Classroom Website Development and

Management
Final ID Project
EDTECH 503

Andy Roundy
May 10, 2013

Table of Contents
Synthesis Reflection Paper .................................................................................................... 3
Part 1: Classroom Websites .................................................................................................. 5
Part 1a. Stated learning goal ........................................................................................................... 5
Part 1b. Description of the audience............................................................................................ 5
Part 1c. Rationale ................................................................................................................................ 5

Part 2: Analysis Report ........................................................................................................... 6

Part 2a. Description of the need .................................................................................................... 6
Part 2a.1. Needs assessment survey ..........................................................................................................6
Part 2a.2. Needs assessment data report ................................................................................................6
Part 2b. Description of the learning context ............................................................................. 8
Part 2b.1. Learning context ..........................................................................................................................8
Part 2b.2. Transfer context ...........................................................................................................................8
Part 2c. Description of the learners ............................................................................................. 9
Part 2d. Task analysis flow chart ............................................................................................... 10

Part 3. Planning ...................................................................................................................... 20

Part 3a. Learning objectives......................................................................................................... 20
Part 3b. Objectives and assessment matrix table................................................................. 20
Part 3c. ARCS table........................................................................................................................... 22

Part 4. Instructor Guide ....................................................................................................... 24

Part 5. Learner Content ....................................................................................................... 28
Part 5a. Learning materials .......................................................................................................... 28
Part 5b. Assessment materials .................................................................................................... 29
Part 5c. Technology tool justification ....................................................................................... 30

Part 6. Formative Evaluation Plan ................................................................................... 31

Part 6a. Expert review plan .......................................................................................................... 31
Part 6b. One-to-One evaluation plan......................................................................................... 31
Part 6c. Small Group evaluation plan ....................................................................................... 32
Part 6d. Field Trial evaluation plan........................................................................................... 32

Part 7. Formative Evaluation Report .............................................................................. 34

Part 7a. Evaluation survey or rubric ......................................................................................... 34
Part 7b. Results of the expert review ........................................................................................ 34
Part 7c. Comments on change ...................................................................................................... 34

Part 8. AECT Standards Grid .............................................................................................. 35

Appendix A. Student Instructional Guide ...................................................................... 42
Works Cited ............................................................................................................................. 71

Synthesis Reflection Paper

Previous to this class, I thought I knew a thing or two about instructional
design, being a teacher. This course has done an excellent job of showing me how
little I really knew. I look at many aspects of instruction in my classroom in a
different way now. One of the very first tasks we had this semester was to create a
needs assessment. I developed a survey to see if a need for my project actually
existed and what my learners needs were. This got me thinking about my own
classroom. How often had I given lessons or delivered instruction without a single
thought to whether or not my students needed it? How many times had I prepared
a lesson without ever spending time thinking about the learners? It seems with
each new module, I have been encountering instructional principles that make me
rethink many of the things I do on a daily basis. For example, before creating any
content related materials for our project, we developed the goal of what the
instruction would be and all of the objectives for reaching that goal. The goal and
the objectives guided the creation of my content. This is the exact opposite of the
approach that I typically took in my classroom. Ive always focused on the content
first. Once I knew what I had to teach and how I was going to teach it, I would think
about what I wanted students to gain from it. An extension of this idea of creating
the objectives before content was the creation of assessment materials before
instructional materials. Using the objective matrix we developed a plan for
assessing students learning. This part of the project added to methods I learned
about this last summer when my grade level began a switch over to proficiency
grading. We spent a great deal of time developing assessments for all the units of
our math and language arts curriculum for this year using state content standards to
guide us. An objective matrix could have been an excellent aid to the work we did.
It may not be feasible for me to create full instructional designs for everything that I
teach in my classroom, but I can take what Ive learned about design and use the
principles to make my instruction more effective.
According to Smith and Ragan (2005), the term design implies a systematic
or intensive planning and ideation process prior to the development of something or
the execution of some plan in order to solve some problem. (p. 6) I coach basketball
at my school. For me, designing instruction is like developing a new basketball play.
Whenever I create a play, I first look to see what the purpose or need of the play is. I
ask myself, What weakness or problem is this play meant to overcome? It is the
same in instructional design. You start by asking yourself, What problem am I
trying to solve? To design a basketball play that will be effective you must know
your players, understanding their strengths and weaknesses. You build plays that
will take advantage of players strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Design
does the same thing; you analyze your learners and the learning environment, so
that you can create instruction that will work for their needs. The similarities
continue, after looking at my players, I then break down the task that I want to
accomplish. Maybe I want to get the ball to my post or get my best shooter open for
a three-point shot. I think about the defense Im facing, player movements, and
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principles of good offense. Having done this, I can then begin to create the process
for accomplishing my end goal. All of these things are reminiscent of the task
analysis process in design. Finally, after some practice, the play is evaluated by how
successful it is in helping a team to score. Just as in a basketball play, learners
ability to score or meet learning objectives serves as the evaluation for an
instructional design. As in Smith and Ragans definition of design, both my
basketball play and an instructional design have been executed so a problem can be
solved.
Working as teacher, I have already found myself infusing design principles
into my own teaching. Recently, I have found myself reworking my lesson
organization to included sections laid out in our text. I have been implementing
short attention gaining activities and even informing my students on exactly what it
is they are supposed to be learning each day. Along with this I have been paying
much greater attention to my objectives and ensuring that my lessons are working
to achieve them. This summer I hope to use what I have learned in this course to
redesign some of my current geography units. Right now, they have a great deal of
content depth, but they lack clearly defined objectives and a planned means of
assessing student learning. Using what I have learned, I believe that I can remedy
these problems.
In the future, I hope to have the opportunity to teach courses online. I
believe that the skills I have gained in this course will serve me well in that
endeavor. I would use the entire instructional design process or a great deal of it to
create any online course that I may teach. If I dont have to design the course, then I
would at least be making use of an instructional design created by someone else. My
familiarity with design would help me to implement the instruction more efficiently
and provide valuable feedback for improving the course during and at the end of the
coursework. Another hope I have for the future is to share my knowledge of
educational technology by providing training for other teachers. In order to develop
trainings that would be beneficial, I can rely on the skills in instructional design that
I have gained from this course. Instructional design principles will make the
training more efficient and help me to best meet the needs of those I am instructing.
I can see the skills that I have gained in instructional design serving me well for the
remainder of my educational career.

