.
ReplyDeleteAnother component that struck me that I had not considered before is the piece that would allow for classrooms (and possible grade levels and content areas) to provide information for parents, as well. I really like the idea of having permission slips available to parents. In addition to that, several other possibilities exist with respect to that, as well. Perhaps a link to other departments that are not necessarily media focused could benefit from such an excellent resource.
You noted, "it is very important to consider the average age of the student population when designing a media center web page." Absolutely; not just their ages but the needs they have. Elementary students need to have different resources available from those in high school, not only in their appearance, but also the content. You make mention of several potential resources that could/should be linked on a MC webpage; the driving force behind all of those decisions comes back to the patrons being served. An organizational design that helps the different stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, ...) find the appropriate information is just as important as those resources themselves.
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