TG INTERNET POLICIES

Policies for Creating Webpages for a School Project at Twin

More and more students are asking to be able to create webpages for presentations in classes. This is a wonderful way to prepare information for sharing with classmates and completing assignments. However, there are some rules that need to be followed in order for these webpages to conform to our school's internet policies. Here they are, in no particular order, so that you can be aware of what you should and should not include in any webpages you create for school projects:

  • You must include a Works Cited section for your website. Preferably this is included at the bottom of each page, but can also appear as a seperate page for the entire site you create. The format should follow the "Green sheet" that is included in your assignment notebook.
  • It is illegal for you to use any picture, graphic, sound, etc. without the owner's permission. If you see something on the web that you would like to include in your website, email the webmaster of the site and ask permission (always tell them that you will credit them on your site). If you find something on a public domain site, then that should be stated along with the URL of where you found it, in the credit section of your site. When you get permission, then include that credit information at the bottom of the page where you use the graphic, picture, sound, etc.
  • If you want your site included on Twin Groves' website, you may not use lastnames of students and you cannont include your email address.

Web Publishing Guidelines for Twin Groves’ Website

The following are the general publishing guidelines used when creating webpages to be posted to the Twin Groves' website by staff:

Use a consistent style on the school’s main pages. Individual departments, grade levels, programs, etc. may vary, but they should maintain consistency in look and navigation within their section.

A feedback page should be included in each section or a link to the school’s feedback page.   In no instance should an email address be placed on a page as these are easily gathered from outside for SPAM purposes.

Each page on the website should have a link back to the school’s homepage.

Keep backgrounds and color schemes simple and clear so that the information on the page is easy to read. Studies have shone that reading on a webpage is 25% slower than on paper so we need to make it as easy as possible not more difficult.

Use colors for text and links other than white or light colors as they are difficult to print.

Judicious use of graphics and animated GIF files is encouraged to increase the download speed of the webpages.

Video and audio files may be used when they are appropriate and are compressed properly. Their size and file type should be displayed by their link.

Links to personal pages are not permitted unless they support the curriculum of the school district.

All pages posted to the school's website should support the curriculum of the school and the district.

If you provide a link to another website, you should also include at least one sentence describing what the user will find when they click the link as well as the complete URL of the site (see below for examples)

Unauthorized use of copyrighted material is prohibited.  If you have permission to use copyrighted material, credit needs to be placed on the page that includes that material.

Make sure you include a Title to each page as this is what shows in the browser when people are searching for and reading your wonderful work.

Make sure you leave a "bread crumb" trail for the user.....navigation bar that includes links back to their starting point and to further pages. Try to keep in mind that the user should be able to get where they want to go within 3-5 clicks of the mouse.

The bottom of each page should contain the following information:

  • Author
  • Date Created
  • Date Last Modified

You may also wish to check out the following websites for more information:

Usability.gov - http://www.usability.gov/
This is the mother site of the above which contains much more information on developing rich educational websites. Again, it is an official U.S. Government Web site managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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