Educator Websites Friend or Foe?

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Educator WebsitesFriend or Foe?

• Presented by
• Jeff Gullion
• Instructor, Information Technology
• Des Moines Area Community College
• IBEA Conference October 15, 2005

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The Good The Bad The Ugly

• The Good
• What you like and what most people like about
  websites
• The Bad
• What you dislike and what most people dislike
  about websites
• The Ugly
• Oh my gosh! Somebody really paid money for that?

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What do you like about websites?The Good
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• What do you dislike about
• websites?
• The Bad

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The Ugly

• Learn from the worst!
• http//www.webpagesthatsuck.com
• Books
• Articles
• Web sites

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Website Design Guidelines

• Websites are about communication
• Websites are about content!
• Depends upon how you intend to use it.
• Efficiency and Usefulness are the key!
• Usability
• User Friendly
• Useful Content

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Website Design Guidelines

• Design is about personal preferences
• What one person doesnt like the next one will.
• You cant please them all, just try not to
  irritate most of them!
• Style your site for how YOU will use it
• Experience is your best bet! Use and do what you
  like!

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Content Suggestions

• Syllabus
• Assignments
• Reading suggestions
• Class related materials
• Time sensitive material
• Resource Links
• Related material or websites
• Other instructor websites
• Other courses or related courses
• Other schools

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Cool Tools

• Instant Messaging or IM
• Blogs
• Message Boards
• Polls
• Class related
• Humor
• Current events http//www.aol.com
• Quizzes
• Daily comprehension checks Practice questions

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Cool Bells Whistles

• Videos
• Mouse?
• Keep them small and limited
• Give your visitor a choice!
• Audios
• Are they relevant and small?
• http//jeffglover.com/ss/sucky02.php
• Give your visitor a choice!!

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Dos and Donts

• Match the Content to your class/course!
• Use it!
• Use it in your class!
• Use it yourself!

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Dos and Donts

• Dont ignore it and hope it goes away!
• Dont make fun of it.
• Dont make it bigger than you can keep updated
• Dont make it something you cant use.

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Dos and Donts

• Have a purpose and a goal for your website
• Be able to discuss what it will do
• for you as an instructor
• for your students
• for your class or course

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Most Annoying Issues

• Msspellings and Typose
• Too wide for standard monitor horizontal scroll
• Poor legibility
• Hard to read font
• Poor contrast between font and background
• Busy Background
• http//www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/9448/back.h
  tm

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Most Annoying Issues

• Home page without content
• http//www.angelfire.com/rebellion/babb/
• Home page / Splash Page
• Advertising
• Ads
• Pop Ups
• Pop Unders
• Broken Links

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Most Annoying Issues

• If the page isnt finished dont display it!!!
• http//www.cs.utah.edu/gk/atwork/
• Do you really want to tell people you havent
  done this yet? Oh, my house isnt clean yet!
• Google 154 million pages with under
  construction

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Most Annoying Issues

• Any blinking icons!
• Hit counters
• Bad for small sites Doesnt anybody come here
• Too easy to set
• Distractions from your websites purpose!

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Print Media vs. Web Media

• Print media is different from Web Media
• Text presentation on a web page
• is broken up by headings
• is shaped into lots of punchy, single idea
  paragraphs
• puts key phrases in bold face
• bullets key points
• avoids jargon and rhetoric
• is straightforward, and
• is short.
• Paper Eyes focus on upper left corner
• Monitor Eyes focus on center of screen

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Best Practices Summary

• Know what your website will do for you!
• Know what you are willing to do for your website
• Make the content useful to you and your students
• Keep it simple and focused
• Grow it as your usage grows

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Best Practices Summary

• Learn the tools as you need or want them
• Use the website!
• Believe in what it will do for your and your
  students!
• Have fun!
• Go to class! Learn new things from your
  students! Use the Internet where appropriate.

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Educator WebsitesYour Friend!

• Presented by
• Jeff Gullion
• Instructor, Information Technology
• Des Moines Area Community College
• IBEA Conference October 15, 2005
• jhgullion_at_dmacc.edu