Teachers often struggle to utilize the web to extend opportunities for learning that relate to their efforts in the classroom. Creating an online environment can provide powerful ways to engage students and enhance learning outcomes. It is also an excellent way to inform and communicate with parents and community members. New standards and indicators for 21st century skills emphasize the importance of teachers and students using online environments to connect with people and learning resources beyond their classroom walls. Also, research has shown that, for the vast majority of students, publishing their writing online leads to improved writing and showcasing student efforts online has been show to increase their positive feelings about school and learning... do we really need more reason?

A decade ago, when I created my first class website, there were few choices for how to create it and almost all of them were hard to learn and hard to maintain. Today, after a decade of improvements and innovation, the problem is not the difficulty level - it is the vast number of choices that are out there for building an online presence. Website, Blogs, Wikis, Portals, Social Networks, ... each with many tools to choose from. The good news is that most have become as easy to use as typing up a newsletter... some even easier and certainly more dynamic. In the column to the right are tools that I would recommend as starting points for teachers. Start simple! I have also tried to provide examples of how other teachers have used these tools. Please contact me if you would like assistance. I would be glad to help out. You can request support through the Helpdesk.

A decade of teacher web design has pointed toward several elements that are useful in a classroom website. Don't let the following list restrict your own ideas or creativity when it comes to the design of your website (*The uniqueness of a teacher's website a key richness of the effort, which will drive and sustain the creation of an online learning environment that is better aligned with your face-to-face classroom learning environment.) The following list is a good starting framework:

• An overview of your class ("About"): This might include a course sylabus, key learning themes for the year, expectations, class rules, forms you give out to start the year, how parents or volunteers can contact you...
• A place to make announcements ("News"): This might include informing people of important events that are coming, spotlighting significant achievements, inviting volunteers and sending thank-yous...
• An online calendar ("Calendar"): Calendaring seems to be a personal habit. Some people organize everything around a calendar, but you should at least try to identify key dates/events for students and parents; homework due-dates, starting and ending points for units, school performances, field trips...

The following take more time, but are worth developing over time. These elements can transform your site from a simple information source into an online learning environment:

• A collection of links to other online learning resources or tools ("Links"): Start by finding a few resources that align with each of the key themes or learning objectives for your class. Be open as you look for resources, some of the things you come across might inspire new class activities or replace old ways of doing things. I always encourage teachers to start with things you have struggled with in the past. Look for resources and ideas that will help improve those weaknesses... I've borrowed almost all of the good ideas I have ;o) As links add up, organization is important... think about how you will expand and refine links as they grow. *Joining an online community that relates to what you teach is an excellent way to pick up new ideas and resources!
• A way of challenging students (" - of the Day"): Who doesn't like a good challenge :o) This is just a reminder to make your site fun and interactive to some extent. Your online environment is competing with some good competition for your student's and their parent's online time. Most kids want to learn things... keep trying different ways to make your site a place they look to for their intrinsic and extrinsic desire to learn.
• A means for showcasing student works ("Gallery" or "Portfolios"): It is important to establish a publishing standard for student works. Research has shown that students will seek to meet standards that result in having their work published online... many of them already publish their thinking and interests online outside of class (ex. MySpace, FirstFoo, Kidtastic, KidsCom...). Remember, most kids today are very visual and works that include images will be important to them. Publishing text-only works have been shown to be of little motivation to the quality of student work. *Ask them to include a few images in their next journal entry or paper... These will also make galleries or portfolios more enjoyable for viewers.