Google Sites

Program information site

This week I had to create a website! I'll admit to feeling slightly uncreative and a little frustrated by the process. I certainly will not be making any money in the website design field anytime soon!

My site was created to be an information resource for teachers, staff and parents concerning our upcoming spring music program. This is a big deal at our school and quite the celebrated event! This is a basic design that probably will not be used in reality. Unfortunately there are several steps to go through in order to actually implement this sort of thing in my organization. Here I have created the basics and will explain what I might also add to the site if  I was allowed to do so.

Page one is the general info page. A three month calendar gadget is perfect because this is about how much time the whole school is aware of program preparation. Of course I am preparing much earlier, and in future sites could easily provide updates throughout the year. I would love to begin with my earliest ideas and allow staff, student and even parent input!

Page two lists the actual program and a countdown gadget to the day. Again this could be utilized during the year as adjustments are made to the program. Often I will tentatively plan to use certain songs but then a class or a student will really shine with something new and/or unexpected so I will adjust the program accordingly.

Page three deals with specifics that classrooms will need to know. I send out emails and usually paper memos but these things get lost of overlooked. Having a webpage would be a great resource for this type of information. Classes could also provide feedback and ask questions as needed.

As our organization begins to implement technology I can see this tool being a great platform for our students to interact with the internet. I would love to add pictures of students actually practicing and provide updates on props and set design. It would be helpful to take it truly public to serve as promotion of for the program. I will definitely keep this tool in mind for next year and see if I can make a go of it "officially" with my organization!