Creating a Content Management System to Support K-12 Teachers Implementing a Web Enahanced Classroom
By: Marc T. Drescher

Abstract: Increasing teacher communication outside the classroom will elevate parent involvement, student test scores, attendance, and more consistently completed homework. The way in which teachers communicate with students and their parents has not changed over the past twenty-five years despite drastic changes in newly developed technologies. Many teachers do not possess the skills necessary or do not have access to the resources needed to effectively use technology for communication.

This project identifies ways to increase this communication using the World Wide Web and the Software As A Service (SAAS) business model. Using the instructional design process, online communication tools are identified and implemented into a course management system to support K-12 teachers implementing a web-enhanced classroom. Giving teachers the ability to create and maintain an effective web-enhanced classroom has several pragmatic and pedagogical benefits. Web enhanced classrooms extend the realm of possibilities outside the classroom to increase communication and enrich instruction.

Applications of Technology to Linking Schools, Families, and Students

Abstract: Parent involvement is considered one of the most powerful means for improving schools and for increasing the satisfaction of parents and the community. However, barriers of time, schedules, and resources have put limits on effective parent involvement.

To address these problems, telecommunications technology has been applied to increase parent–teacher interaction. Voice messaging (“voice mail”) is now an established way to open schools to virtually all homes, using the telephone to assure easy connectivity. The Transparent School Model, the original plan for using these linkages, can produce a high level of school–home interaction and can give positive results in student performance and parent attitudes. New technology applications are also emerging, where computer devices in the home give access to the Web, the Internet, and other resources.

As cable delivery and addressable set-top devices become more available, schools can become much more open to homes and the community. With a new integrated technology model to link schools, families, and students, the barriers and gaps can be reduced or eliminated. Parents could have their choice of several delivery channels, and teachers would be able to provide remote access to the learning experience of the child with modest additional time and energy.

This paper looks into the near future at new means of information exchange between schools and homes while demonstrating the feasibility of using current technology to link teachers and families.

The Presence and Purpose of Elementary School Web Pages

Abstract: With more and more schools gaining access to the Web, the use of the Web is becoming a viable tool for exchanging and displaying information among schools. This study examines trends in elementary schools’ presence on the Web. Findings suggest that most educators use their Web presence to display information about their schools. Few educators take advantage of their school’s Web presence for increasing students’ communications skills, motivation toward writing, organizing and synthesizing skills, cultural understanding, and authentic learning experiences.

The Effects of a Teacher-Created Web Page on Parent Communication: An Action Research Study

Abstract: The purpose of this action research study was to determine why parents use or do not use a teacher-created web page as an informational resource, as well as how teacher-created web pages affect communication among parents, teachers, and students. Participants in the study consisted of ten parents/guardians of second-grade students. A survey was administered both prior to and after the intervention to determine what, if any, effects the web page had on communication. Parents were also asked to complete a questionnaire consisting of open-ended responses concerning those components of the web page they considered most beneficial. Parent interviews were conducted with five of the participants to gain further insight into the perceived usefulness of the web page. A teacher log of observation during the study allowed reflection concerning the implementation of the program.

Based on evidence obtained from the surveys, questionnaires, and interviews, participants in the study viewed teacher-created web pages as an effective form of communication with schools. The most beneficial components of the web page were the classroom calendar and the one-to-one correspondence area. Parents stated that knowing what their children were learning about and how their children were performing academically helped them to stay more involved in their children’s education.

Supporting Parent, Family, and Community Involvement in Your School

Abstract: Research regarding the effects of family involvement on educational outcomes has shown that parent involvement makes a difference in children’s academic achievement.

This guide provides ideas and suggestions taken from research on family and community involvement in schools and can help school staff and others design a long-term approach to garnering the positive involvement of all concerned. These ideas represent the tip of the iceberg of what is possible. There are as many solutions for creating a comprehensive plan to involve parents, families, and the community in the education of children, as there are schools. Each school has its own demographic mix, community context, and history. Following are ideas that can be modified and expanded upon to suit the needs of the school.

Using the Internet to Improve Homework Communication and Completion

Abstract: Because the Internet offers a direct, effective, and novel method for communicating varied information that can be accessed at the convenience of its users, it can serve as an interactive tool for individualizing homework and supporting the involvement of families in the homework process. This article provides guidelines and examples for using the Internet as an interactive tool for facilitating comprehensive two way communication between teachers and families regarding homework.

The Web-Enhanced Classroom

Abstract: The combination of online activities with traditional classroom instruction is commonly referred to as web enhancement. Students with access to both traditional lectures and an online environment fair better academically than students instructed either entirely in the traditional classroom or entirely via the Internet. Webenhancement incorporates the best of two worlds; efficiency of student administration and an enjoyable, flexible learning environment that embraces the diversity of student learning styles.

Web-Enhanced Learning Environment Strategies for Classroom Teachers

Abstract:This paper presents a model for conceptualizing the components of the WWW and merges resources with six sound pedagogical classroom practices. Six Web-enhanced learning environment strategies result from this merger. The resources, the pedagogy, and the strategies, along with examples, are explained in detail.