Week 8 Blog

Creating Valuable Class Web Sites
By Elizabeth A. Baker

Baker discusses 3 different options for setting up a class website. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages. The first option involves setting up a website on a free server, through something like Geocities, Tripod, or FreeWebs. The upside is that you can set up a website for free on some of these sites, but your site may have advertising bars which is often less than desirable. These sites are also much less robust than other website providers. The second option is to create a site on a preexisting website like Blogger.com or Livejournal.com. These templates are more robust and they have tools which allow students to submit material online and interact with the course work in online discussion boards. These sites also have a limited number of features for customization. Both the first and second options are advantageous if you can't afford to purchase server space or if your school does not provide space on its server. The third option is to purchase a software application like Dreamweaver or Frontpage to create your own custom website. These applications give you many more tools for customization, but they can cost a hefty chunk of change, and if your school doesn't provide server space then you will have to buy your own.

I think if I'm operating on the assumption that I'm going to be in the teach profession for a long time, I would go ahead and buy one of the more sophisticated software tools because the long term payoff is probably worth the investment. If I create my own site and I have my own paid for server space, then I don't have to worry about advertisements or limited space or other things that might cut into the site's effectiveness.