Learn how to take your class website to the next level with student-centered additions.

1. Class Websites…. Get Your
Students Involved
Presenter: Ana Fairbanks, M.Ed.
Elementary School Teacher
Email: afairbanksonline@gmail.com

2. Follow Along with Me Today
 Have your laptop with you today? Want
to review this again later?
 Find my PowerPoint Presentation on
www.slideshare.com

Search: Ana Fairbanks

Scroll down a few slides (about 4 slides down)

Click on: Class Websites – Get You Students Involved

3. Why Have a Class Website?
 Efficiency
 Ownership/Class Community
 Resources
 Connection
 Relevance - Kids expect 21st century classrooms
(and that’s a good thing) Adapted from Jim
Moulton’s article on
edutopia.org

4. Website Components
 Essential Web Pages -  Fun and Useful Extras -
Starting Point Make it Work for YOUR
Classroom
 Home Page

Class News
 Spelling List
 Website Collections
 Homework
 Web Quests
 Parent Page  Book Lists

Newsletters

Contact Information
 Blog/Journal*

Links – Online Scholastic
 Learning Tools
Book Orders  Art Work/Student Work

Back to School Night Examples*
Information

5. Taking it to the Next Step…
Communication
Student Ownership Informed
over Learning Parents/Students
Home-School Link

6. Getting Students Involved
 Web-Quests
 Internet-based lessons and
activities

home-school connection
 Can be used as an
anticipatory activity, review,
exploration…
 Step-by-step directions help
students complete tasks
independently

7. Getting Students Involved
 Class Comments
= Class Blog/Online Journal
 Provides an opportunity for  Important – Consider the
students to provide input best ways to keep all
 Lesson/Theme-based messages organized and
 Essential Questions all students accountable
 Students get to be “heard” for their words

8. Getting Students
(and Parents) Involved
 iPad App – Educreations
 Visual-Audio Lessons
recorded on iPad
 Can be saved and uploaded
to Internet
 Teacher-lead or Student-lead
Lessons
 Student/Parent Help at home for
homework

Ensure lesson delivery with
subs
 Active student involvement

9. Make Your Website an
Information Hub
 Spelling List  Website Collection
 have a different  keep a running list of
student type up the helpful websites
weekly Spelling List students can use to
onto your class support their learning
website each week  have students find
and add (w/ approval)
suggestions
 provides a go-to when
parents are looking for
extra ways to help their
child in specific areas

10. Make Your Website an
Information Hub
 Homework Calendar  Class News
 Keep a record of  Weekly Schedule

daily assignments, and/or Newsletter

upcoming test  List current Units and

project due dates Projects, with links to

class and school support learning
activities/events  Recognize Student
 Project Directions Achievements
 Upload PDF and/or  Assign a student to
Word Document copies
type up a “Blog”
of all project directions
& rubrics entry for each week

11. Make Your Website an
Information Hub
 Parent Page
 Weekly “Note from the Teacher”
 Instead of sending a paper newsletter or email to
parents each week, direct them to the class website
 Anything parents need to know should be posted
here, with links and attachments as needed
 Back to School Night Information
 Upload your Presentation Slideshow (in case
anyone couldn’t make it)
 Make a list of “must remembers” about procedures
and routines that are most important
 Include a list of the class supplies needed for the
year

12. Example Class Websites
 5th Grade - Shutterfly.com
http://mrsfairbanksfabulousfifthgraders.shutterfly.com
 4th Grade - Weebly.com
www.fourthgradefrogs.weebly.com
 All Grades
http://www.amazingclassroom.com/examples.asp

13. Get Started Now, Use it Immediately
 Level 1 – Provide Information
 Add a new component to your website
which will keep students and/or parents up-
to-date on what’s happening in your class
 Level 2 – Create a Web Quest
 Using a current unit as inspiration,
research, organize, and create a Web
Quest for your students to complete…
tomorrow.
 Level 3 – Upload an Educreations
Lesson using your iPad