The goal of this web site is to provide some guidance to
educators who want to either create their own web sites, or use web sites
created by other educators, to enhance a lesson or unit, AND who want to be
reasonably sure that their design, or that of others, does not interfere with
the goal of the web site, which is (hopefully) to help students learn.
OK, it's time for something of a disclaimer... The reader may be
asking "is this site a perfect example of web site usability?" and the answer is
"well, maybe not." This site attempts to use the principles discussed to the
fullest extent possible, but the web (and information technology in general) is
dynamic. Things are constantly changing. So it is important to keep in mind that
the usability guidelines presented here are rules of thumb. In some cases
they can be bent or broken. Also, there are some design elements of web sites
that are possible to use, that certain web servers (the computers that are
"always" connected to the Internet and host web sites) cannot support.
One example is the use of a SEARCH function on a web site to
find specific information quickly, without having to navigate around the site
looking for it. SEARCH is a great tool to enhance the usability of a site, but
it doesn't work on all web servers. In fact, the server that hosts this
site doesn't support it, so it is not included here. Another example of a design
element that can't always be used is the "hit counter" that shows how many times
a web page has been viewed.
So, for those of you who plan to design your own educational web
sites and publish them on, say, your school's server, be sure to consult with
your district's computer technology department to find out what you can and
can't include on your web site. Or, if you plan to publish them on some other
web server (for example through your internet service provider, or ISP) check
with them, too.
Now, on to more specifics about this web site...
