CREATING A WEBSITE FOR

MANNING MIDDLE SCHOOL’S COMPUTER CLASS

 
By:
Karen M. Edoff
 
University of Colorado-Denver
SPRING 2010
 
 
 
 
 
 
PROBLEM
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Manning Middle School is not up to date with the 21st century learning practices. 

I started teaching at Manning in the fall of 2002.  In 2007, I became a part of the technology

department.  By fall of 2009, I was a full time technology teacher. I have to admit that prior to

this degree I, just like all the other teachers at Manning, was following the traditional style

education.  My lesson plans followed the state standards, but I knew I could and should expand

my classroom curriculum to include more current ideas and practices.  According to the National

School Board Association, teachers should “focus on technology tools and resources to best

meet the needs of digitally rich classrooms”. (NSBA, 2010)  As the technology teacher, I felt it

was partially my duty to help influence other teachers to try new ideas using technology within

their own classroom. If I could experiment with different but current methods, maybe I could

begin to influence my co-workers to do the same.

For this project, I chose to create a website for each of my computer classes; computer 1 and

computer2.  Even though Jefferson County schools (Jeffco) does provide a “website” for their

employees, it is very limited.  It is really nothing more than a place to upload documents.   It

cannot be added to or adjusted to meet individual needs or tastes.  I wanted something more,

something that could “WOW” not only my students but also my co-workers.  So I began my

mission to create a school based leadership model which supports technology and information

literacy in a “flat world” structure.

 
CONSTRAINTS AND REQUIREMENTS
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Originally, when I first started this assignment, I hosted my own website through

dreamhost.com.  However, beginning in January 2010, Jeffco changed their Internet/Safety

policy.  All educators who are interested in creating an external website must use the Jeffco-

Google account, which is a kid safe place that is only accessible to Jeffco employees and

students; no external viewers can access its content. I made the necessary changes to adhere to

Jeffco rules and regulations and began creating my class website under the new Jeffco-Google

account.

I also wanted my students to learn how to retrieve, complete and/or submit their assignments on

the computer.  The more digital our classroom was the more it would help them achieve the

National Educational Technology Standards for Students.  (NETS-students, 2007)

                 1. Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop
innovative products and processes using technology
 
                   2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work
collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and
contribute to the learning of others.
 
                   3. Research and Information Fluency
               Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
 
                   4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage
projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital
tools and resources.
 
                   5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology
and practice legal and ethical behavior.
 
                   6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems,
and operations.
 MY ROLE
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I currently teach technology to middle school students at Manning Middle School in Golden,

CO.  I am the only teacher in the technology department.  I make all the decisions that affect my

classroom and daily activities.  According to our teacher contract Article 14-8

“Teachers are expected to follow the approved District curriculum

subject matter. Any significant deviation from approved course
content or activity must be consistent with stated course objectives
and State and District Standards.” (NCTQ, 2010)

I designed my curriculum around the state standards supplied by the Colorado Department of

Education (CDE), International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) as well as the Jeffco

standards which incorporate only Jeffco approved software and hardware.

Colorado’s standards can be found at http://www.cde.state.co.us/edtech/download/st-7.pdf. 

Jeffco’s technology standards can be found at

http://www.nsba.org/SecondaryMenu/TLN/SiteVisits/2010-Site-Visits/Jefferson-County-Public-

Schools.aspx

I am also involved with the technology department at Manning which consists of four people;

Kathy Goodnow, math department chair; Marla French, teacher librarian; and Erick Finnestead,

the principal and myself.  We discuss and make decisions about the purchase of “appliances” in

Manning Middle School based upon our one and five year technology plans.

TIMELINE
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 Computer 1 Website
DATE TASK
January 2010 Create website for computer 1
Select location, name, and theme
February 2010 Insert “Paint Project” Data
      Project description and How To’s
Test it on the students, make necessary changes.
March 2010 Insert “PowerPoint” Data
        Project description and How To’s
Test it on the students, make necessary changes.
April 2010 Insert “Excel” Data and “Internet Hoax”
          Project description and How To’s
Test it on the students, make necessary changes.
May 2010 Insert “Final Exam” Data
Test it on the students, make necessary changes.
On going Changes to the curriculum and/or website

