Monday, November 3, 2008
Web Pages - Bergstrom
Through out these courses I have had the opportunity to look at a variety of web pages for various schools. It seems that the web pages vary based on the experience of the creater and the amount of time and effort they are able to put into it. Some web pages are simply amazing. I do not know how one begins to manage all of the information and links that are offered. The web page for my school is very basic. It includes information pertaining to AR, reading invitational book lists, copyright informatoin, an introduction to the WPCE news crew, and media center rules. Regardless of whether there is an abundance of information or a minimal amount, the key is to have a web page that is user friendly and informative. Simply loading a page with pictures, flashing neon graphics, and links to various sites does not make it practical. The page needs to be designed to meet the needs of the users. While this can be done in a creative way, the key is to be useable. In the event that I am responsible for designing my own web page, I will definitly start out on the minimalist side, adding additional information slowly.
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3 comments:
Jodi, It looks like we are in agreement with creating a web page that is not too flashy, overstuffed, and filled with useless information. As I was reading up for this blog, the first suggestion made was to look at other school's web pages to see what you liked and didn't like. I just read Tami Jane's blog from the four Georgia Peaches group, and she had some great suggestions to include on the page as you get started. The one thing that we all should have is a link to the local library- thanks to Tami's suggestion for that! Starting small and adding as you need seems very logical.
Dorina
I agree that experience in web design can make a lot of difference. Even beginners need to strive for a functional neatness, and your idea of slowly integrating one element at a time is smart for someone who is learning while they create a site. A media center’s website does need to focus on useful and interactive information for its audience. However, there may be a second option for creating a website for teachers to use from the media center. Since teachers rarely need the same type of information and tools that a parent or student may need, a wiki or a blog may be more in line for what a teacher needs. The great thing about both of these is that teachers, if activated, would be adding a lot of content for each other. This in turn minimizes the media specialist’s role in the process. There are also a lot of host sites for these types of pages, and typically they have templates and preset formats. That also helps a beginner media specialist with the aspect of web design. This is just one way that someone could meet more needs of differing audiences with less work.
Jodi, your comments about user friendliness are right on. Some pages may have great eye candy but lack ease of use. Also, tailoring the school’s media center to meet the needs of your particular patrons is priority one. Many considerations have to be reflected upon, such as the age of your patrons and their skill at using the technology. I am going to find out who authors our school’s media center page and suggest we place info about our news crew and copyright rules. Paul
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