Universal Design

I uploaded my index page to the Cogentis website and I got a very good report back. The only area where my site did not pass was in the area of alternate text. A few of my alternate text choices were too short to be supported however they were not long enough to completely fail. The site registered a “warning”. I think that one thing I can do to improve my website is to go back and make sure that all of my alternate text is long enough. There were three instances where it was too short, and the report includes the specific lines. Therefore it will make it easier to go back and fix the issues.

There are a few ways for teachers to make sure that their classroom websites are acceptable and useful for all of their students. First, they need to make sure that if they have an audio component, there is a written component as well. It works the opposite way as well. If you have a student who is blind, having an audio component is essential. Also, in case of a student who is color blind, or who have other issues, it is important to make sure that you do not rely only on color to indicate a specific feature. If a student cannot distinguish certain colors, then there needs to be other indicators such as shapes. Another thing to make sure of is that all of your images have alternate text, just in case a student is using a computer that does not support images. One thing I learned about alternate text is to make sure the length is between 8 and 80 characters long. One last suggestion would be to avoid using any type of plug in when designing your webpage. Not all of your students may have this installed at home and it may not be installed at your local library either. In addition, there is also a possibility it will not be supported on the computers at your school.

Christy

Benefits of Classroom Websites

I think that teachers creating classroom websites has many benefits. Students will be able to easily find links to websites they use in school, worksheets and planners they may need, as well as additional fun educational websites they might be interested in. They can also use it as a backup for homework assignments. Obviously it is important for them to write down their homework every day just in case they cannot get access to the Internet at home. Also, a classroom website is a great tool for making sure that parents are kept up to date on what's going on in their child's classroom. Classroom newsletters and pictures, as well as important upcoming dates (field trips, project due dates, days off, early dismissals, etc.)can be put online for the parents to see.

However, there is one thing that should be taken into consideration. Not all students and/or parents have access to the Internet. For this reason it is important for teachers not to rely solely on their website (or email for that matter) to communicate important information for parents. All information should be sent home from school as well.