First attempt - messy.
Second Attempt - final copy.
Click here to enlarge my popplet
For this particular assignment, I decided to create a hierarchical structure for a school library website. This is an ongoing development for me as I have been trying to create a website that suites the needs of both staff and students. My focus is for collaborative and research purposes. I want both groups to recognize the need and importance of the school library. The library must be seen as the central hub for all informational purposes. This is indeed a slow process as I am only in a .4 library assignment. I will have a direct focus on the website during the summer months.
The first level deals with basic library information such as a Welcome page, Library Database, Schedule, Battle of the Books, Class Pages, Request a Book, Recommended Books, New Releases, Web Quests and Teacher Resource Page. The second level holds more specific information aimed directly for patrons’ needs. Furthermore, level two is more interactive. As such, this is the area where patrons decide what is important and where to go to next.
The third level relates to other resource and school district websites. I believe these pages will have the majority traffic as both staff and students will directly use the third level to complete either research assignments, games, web tools or even find useful information relating to a topic of interest. To have this level more visually appealing and user-friendly, I will use Symballoo to create a dashboard where a variety of icons are linked to a specific site.
Currently, the website can be categorized into the following areas: Library News, Library Catalog, Teacher Pages, and Teacher Resources. How can I direct my school population to the new library website? For starters, I must remember that “page names [are] one of the most crucial decisions [I’ll] make during the website design.” Because this is still in its infancy, there are many areas that need to be improved.
To improve the website, I need to have a specific page aimed directly for students. Several pages such as “Recommend a Book”, “New Releases”, and “Request a Book” can be amalgamated into a “Students” page. Thus, rather than these pages being on Level 1, they would fall into Level 2 under “Students.” Also, I feel it would be important to utilize a “blog” page for conversations. These conversations can include topics relating to book reviews, book talks, etc. Importantly, I forgot to include a search bar on the homepage. This would definitely optimize a patron’s experience by finding specific topics with ease. At this point, the site is mostly text. What I need to incorporate is more visuals. I can place a hyper-link to these images which can cross-link directly to other sites (e.g. link to District’s digital database, or to Destiny catalogue among others). Also, I feel the need to include educational games that can enrich curricular topics. Thus, I will have a section aimed directly for both primary and intermediate students.
By creating a hierarchal relationship, I was able to determine which “pages” would be more useful for my patrons. Who would the target audience be, what information and services [are needed] for a website are thoughts I need to remain on track. I will remember to have no more than 3 levels. If I am to surpass 3 levels, the website will be rendered useless for my patrons as they will get “lost by clicking a lot of web links.” Initially, several pages from Level 2 were placed in Level 1. It is imperative to properly organize the pages in order for patrons to use the information successfully.
The first level deals with basic library information such as a Welcome page, Library Database, Schedule, Battle of the Books, Class Pages, Request a Book, Recommended Books, New Releases, Web Quests and Teacher Resource Page. The second level holds more specific information aimed directly for patrons’ needs. Furthermore, level two is more interactive. As such, this is the area where patrons decide what is important and where to go to next.
The third level relates to other resource and school district websites. I believe these pages will have the majority traffic as both staff and students will directly use the third level to complete either research assignments, games, web tools or even find useful information relating to a topic of interest. To have this level more visually appealing and user-friendly, I will use Symballoo to create a dashboard where a variety of icons are linked to a specific site.
Currently, the website can be categorized into the following areas: Library News, Library Catalog, Teacher Pages, and Teacher Resources. How can I direct my school population to the new library website? For starters, I must remember that “page names [are] one of the most crucial decisions [I’ll] make during the website design.” Because this is still in its infancy, there are many areas that need to be improved.
To improve the website, I need to have a specific page aimed directly for students. Several pages such as “Recommend a Book”, “New Releases”, and “Request a Book” can be amalgamated into a “Students” page. Thus, rather than these pages being on Level 1, they would fall into Level 2 under “Students.” Also, I feel it would be important to utilize a “blog” page for conversations. These conversations can include topics relating to book reviews, book talks, etc. Importantly, I forgot to include a search bar on the homepage. This would definitely optimize a patron’s experience by finding specific topics with ease. At this point, the site is mostly text. What I need to incorporate is more visuals. I can place a hyper-link to these images which can cross-link directly to other sites (e.g. link to District’s digital database, or to Destiny catalogue among others). Also, I feel the need to include educational games that can enrich curricular topics. Thus, I will have a section aimed directly for both primary and intermediate students.
By creating a hierarchal relationship, I was able to determine which “pages” would be more useful for my patrons. Who would the target audience be, what information and services [are needed] for a website are thoughts I need to remain on track. I will remember to have no more than 3 levels. If I am to surpass 3 levels, the website will be rendered useless for my patrons as they will get “lost by clicking a lot of web links.” Initially, several pages from Level 2 were placed in Level 1. It is imperative to properly organize the pages in order for patrons to use the information successfully.