Comparing School Websites

McLane HS, Fresno , CA VS. Highland Park HS, Dallas , TX
When comparing the school websites of McLane and Highland Park, they both are very thorough and provide a lot of information for parents, teachers, and students. At first glance, I felt that the McLane was more visually appealing than the Highland Park website because things were easier to read. The homepage for Highland Park had small lettering and links so it was harder to read. Mclane was bigger and had brighter colors which was more visually appealing. However both schools do a good job providing links to get contact information, calender, student activities, academics, and even a link to assist in homework help. Both schools also had their own server where students or parents could log in and access other information. Another thing that I noticed was the many photos that were availble to look at. I know my mom would enjoy looking at all of the pictures to get an idea of what goes on.

When comparing these two high school websites to my high school website, I again found a lot of similarities. I went to Millard North high school and on the opening page there are pictures of students. I like the friendly, welcoming look that it has to it. There are all the same links and other information available like the other websites. There is also a student and parent server where you can log in and access your grades, unofficial transcript, and other information about your classes. I may be biased but I like the look of my high school's website the best. I feel that it is very bright and welcoming and easy to navigate.

NETS

Technology in education is becoming ever more prevelant in schools from kindergarten to college. In the article it talks about establishing standards for all students to fullfil. These standards, or NETS have recently been re-evaluated with input from students and teachers. I think that it is a smart idea to have standards in schools for technology. There are standards on tests for everything else so technology should be included. However, I feel that to have nationwide standards is a little more difficult. It would take a lot 0f work to make sure that schools across the country are following the rules. Also, some schools do not have the same resources as others so it would be harder for them to access the necessary tools to make sure that their students are meeting these standards. It is a good idea but it is something that needs to be flexible and easily changed because the world of technology is changing every day.

When looking at the NETS in particular, I feel that they are very reasonable. The NETS for students involves critical thinking, group collaboration, reasearch, and different operations and concepts. All of these things are imortant skills for students to have and I think they are perfectly reasonable to accomplish. The only problem I have with the NETS is that there are so many standards and different things that it would be a little over-whelming. If schools can have their students practice most of them though, I think they already would be better off.

Spring Break 2008