You will be required to make at least 3 submissions to the Bulletin
Board forum on Creating a Website. A substantial contribution
of on your own ideas or reaction to someone else's comments is required.
Maintain your course journal. As usual, include thoughts, reactions,
questions and comments. Make a note of the content and dates of contributions
to the Bulletin Board.
The portfolio consists of eight sections. The activities at the end
of each section will be combined to construct a working model for
the school library website. This model will not be the final product
but will be a guide and a foundation. To provide assistance, direction
and guidance you will be required to submit each activity for feedback
as you complete it.
You will see each activity marked by this symbol 
Each of the activities is also listed below.
1. Activity: Vision, Philosophy and Scope
Vision and Philosophy Section
In this activity you will be examining your purpose and vision.
What is your dream? What is your vision?
What is your passion? Why are you creating
this website? What educational philosophies are important to you?
Who had, has, and will have input? What is the purpose of your site?
Who has defined this? What can your website provide that is unique
and special?
Give an indication of your long term vision. Include any special
extra items that your website will do that no other can. Now is the
time to dream. What are your hopes and your vision of the future?
2. Activity: Infrastructure
Infrastructure Section
In this section you will be considering preparation and planning.
Who will be involved in decision making and planning? Do you have
support from administration, IT and library staff? Will you form a
committee? How will decisions about content and design be made? What
staffing allocations are there? Find out what exists and what will
be provided. Do an audit of necessary software and hardware. What
funding is available? What software are you able to use or purchase?
What hardware can run that? How will your site be hosted? If you are
hosting the site, do you have the server to run it? Who will handle
the technical side of the process?
3. Activity: Audience
Audience Section
In this section you will be finding out what users are expected.
Make a list of the expected users and groups. Why have you chosen
them? Find out which ones will be most interested in using the website
and what they will be expecting. Of those who will you try to target
first? Which ones would you like to add later?
4. Activity: Content
Content Section
In this section you will make some decisions about what you will
be including.
Make a list of the kind of content you would like to include now
and in the future. Why have you chosen this? What have you decided
not to provide? Why? Why not? What will you include, for whom and
why? How will you deal with issues of copyright, plagiarism and censorship?
Remember: Start small -- the site will grow and change. Expect it
to do so.
5. Activity: Design
Design Section
In this section you will making decisions on how your site will look.
Establish a design and style guide. Clarify or consider school guidelines.
Choose or design templates and themes; choose fonts and colours, think
about possible navigation methods. You might want to set up a cascading
style sheet.
6. Activity: Structure
In this section you will be deciding on how you want your website
organised.
Using Inspiration, map out a structure you think will suit
you. Put in headings and sub headings for further folders and files
(keep those folder names short!). Don't panic!! Remember you have
your towel (if you don't know what I'm talking about read Douglas
Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and you will change
and alter it (even though this should be kept to a minimum as it annoys
people when things move!).
By this stage, you can start creating a few folders, files and pages
with possible content.
7. Activity: Evaluation
Evaluation Section
In this section you will be choosing ways to evaluate your success.
How will you decide whether the website is effective? In what ways
will you assess the usage of the site? What will be easy to use, reliable
and easy to interpret?
8. Activity: Portfolio Submission
Produce a portfolio of plans for your website
- based on final draft of the activities which you have completed
at the end of each section
- make sure you include your dreams and vision
- an introductory version of your website
Submit the final version of your portfolio
and your journal now! Add your contribution dates/numbers to the Bulletin
Board.
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Introduction
