Because of the connection with my virtual library research, colleague Dan Fuller recently shared with me an article and development I completely missed. http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6287
Building Blocks to Electronic Communication: A Rubric for School Web Development and Management was released back in March http://www.eschoolnews.com/schoolspanwebsiterubric.pdf
I am hoping this “rubric” marks a shift away from templated content and the paralyzing fear we have of sharing what makes us special and unique–our students and their work.Â
This new self assessment model for measuring the effectiveness of school sites, urges schools to move beyond the print paradigm. It values interactivities, media, community authorship, and Web 2.0 tools. It also considers the importance of graphics, particularly images of students.Â
Regarding sharing student images and written content:
The information students post (often without their parents’ knowledge or consent) on MySpace.com offers significantly more risk than the tame-by-comparison news and photos posted on school or district web sites.
Frankly, it makes no sense to restrict web-based photos that could end up in the daily newspaper or local TV newscast.
According to the eSchool News piece:
The bottom line: School leaders need to make the web an integral part of how they work and communicate with each other and with teachers, support staff, parents, students, reporters, and community members.
