Wide World of Webs

The above gif is a perfect representation of how I was afraid this project would be - me being caught in a helpless snarl and not being able to produce a professional website.  How wrong I was!

First, I liked having a list of available providers to use in order to construct my site.  But word to the wise - saying that a website program is intuitive and easy and actually being intuitive and easy are two different things.  I tried both Wix and Weebly and was reduced to tears by both.  I went to Google Sites almost in desperation because I couldn't find anything else.  And while there was a definite learning curve with Google Sites, especially when it came to editing the sidebar, changing headings and adding approprite banner titles, I found it to be much, much easier than any of the others that I toyed with.  And I liked how easy it was to upload forms and pictures coordinate with other Google products, especially the calendar.

I know I have said before that I am proud of my website, and I am.  It might not be as nice as some of the others in class, but I did it all by myself, which is something that I thought I would never be able to do.  Does it still need improvement?  Yes, but doesn't everything?

I think doing this project was a big confidence builder for me.  Will I ever be able to program in HTML?  No, and I have no desire to do so.  But I can cut and past and do entries in template and add customizations to my site, and I am very happy wih the result.  I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'm going to do another website for my photography and another for our family for when Julia goes away to college this year.  See?  You have turned me into a monster.

Half the battle with technology, I find, is getting past the mindset that you are woefully behind the curve and will never be able to do things like this.  Feel free to use me as your example of someone who was deathly afraid of this project for no reason at at.  Was is frustrating at times?  Heck, yeah.  But so is learning any new skill - there is always a leaning curve.  All that matters is how you approach it.

Webfails

I was surprised and distressed at our review of actual teacher websites.  For the most part, they were just plain bad.  Unorganized, no thought put into them, not updated or, even worse, not utilized at all.  It was very difficult to find examples of good teacher websites for our discussion and presentation.

Teachers, it seem, don't value the power of a well-organized website. Having one that is easy for students and parents to navigate and that is updated on a regular basis is a great tool, and an easy one at that.  I realize that teachers are busy people and that it is easy to criticize a teacher for not properly maintaining a website.  But if you've started one and held it out to parents and students as a resource for using during the school year, it is your responsibility to maintain it.  Not doing so makes you look unprofessional.  I would be embarrassed if I had a website that looked as bad as some of the ones I found looked.

I realize that there are constraints on platforms that teachers can use placed upon them by adminsters and school districts, and for good reason.  But even mandated platforms can be used in a professional manner and from my research they didn't seem as limited as they did at first sight.

Despite my initial reluctance to utilize a website, I now appreciate what a powerful tool it is, both for communication and instructional purposes.  I plan on using mine in my professional life.  I know it is't perfect and needs refinement, but it is a start and I think it will be useful as well when I begin looking for a job as an example of my technical proficiency.