District Administration - September 2007 - (Page 54)

How Well Does This Web Site LEARN WHAT OUR WEB ANALYST SAYS IS RIGHT AND WRONG WITH THIS DISTRICT SITE Madison Metropolitan (Wis.) School District www.madison.k12.wi.us By Kurt O. Dyrli THE MADISON METROPOLITAN School District (MMSD) is the second largest district in Wisconsin, encompassing 65 square miles and including 25,000 students and 3,000 staﬀ members in 46 schools. The district has maintained a Web site since 1996. DESIGN The district home page is welcoming and relatively straightforward. The page could be more coherently organized, however— using a wide variety of fonts, colors and formats is jumbled and confusing. A more uniform, consistent design would streamline the page and make it easier to use. The design quality varies signiﬁcantly among the separate school pages, as some are well maintained with great features, while others have little content and are out of date. Greater consistency would ensure that students and parents in district schools have equal access to online resources. NAVIGATION The navigation menu, prominently displayed on the left side of the home page, makes access to important content, such as “Programs & Departments,” quick and easy. On a PC, each heading opens a topic submenu, but these should be larger, since scrolling through dozens of choices in small windows is awkward and frustrating. Uniform navigation menus are not carried over from page to page, and many have no menus at all, so navigation can be inconsistent and cumbersome. QUALITY OF THE INTERACTION WITH THE USER The “Search” feature uses Google’s powerful search engine and works well. The 54 September 2007 The navigation menu, prominently displayed on the left side of the home page, makes access to important content, such as “Programs & Departments,” quick and easy. On a PC, each heading opens a topic submenu, but these should be larger, since scrolling through dozens of choices in such tiny windows is awkward and frustrating. search tool would be more accessible if placed at the top of the page, rather than in the bottom corner. The “Electronic Library” is a very useful resource, with links to more than 2,000 educational Web sites relevant to students and teachers in the district, organized by subject and theme. As with many district sites, there are no access provisions for disabled users. SCHOOL TO HOME INTERACTION The convenient “MMSD Communications” tool enables parents and community members to subscribe to the district’s email newsletter by entering their addresses in the box. An e-mail directory lists the district staﬀ alphabetically, but also includes a useful search tool so individuals can quickly be found by their last names. District Administration http://www.madison.k12.wi.us

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2007

Cover
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
District Buying Power 2007
X-Factor Student Achievement Awards 2007
We've Got Mail
Supporting New Teachers
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Problem Solution
Computer Literature
Research Corner
Online Edge
Supervisor’s Opinion
Speaking Out
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - September 2007