Web Design for Schools - Optimizing teaching and learning

Course details

On completion of this course, participants will learn the techniques involved in creating, editing and manipulating a school and class website. They will also learn how a website can be used in the classroom to engage children in learning and encourage whole class participation. As part of the course, participants will search and source resources to be used in the creation of the school and class website for use in cross curricular teaching and develop lessons plans to integrate the website into the classroom and everyday teaching. There will also be an introduction to photography, images and photos into the delivery of the Revised Curriculum.

Course Modules

Module 1:

• Understand more about the internet and its potential for education
• Learn about Kompozer and be able to install it
• Know the five steps to putting your school online
• Understand what Domain Name Registration is
• Be able to contact and organize web-hosting for the school site
• Gather and analyse the evidence required for the self-evaluation of your teaching

Module 2:

• Start the process of creating your first web page
• Create and format text, add images, using backgrounds and colour
• Learn the practical skills for adding a navigation bar and creating links to other classes pages and other external schools websitesAdd HTML code to play an audio file / podcast of your classAdd HTML code to play an slide show created by the whole class
• Write a short document outline the weaknesses and strengths of your current teaching method

Module 3:

• Understand CSS and the importance of it to maintain consistency through the schools website
• Create your first style sheet
• Be able to upload the school website files to the server Learn how to test the website
• Writ"e a short self-evaluation report

Module 4:

• Learned some of the most important tips on best practice through visiting and discussing award-winning school websites
• Learn how to check a website for accessibility issues
• Gain the skills to commence adding advanced content
• Devise a development plan to improve on the weaknesses identified

Module 5:

• Learn how to optimise the class and school website
• Know where to source useful resources and educational websites
• Understand how search engines operate
• Gain some practical optimisation tips
• Create the first page of the class/school website
• Outlined the implementation and monitoring plan that you will use during the next academic year to ensure you improve on your teaching

Assessment

Each module will require participants to contribute a post to the course forum in response to a question posed by the course facilitator. Each question will require critical thinking and stimulate discussion among the community of learners, all of which will be discussed using the moderated forum and will in turn develop a community of practice. During the course, participants will answer multiple-choice questions to encourage knowledge retention.

To complete the course, each participant must undertake a significant assignment based on all modules. This exercise will take the form of a reflective exercise, creation of a lesson plan to be used in the following academic year, which will provides an opportunity for the participant to analyse:

• Their key learning points from the course
• The subject of the course in terms of their own experience
• Practical examples of how they will apply what they have learned in their classroom in the year ahead