Subject of the Project: “Creation of a Website for the Serres SDE”
For this school year we chose, within the framework of our projects, to create a website for our school. The reason is obvious. A website would be the window of the school to the outside world. Through this website we could promote our school, the work that is carried out, education material, literacy, laboratories, interdisciplinaries, projects), activities of any natures (meetings, speeches, field trips and excursions, European programs in which the school participates) and well as participants (educators and students).
Course of Project
The importance and the practical value that the elaboration of this project will have for our school was analysed to the students that chose this project.
The students replied to the question:
What would you like the website of our school to contain?
The given answers contained:
- History of the school (foundation, legal framework)
- Information for its operation (equivalence of the graduation degree, lessons, absences, evaluation, literacy fields – educational material, Psychology and Career Consultants, etc)
- Information about educators and students
- Elaborated projects (Projects, Laboratories, Interdisciplinary)
- Events (Visits, Meetings, Speeches, Field Trips)
- Photos from the events of the school
- Useful links (e.g. IDEKE, other SDEs, etc)
- e-mail communication
Various tasks were assigned to the students and they were asked to collect the necessary materials and afterwards record it. The research of the material was done either by the secretary or the educators, which were asked about the educational material they use and for the tasks they have assigned and organized. Moreover, the photographing of the activities at work spaces, as well as of the various events inside and outside the school.
Here it must be underlined that several students had attended the respective laboratory, where training on techniques of websites constructions was held, so there was a relevant experience. At the lab, which operated both years, the students created either their personal webpage or a webpage for their existing or supposed company. The program that was selected was Word, as its handling was easy and comprehensive.
Furthermore, within the framework of the informatics literacy, an analysis and critical evaluation of the websites was carried out, concerning design, easiness of exploring and use, the type of the provided information, aesthetics of webpages, etc.
The students completed an evaluation form, one before visiting the website and one after the visit. The website of OSE was used as a sample. The questions of the form were:
Before the visit
- Public organizations must have websites? What is their utility?
- We will visit the webpage of OSE. Which could be its e-address?
- What would you expect of find at the websit of OSE?
After the visit
- Address – name of the page - issues
- The objective of the webpage is clear?
- Which organization created the webpage? Do you observe any prejudice?
- Did anything from the content of the webpage annoy you? (racist, sexist, propagandistic material, etc)
- Are references to their sources?
- The name of the editor is contained? Can anyone contact him?
- The material of the page is often renewed?
- Is there an option to express in writing, at this web page, your opinion about it?
- Describe how this page could be used in your class.
- Is it proper concerning the level of the class, the use of the language?
- The exploring environment was friendly and functional?
- Could you easily find the information you wanted?
- How do you judge the page’s aesthetic (color combinations, position of menus and submenus, and more generally the appearance of the web page)?
- Compare the content of the web age with that of a similar website (e.g. railways of another European state, a Greek airline).
- Something you would like to comment or discuss in the classroom.
Lastly, the students visited the websites of IDEKE and other SDEs to form a viewpoint.
Evaluation
The students were involved with one of the most basic issues of informatics literacy that is occupation with internet (exploring and search of information). Thereby, they realized the utilitarian value of the existence of a website, which in this case would have an informative character. This resulted to the need their school’s website to be as complete as possible and easy in exploration; furthermore, its design to be such that the future students will be able to made additions and renew it easily.
Educators:
Sotiriadis Dimitrios (Principle)
Kioldelis Ioannis (Informatics Literacy)
Daniilidis Dimitris (Visual Literacy)
Kallitsopoulos Christos (Informatics Literacy)