Do you use a classroom web site?

A very slight minority of teachers report that they use a classroom web site but the difference between the two responses is less than 5%. Classroom web sites can be a convenient way to provide additional information for students, list assignments, post news of upcoming events or activities and allows the students to be independent, self-starters who can be responsible partners in their own learning.

The downside of a web site is maintenance. Not all teachers are tech savvy enough to keep the site updated and many teachers don't have the time to do so. Some school district or school websites have the capacity for teachers to set up classroom websites within the same framework, making it easier and less time consuming for teachers. Even if teachers are posting assignments on a website they must still hand the same information to the students in the classroom. Presuming that every student has access to a computer and can get the required information is incorrect. In inner city schools, in particular, many students have access to a computer only at school, making the set up of a classroom website an exercise in futility.

Another scenario that detracts from the attractiveness of a classroom website is that of secondary school teachers. If a teacher is involved with more than one subject matter and with multiple classes of students, making sure that students are accessing the correct information is a challenge. Particular attention would need to be paid by both the teacher and the student to ensure that students taking Math 9 in block 3 don't confuse information intended for students in Math 9A in block 4. This would put extra unnecessary stress on already over-taxed teachers.

The benefits of classroom web sites are multiple and in the future perhaps more teachers will take advantage of this form of technology. In the meantime, teachers will continue to do what they've always done: instruct our children with hands-on learning using a variety of techniques and tools. Web sites are just once such tool that teachers can bring into their arsenal.