First of all, I like websites to have a strict structure that makes them easy to navigate. I do not like when each new page you visit has a different layout that you have to then figure out. This is not the case with the Carteret School District website. The navigation bar remains in the same place even for each new school website you visit within the district. The color scheme just changes according to the colors of that particular school.
The usefulness for parents is immediately displayed, as the district's mission statement (or the specific school, depending on where you navigate) is front and center. There is also a "Quick Links" menu on the left hand side with a link called "Parent Portal," a link with the staff directory with teacher websites and emails, among other links. There are also two tabs right under the mission statement: "News" and "Upcoming Events" which help parents and students alike stay informed.
The Quick Links menu changes when you move to a specific school's website. It adds a link called "TeacherSites" which provides a list of all the teachers and their websites. For example, from the Carteret High School website, you can click on TeacherSites and then look at Mrs. Alcasid's Webpage (a business teacher). She provides excellent resources for her students. It is an easy way to see her daily class schedule, classwork and homework assignments, and even a calendar of events.
Your search for strict format is a regular expectation for school districts that use professional websites, like Schoolworld. You are correct - structure and organization are important for ease of use.
ReplyDeleteNice analysis of the site, however, I went to Mrs. Alcasid's Webpage http://www.carteretschools.org/webpages/ralcasid/ and couldn't find any actual homework assignments or resources. Maybe the pages don't work on a Mac, or I was doing something wrong? Also "Classroom News" and "Resources" just led to pages that only showed her contact info. Safari and Firefox displayed her site identically. I wouldn't think anything of this except you praised the info on her site.
ReplyDeleteCan you confirm that her site has actual current content?
You alluded to the possibility of detracting parents/students away from the website due to poor design or inconsistent web pages.
ReplyDeleteJust think about the websites you frequently visit (news for example). Would you take them seriously if the webpages seemed unprofessional? It is also the case for school websites.