If so, how?
If not, why not?
I thought about this as I drafted an outline of the math program routines this morning in response to a parent question. The question drove me to think about all the elements included in our daily, weekly, and yearly math routine. Over the years I've continued to develop and prune the routines to reflect the research and teaching I've done. In a sense I keep what works and tweak and/or eliminate what doesn't work well.
The program development is reflected on the class's Magnificent Math Website, an open resource for students, family members, colleagues, leaders, and community members who want to know and understand what the program entails. In an effort to respond to the question and with the knowledge that one parent's question is usually shared by many parents, I added the program outline to the website so that all parents would understand the elements that make up the fifth grade program.
Then I began to think more about the website wondering if it serves its role as a resource well. Truly I think it's still a bit confusing to navigate and I'll continue to work on that. Yet, from a teaching standpoint, the website continues to include the best exercises, videos, experts, games, and other information that I have found to date to provide a worthy, blended program that reaches for mastery in all CCSS standards as well as enrichment for students ready for more.
Creating and developing a website that mirrors your curriculum program creates a vehicle for efficient share and greater depth when it comes to promoting a blended program with the entire learning team including students, family members, colleagues, leaders, and community members. Unlike its ancestor, the file cabinet, the website's transparency provides much more potential for discussion, discernment, debate, and eventually improvement of the site's resources and, in turn, the overall learning design and teaching.
How do your content websites mirror your teaching/learning program? What strategies for website design enhance the access and use of your website when it comes to learning the material or coaching others to learn? What routines and process do you use to introduce your websites and to update them on a regular basis. Thanks for your share in this regard.
