Alice in InfoLand

Transparency in education should be the goal of every teacher, administrator, board of ed member. 
But how do you accomplish that?

Take a look at Mabry Middle School’s website for a wonderful example of how to publish up-to-date info about school activities !   While the principal’s blog sets the tone and addresses the Big Issues, it’s the individual teachers’ blogs — with homework assignments, test reminders, classroom notes, etc. — that open up those classroom doors to the community.

The Media Center’s blog exemplifies the kind of info every school library’s web-presence should include: book recommendations, resource/research guidelines, class projects, library schedule, etc., all in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Many schools/districts tell their teachers to "get on the web," but then merely provide minimal guidance,  a basic webpage template, and almost no follow-up… which is why so many teacher pages never get updated.   Mabry’s site uses blogging software (WordPress, I suspect) that offers many options, without requiring complex HTML-coding knowledge. 

Kudos to Dr. Tyson, Mabry’s principal, for this exemplary use of information technology to push learning to the world beyond the school building’s walls.