Create an Open Classroom
The quickest way to opening your classroom to parents, colleagues and administrators is to develop a classroom web site. There are many companies to choose from, e.g.:
- MyTeacherPages *MY RECOMMENDATION
- Quia
- TeacherWeb
- Scholastic (Free)
- Web Worksheet Wizard (Free)
When you establish a classroom web site with MyTeacherPages, you can:
- send classroom news to many people very quickly, in fact some of the people that read it might not have been in your intended audience, e.g. grandparents, future employers, or teachers from across the world
- organize classroom events on a calendar
- extend student learning by taking students directly to web sites of your choosing
- design polls to gather data and teach students about the power of one person, one vote
- share learning experiences captured with pictures by creating slideshows
- recommend your favorite books to your students
- collect parent and colleague emails to send information instantly from MyTeacherPages, no need to fire up an email application like Micorosoft Outlook or Thunderbird
- post homework as quickly as it takes you to type
- encourage student contributions by connecting a blogging web site (like blogger) to your classroom web site
- archive (have it backed up) news, calendar events, homework etc.
Education has changed, you do a diservice to those in your charge by NOT creating an open classroom. Imagine if you still had to rely on telephone booths to make calls, could you live without your cell phone? Yes, you could, but life would not be as convenient.
If you make learning more convenient, more learning will take place.
I am an Educational Computing Strategist (ECS). I figure out ways to IMPROVE education with technology. 
My Web site
February 2nd, 2006 at 11:25 am
I am excited about learning to use a classroom website. So far I think this is a great tool for the classroom as well as keeping in contact with families all from one site. by being able to post everything you want the students to see, you can eliminate garbage that always seems to pop up unannounced. The only down fall is access for students who do not have a computer at home.
February 3rd, 2006 at 6:34 am
I am excited about learning to use a classroom website. So far I think this is a great tool for the classroom as well as keeping in contact with families all from one site. by being able to post everything you want the students to see, you can eliminate garbage that always seems to pop up unannounced. The only down fall is access for students who do not have a computer at home.
February 6th, 2006 at 5:40 am
Something that I enjoy about classroom web pages is that they can be available to anyone, from anywhere. My niece and nephew live out of town and I only visit with them a few times a year, but I enjoy that I can log on to thier school’s web site and look into their classrooms. I was even able to see my niece’s kindergarten class perform thier winter holiday play, and I was able to leave a message for her (which she loved). I also enjoy clicking through their classroom photo album, hoping I can see them, even though I can’t be with them. This idea of “opening a classroom” is wonderful!
I too agree that it is unfortunate that some students and parents do not have access to computers at home. Sometimes we forget this.
February 6th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
Leah says: The classroom website is a very useful idea because it serves a purpose and in the long run is going to help people become more aware of their educational setting. I had to make a website once that was just about myself. It served me purpose except to be able to know how to make a website. I like that fact that these websites are going to be useful.
February 7th, 2006 at 9:16 am
The amount of things you can do with a classwoom website is amazing! I feel that every classroom should have one because the amonut of benefits it provides is numerous. I really like that anyone can see what is going on, such as the childrens family members that may live near or far. Also, being able to setup design polls to collect data is a awesome idea because it allows children to learn about voting and the power each person possesses way before they are legal to vote. Not only are these two functions neat, but so are all the other items as well.
February 7th, 2006 at 2:22 pm
I think a classroom website is essential these days. I think it’s very important to have it up and running before open house, and that a demonstration should be done there.
Or set up a time when the parents can come in, if open house isn’t feasible. Then the parents can see first hand what essentials are on the website and how to access it. Much like we did on our first day of EDU672. Classroom websites keep parents informed of what goes in the classroom.
July 5th, 2006 at 11:53 am
Classroom websites are no longer a thing of the future; they are here and they are here to stay. They will become an increasingly important part of classroom life both inside and outside of school.
Students and parents can stay actively involved in academics whether the child is home sick or on vacation. No more excuses for not knowing what the homework is or when it is due.
I, too, think it is necessary for newsletters to continue to go home as not all students have computer access at home. So, until local school districts are able to come up with a viable plan to ensure 100% access to computers, paper is still going to be the main mode of communication between school and home.
July 6th, 2006 at 8:22 pm
I think this is the true and obvious future of teaching development. In a continuously tech-savvy and fast-moving world, the accessibility of a well-designed website is the perfect solution to problems with communication and availability of information.
July 7th, 2006 at 2:00 pm
I think that a classroom website is a great idea. It is a useful way to keep in touch with your students, and their parents. However, every family may not be fortunate enough to own a computer, or be able to afford the internet. You may also need to have another means of comunication with the parents and students.
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:29 am
I can’t wait to get started on my web page! The problem also comes down to the school districts that are always cutting budgets and not ready for change in their schools. I think a school web page is a great learning tool for kids. I remember when the apple computer was introduced into my fifth grade classroom. The joys of typing over and over with a shoebox over your hand, to prevent you from peeking at the keys. Wow technology has come a long way, it’s us the new generation of teachers that need to implement new programs in our classroom.
September 23rd, 2007 at 6:17 pm
Looking forward to learning how to use Myteacherpages. We use this at my school and receive a free account but I have not put it to use yet. I am starting to see how it can help my little “digital natives”, not just be informational for parents.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
I am anxious to start creating my web page.
I was wondering if there are so many pictures that are being uploaded to classroom sites, how secure are the websites? I know not all school websites are password protected. How dangerous is that?
September 27th, 2007 at 11:50 am
I am so excited to be starting my own web page. I was not raised in the tecnological era so this is a challenge for me but also gratifying. The poosibilities are endless and as more and more skills are developed and grahics introduced, the web page is an ever changing process that will grow with your classroom and your students.