So I’ve thought and thought about what to blog about for media center web sites. Sure, I could tell you how valuable they are as a communication tool, but you already know that. I could tell you some good design tips, but if you have ever made a PowerPoint, you know the basic ideas of making a page organized, clean (I prefer the term crisp), and easy to navigate. I could tell you what not to do, but it would be easier to show you: Super Bad Website!
There is no lack of ideas on what to include on this invaluable tool; our text already gave us tons of suggestions and even categorized them from needed information to fun additions. I could show you some really awesome websites, but the truth is, after hours of surfing award winning media programs, Dr. Bennett and Dr. Cooper have already posted the best of the best.
If you happen to want more, here is a good one: Connersville Middle School.
This website from CMS in Indiana is very simple, but contains everything! I really liked the one school, one book program (See Watsons – One Book link) and how they displayed the school project.
So what else is there to say? Well, believe it or not, I actually found an article that made me say, “Ah-ha! Well, I didn’t know THAT!” You can read the full article, “Web Design That Won’t Get You Into Trouble,” by Shirley Duglin Kennedy...or you can save time and read my summary.
Did you know that there are some legal issues with web pages? Obviously, there is the copyright topic. Our professors have been stressing this matter since our first class. Some of us can remember thinking, “What’s the big deal? No one will ever see what I give my students!” But when considering a website, it all becomes clear when everyone can see it. Kennedy suggests not taking any photo or clipart that is not specifically listed as free because you don’t know where the picture originally came from. You also can’t change a picture through editing and then call it your own.
Ok, so that was just a reminder. But did you ever think that linking to a page could get you in trouble? Kennedy says that Ticketmaster sued Microsoft because a city guide website linked to an internal part of the Ticketmaster site. This allowed visitors to go straight to the event listings and skip the main page…the page with the advertisements! (If you want to know what Microsoft had to do with this, you can read the legalities here: Ticketmaster v. Microsoft.
Kennedy goes on to tell us about a public library that posted a link to the local newspapers, but declined a request from a private alternative newspaper to also have a link. The library did not have a concrete policy on this though, so in the end the courts ruled that library’s web site was not “viewpoint neutral.”
Kennedy has a great suggestion that I think we should take to heart. We have all worked on our media center policy manuals, but we don’t have a section for our policies regarding our websites. Just as we have a selection policy for educational resources, we may want to write a policy for our website as well. School systems can be nervous enough about all these new web 2.0 tools and having a policy in place before you begin your website (and all those awesome tools) could save aches and pains down the road.
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Oh my goodness, my new favorite website is THE WORLD'S WORST WEBSITE. Thanks for that link. I am going to use it, often. My high school students think that the more stuff they have on their page, the better it is....WRONG!
ReplyDeleteThe legal issues that you discussed were ones that I had not thought about before today. One issue that does concern me, in addition to the ones you mentioned, is the use of student photographs on the website. Even though we have an AUP form on each student and I check them before posting student photographs and/or work I still fill uncomfortable when posting student information on the web. I appreciate you highlighting the legal issues with web pages. I will keep these things in mind when creating my own media center web page.
That Connersville Middle School Media Center web site was awesome! If you did not see all the links on that page, check out this link:
ReplyDeletehttp://web.me.com/cnewton54/Under_the_Influence/What_is_Media.html
This is a set of lessons about media literacy. It looks very helpful and interesting for students. It is designed for TEENS.
I am always looking for sites like this to use in the classroom.
I am glad that you stressed the importance of building a "good" website. Although the quality of content is important, the organization of the site can be inviting or deterring. The example of the "Super Bad Website" reminded of a teenager’s MySpace page. I wanted to leave in ten seconds before I got a head ache. Websites should be user-friendly, clean, and organized. The colors should not be too loud or stressful on the eyes. This doesn’t mean websites should be boring, but too many graphics and unnecessary aesthetic features can distract from the purpose.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I thought the point you made regarding legal issues associated with websites was helpful. I wouldn’t have thought including links could pose a problem. It was interesting to me that a library could be sued for exclusion. I understand that a library should try to represent all viewpoints, but this task is impossible to do when taken to its furthest extent. There is no way a website can post links to media that will represent every rare or bizarre perspective that exists in our society.