Computer 2 Website
DATE TASK
December 2009 Create website for computer 2
Select location, name, and theme
January 2010 Insert “Autobiography” Data
Test it on the students, make necessary changes.
February 2010 Insert “Computer Basics” Data
Test it on the students, make necessary changes.
March 2010 Insert “Tech4Learning” Data
Test it on the students, make necessary changes.
April 2010 Insert “Business” Data
Test it on the students, make necessary changes.
May 2010 Insert “Final Exam” Data
Test it on the students, make necessary changes.
On going Changes to the curriculum and/or website
 

Internship Requirements
DATE TASK
December 2009 Submit Proposal to Brent Wilson
January 2010 Work on websites. Begin Internship report.
February 2010 Work on websites
March  2010 Work websites and finish Internship report.
April 2010 Submit report and project to Brent Wilson by April 8 .
th

 
GOALS
______________________________________________________________________________
 
My goals for this project and in my classroom are:

1. Develop policies and practices to extend the vision and use of technology and
information.
 
2.    Focus on technology tools and resources to best meet the needs of a digitally rich
classroom.
 
3.    Lead the way of technology and information literacy for all students and staff.
 
4.    Form a systemic practice of 21st century learning.
 
5.    Incorporate the NETS-for teachers and students within my daily practice.
 
DESCRIPTION OF WORK PROCESS
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The 2009 TIE conference had a huge influence on this project as well as on my efforts to

improve our technology at Manning Middle School.   The TIE conference had so many great

ideas it was almost impossible to keep from feeling overwhelmed.  But in the end it really

inspired me to be a better teacher.   "Appropriate technology use can be very beneficial in

increasing educational productivity." (Valdez, 2004)  Out of all of the TIE presentations, I was

most inspired by Chris Clementi and her presentation on "Integrating Technology in the 21st

Century".  She was a technology teacher from Colorado Springs.  Within her presentation she

shared with us her class website.  Everything she did was online; all of her projects included

several different types of technology and seemed to be engaging.  At that moment I knew I

wanted my classroom to reflect her ideas.  Even though it was summer vacation, I couldn't wait

to get back into the classroom and try some of the new technology.  

 
After analyzing my class content and researching other technology teachers' websites, I decided

to use these formats for my websites. 

Computer One Class

This class teaches just the basics of a computer.  They focus mostly on Microsoft Word,

PowerPoint, Excel and Paint as well as using good Internet skills.

On this class website there are 5 different pages:

1) Blogs- a list of all the links to the students' blogs

2) How To’s - Several sub-pages of common asked questions on each of the Microsoft
programs

3) Off Topic but Interesting- Various items introducing the future of technology to my
students

4) Projects- All of the class projects subdivided into categories

5) Surveys/Quizzes- Online surveys and quizzes

 
Computer Two Class
This class is an extension of computer one.  They learn about the hardware and software of a

computer and how they work together to make the computer function.  They explore three

Tech4Learning graphic programs.  They also create videos and websites for their imaginary

business.

This class website has 4 pages:

    1) Blogs - a list of all the links to the students' blogs

    2) Helpful Links- a variety of links that may help them complete their projects

    3) Off Topic but Interesting- Various items introducing the future of technology to my
students

    4) Projects- All of the class projects subdivided into categories 

 
Most of the ideas on this website are new to my classroom.  One example is the How To page. 

It’s important for the students to be able to discover the answer(s) to their questions.  This is an

excellent skill to acquire for a 21st century learner. "The new standards identify several higher-

order thinking skills and digital citizenship as critical for students to learn effectively for a

lifetime and live productively in our emerging global society." (NETS-students, 2007).

Most of the projects have also been adjusted to this new style of teaching.  For example all of the

online survey and quizzes are new to my classroom. Each project opens to a due date page and

includes sub-pages for each major step. The sub-pages provide step by step directions which the

students can accessed from any computer with Internet connection. 

  

DESCRIPTION OF OUTCOMES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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Even though I have not yet succeeded in influencing many teachers to switch to an all digital

classroom, there have been a few teachers who have heard and inquired about what I am doing in

computer class.  One teacher has even started to create his website for his classroom.  He has

asked a lot of questions about the process and I have been able to help move him in the right

direction. 

