There are several reasons why teacher web hosting is a great tool. The instructor benefits by having their course instruction and lesson plans online. Students can play educational games while on line in addition to accessing any lessons or assignments they may have missed. Also, their parents can stay current on what is going on in the class room and communicate with their children’s teacher.
For many years, university and college professors have been posting their assignments or lectures on a website. However, primary and secondary school teachers are now using the internet as an opportunity to make learning fun. A newsletter, games, links to other games, student papers, a blog for either the students or parents, and a calendar are often found on the website.
There are many free sites available now on the internet. Some will require you allow them to place advertisements on the page. There are also sites available that are non-profit and operate on tax-deductible contributions.
The alternative is to pay for the website hosted. The fee is usually small with a subscription. Commitments can be month to month or for twelve to twenty-four months. The longer term commitments receive discounts but it may be a good idea to first subscribe month to month to ensure satisfaction with the services.
In many schools, the administration or director will chose the web host and maintain a school page with links to classes and instructors. For the teacher who is establishing their own website, here are a few hints to help choose the right web hosting company. If you do not have time to build your own page or do not know much about web design, do not worry because many companies offer templates that are easy to use. Also find one that will allow you to copy from your own word processing documents and allow links to other sites you may want incorporate. The amount of time a company is down is also important, so find that out. The best thing to do is to ask for referrals from other educators that already have a site set up. Ask about their experiences and what they would do differently.
Being able to archive your instruction is a huge benefit. It saves time when prepping for future classes. You can also write your lesson plans on line and save them there. Just think, years from now when teaching a class again, there will be no more digging through files and folders looking for materials or links to other websites. Using a host will keep you organized and save valuable time.
Another aspect is that a student home sick or on vacation can still access their lessons and home work assignments. When a review of work is needed, the child and their parents can find it easily. No more digging through papers and notebooks, it is all right there on the internet. Parents are also able to watch not only their children’s progress but also the work and method being used by the instructor and for parents working long hours, the ability to check in at anytime is a real benefit.
Over all a teacher web hosting is a great tool for everyone involved with the classroom. Teachers can archive their lessons and assignments for use year after year. Students can access assignments they may have missed and review information. Parents can communicate easily with the instructor plus take an active role in their child’s learning experience.
When teachers want to create their own websites, they can learn more at www.bluehost.com. They can discover their website options at http://www.bluehost.com.