Media Center Web Pages
This is definitely a great topic
for me to cover this week. I have a
meeting next week in my county about our school websites. This was a great way for me to dive in and
make some decisions about what I feel like is important and would like to see
on my school media center web page. As of
now, our media web page pretty much is a list of links available for parents
with very little other information. After
doing the reading and taking a look at many different websites it became very
clear to me what I needed to consider changing on our school media center
page. I am very thankful that I recently
gained full control over this at my school and can put these changes into
action. First, I really enjoy seeing a
virtual tour of the media center on the home page. Many parents never visit their child’s school
media center and it is a great way to let them see what is going on in
there. I also think it is a great idea
to have a library blog to keep parents informed and engaged in the media
center. In my past years of teaching I
can remember creating a class web page and not changing anything on it
throughout the whole year. By providing
a blog it keeps it fresh and up to date with current happenings such as,
Accelerated Reader Celebrations, story time visitors, book reviews, book fairs,
birthday book donations, AR class winners for the month, author visits, new
book arrivals, etc. This would give
parents a reason to visit the web page again in the near future. If they know information is going to be added
frequently, it will help keep them interested and curious enough to go back and
look at it again in the future. Next, I
think it is very helpful to parents, teachers, and students to have grade level
resources organized and easy to find. I
really liked the use of Symbaloo which was used on one of the recommended sites
to visit. It is easy on the eyes and
user friendly. It is definitely more
inviting to use compared to just a typed list of links available to use with a
hyperlink. I even wanted to click on
them to see where they took me. I really
like the use of Flickr, Slideshare, FriendFeed, and Youtube to name a few, but
I do not think it is necessary to use them all on the media web page at the
same time. For me, it becomes to “noisy”
and hard for me to focus on the key components and what is important. I kind of just want to give up before I even
click on them all. I think it is
important to keep in mind what you really want the visitor to know, learn, or
be able to do when they visit the web page and think of which method would be
the best way to deliver that information.
It is possible to have too much of a good thing. I personally like simple and organized with
something eye catching.
Hi Heather,
ReplyDeleteI agree the websites are one of the best way to get information "out" to the world. Given the day of smart phones, people can access websites from basically anywhere. After looking through many sites, I have found that most media centers have too much information and it is not organized well. There should be a few main areas, with perhaps a menu, that sorts what is offered. I completely agree that a virtual tour is a great thing for the media center to post. I also think that book fair information, an explanation of AR, and lists of how the media center contributes to the success of teacher and students is essential. Often times, I think that the SLMC pages get hidden within all the links offered on a school's website. It would be smart to add all events to the school wide calendar as well as requesting that a cute banner be added on the main school page. I am sure that most principals will be supportive in this.
Well done,
Meghen
Catherine Page’s response to Team 3, Blog 2, Student 3 (Heather Kinard):
ReplyDeleteHeather, you got me thinking with your idea of putting a virtual tour of the media center on a web page for the media center. This is a wonderful idea, and I’m going to steal it when I get a chance. When you brought this up, the first thing that came to mind was how much real estate has changed because of internet marketing. I like to ‘tour’ properties by looking at their online pictures, and would be much more inclined to actually go view a home that I’ve previewed this way.
Likewise, other businesses and organizations highlight their facilities by posting virtual tours and picture galleries. It’s a great way to bring in business and/or create a community presence. So why should the library be any different? In fact, I think the media center needs this even more!
That being said, I think it’s a no brainer that the media center has a web page. In fact, what about having the school web site actually launch FROM the media center page? Wouldn’t that be cool? But at the very least, provide a prominent and alluring gateway to the media center web site from the school’s web page.
Some of your other ideas, like providing grade level resources on a MC web site are right on. If the teachers became accustomed to looking there first for ideas and resources, then the site would soon become indispensable, and so would the person maintaining it. Let the teachers sign up for equipment, resources, and seat time on the web site instead of having to physically walk down and sign up on paper. Convenience and utility.
Also, I took a look at Symbaloo since you mentioned it. I watched their screencast, and I think it’s a really great idea. People love organized categories, and the tile layout makes it easy and enticing. Would the media center have its own Symbaloo on the web site? A general one that provides easy access to educational sources? Or are you suggesting that students and teachers create their own sites from a link found on the media center web site? Or both? Either way, it bears looking into.
Super blog! You have given me a lot of ideas for creating my web page for my LMC. Unfortunately for me the MC before me never created a page. So I have committed myself to creating it over the summer. I like your idea of a blog. We have a twitter account in our district as well as FB and are encouraged to post there. In order for the good news to get out about our LMC I must find a way to get parents to follow us on all of our social media sites. I am a mother of three and I think social media sites are a great way for parents to feel good about their child's school by getting constant updates about the great things going on. In addition to instructional links on the website I think it is important for students to have an input in order to increase their usage of the site. I am going to allow my students to give a brief summary/book talk about a book they have read and enjoyed along with the principal's book pick of the month. Thanks again for the ideas.
ReplyDeleteHeather, you have some great thoughts on the LMC web page. All the web pages in my system are streamline to look very similar, but there are ways around them looking too sterile. The virtual tour of the media center, the use of Flickr of students in the media center, and even a photo gallery of student work are great ways to spruce up the appearance of the page. I also think students and teachers should have a level of interaction on the LMC web page. In another response, I suggested linking a wiki. I love the idea of a blog for discussion of books, new technology, and even suggestions of what the students and teachers need from the media center and the media specialist. I view the media specialist as an invaluable resource in a school, and the LMC web page should be an extension of him or her.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think we are all in agreement that a Media Center needs a webpage! In this day and age, I feel like all classrooms should have a webpage, and the MC is like the mega-classroom of the school! You have some really good ideas here, too. I agree, simple is a good thing! We don't want to scare away our audience, so we have to make it "user-friendly." I think a regularly updated blog is a great way to keep your audience in-touch. I know parents would definitely appreciate knowing where they can go to get updates about what is going on. Also, the virtual tour is something I haven't heard of, but really love. With careful planning, the LMC webpage can be an excellent resource for students, parents, and teachers.
ReplyDelete