My classes do not have the benefit of a web site. I have not, at this point built one. The present students, future students and their parents are not getting the advantages that a current web site would provide them. The course that I teach is a "hands on" assessment course. The students manufacture products. If the site was set up to familiarize the students with the safety practices, the procedures to measure correctly, the measurements needed, the steps to build the projects, pictures of the procedures, and rubrics, valuable instruction would have a built in step to help the students recall (the duplicity of instruction). This would be a tool to help the students to reach their potential in the course. Other teachers in my school do have administration approved web sites through the school web site. Some web sites are able to post homework assignments due, missed homework assignments, project due, current test and quiz scores, as well as current grades. It allows parents to track their children's progress and enables instant communication between parent and teacher regarding any questions.
When my courses do have a site, I would like to have a picture library of past projects, many of which were outstanding. I would also incorporate, examples of measurement tests/quizzes, writing assignments and the end of the quarter presentation. I want the students to do well on these assignments and if they have a better knowledge of what is expected from them before it is due, with help from their parents, then the web site has done the students a valuable service. It would also promote the classes I teach showing the connections to other fields of study, which might not be clear without the benefit of a web site. There is no downside.