Another goal was to focus on technology tools and resources to best meet the needs of digitally

rich classroom.   Having to achieve this goal provided me with the opportunity to include a

variety of resources within my classroom; such as creating digital quizzes using Google docs and

mystuydio.com.  My students also can create a computer portfolio through Blogger.com.  This

portfolio keeps them organized as well as more likely to submit their assignments on time. 
Lastly I am not afraid to be wrong or have a student show me how to do something.  School is all

about learning, even for the teachers.  The main point is to learn from your mistake(s) and share

what you have learned with others to prevent them from repeating the error.   In March 2010, my

classroom switched from Office 97 to Office 07.  When I tried to demonstrate something in

Word 07, I was so used to the older version there were a few times, I would stumble in front of

the class.  It would never fail; a student would speak out and tell me how to complete the task I

was attempting to demonstrate.  It was a little embarrassing but you say thanks and move on.  In

the end, everyone learned from the process.

 
FUTURE RECOMMENDATION
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This job will never be done.   I would like to continue adding to my How To section of the class

webpage.  Eventually, making all video “How To’s”.  I believe watching someone do a task

makes more sense than reading directions while trying to visualize these steps in the program. 

My goal is to create videos for half of my How To section next year and completing all How To

section by the end of the second year.

 Even though my lesson plans and student activities are good for today’s standards; they may be

outdated in as little as three to five years.  I plan to continue to stay abreast with the current and

ever changing technological practices within my classroom.  To do that, I will continue to follow

ISTE and the CDE technology standards since they provide the most up-to-date information in

the IT world as well as stay in contact with other technology teachers in the Jeffco school

district.

 
REFLECTION
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Converting my classroom to be a digital classroom has been an eye opener.  I realize it can be

difficult and extremely time consuming but the rewards/outcomes in the classroom make it

worthwhile.  The students not only seemed more engaged but their learning capability increased. 

I had more students pass their quizzes, turn in more homework and interact more with others in

the classroom.  I would say the overall energy level of my students and I was amplified.

My biggest and most important lesson was to realize it is okay for the technology to not be

perfect.  Expect mistakes to happen.   I was able to learn from them and provide alternative

solutions when the inevitable technological error(s) occurred.  One example of this, students

were not able to sign in to Google.  Their computers kept giving them an error message.  A

solution was to provide the information on the Manning Server; a place that didn’t require them

to “sign in” to access it.  Having the backup location, offered a quick solution that didn’t require

a loss of class time to fix.

 
PEER TEACHING AND SERVICE
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My whole plan behind this project is to help encourage the rest of Manning to jump into the 21st

century with their teaching practices.  I continually discuss not only what is happening within my

own classroom but also mention ideas that I hear from other ISTE members and share it with my

co-workers.  Although all departments can benefit from these ideas, I usually approach the

English and Social Studies departments because many of the current ideas can be easily added to

their curriculum. 

 
OTHER PEER SERVICES
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Even though I am not seeking a specialist level for the IT endorsement, I still was able to

demonstrate leadership by assisting co-workers through direct instruction at a Manning in-

service, by consulting coworkers on a daily basis, to help them through their technological

problems, and by influencing them to expand the digital role within their classroom.

January 5, 2010 – I was the guest speaker for wikis, blogs and podcasts at
                          Manning’s staff meeting.

March 22, 2010 – I influenced other staff members to take an Adobe training.
Six co-workers signed up and attended.

 
RESOURCES
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Colorado Department of Education. (2009). Standard Seven: Knowledge of Technology.
Retrieved from http://www.cde.state.co.us/edtech/download/st-7.pdf
 
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2007) National Education
Technology   Standards for students (NETS). Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_f
or_Students_2007_Standards.pdf
 
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2008) National Education
Technology Standards for teachers (NETS). Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_
T_Standards_Final.pdf
 
Jefferson County Public Schools. (2006- 2008).  Negotiated Agreement Between
Jefferson County Public Schools and Jefferson County Education Association. Retrieved
from http://www.nctq.org/contracts/21-05.pdf
 
National School Board Association. (2010) Jefferson County Public Schools - Golden, Colorado.
Retrieved from  http://www.nsba.org/SecondaryMenu/TLN/SiteVisits/2010-Site-
Visits/Jefferson-County-Public-Schools.aspx.
 
Valdez, Gilbert Ph.D. (2004) Critical Issue: Technology Leadership:Enhancing Positive
Educational Change.  Retrieved from
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/leadrshp/le700.htm