Part 1: Classroom Websites

Part 1a. Stated learning goal
Learners will be able to create and maintain a classroom website that includes a
homepage, homework page, and announcements page to communicate with parents
using wordpress.com.

Part 1b. Description of the audience

The intended audience for this course of instruction is fourth through seventh grade
classroom teachers.

Part 1c. Rationale

One of the tasks that teachers have is to communicate with the parents of their students.
Often this communication can be sporadic and difficult to maintain. Notes and letters
sent home with students do not always make it home to parents. Emails and telephone
calls can be time consuming for teachers. Parents often are not aware of what exactly is
being taught and assigned in class. Obtaining this information would require parents to
contact the teacher directly and frequently. This project is aimed at overcoming these
communication problems. The development of classroom websites can alleviate or
lessen these communication problems. Teachers can communicate information to
parents by placing it all in one central location for parents to view it if they desire. Once
developed, maintenance is relatively simple and does not require more than a few
minutes.
The overall strategy for this instruction is primarily supplantive. A great deal of the
instruction deals with procedural knowledge. This procedural knowledge is not
knowledge that learners will be able to generate on their own. Learners will need to be
led through the process of website creation to limit frustration and to assure that the
instructional goal is achieved. There is a specific sequence that should be followed by
learners to maximize the efficiency of their skill acquisition. Very little of the instruction
will be generative, being limited to learners having the choice of exactly what information
their websites will include and the appearance websites will have.
Procedural learning is the classification for the major instructional strategy of this project.
The reason for this classification is that the development of a website requires the
learning of steps and procedures. To accomplish the learning goals stated for this
instructional design, learners must acquire knowledge of a number of procedures that go
into creating a website. The learning outcomes for this project require learners to
perform and complete a series of procedures. Instructional strategies should then, out of
necessity, be designed for the learning of procedures.

Part 2: Analysis Report

Part 2a. Description of the need
Part 2a.1. Needs assessment survey
An online needs assessment survey and follow up survey, a combined 14 questions in
length, were developed and delivered to 16 classroom teachers. Of the 16 teachers that
received the surveys, 8 of them responded. The surveys sought to gather information in
three main areas. First, they sought to obtain information about teachers knowledge
and background in working with computer and navigating on the Internet. Second, the
surveys gathered information about teachers previous experience in blogging, website
development, and their familiarity with wordpress.com. Finally, they gathered information
about teachers general attitudes toward Internet communication and their level of
interest in learning to create classroom websites. As a part of this final section, the
surveys also asked about specific types of information teachers would want to have
included on a classroom website. The final two questions of the second survey sought
to obtain some more general demographic information such as the gender of the
learners and the number of years they have been teaching. Below are the actual
questions of the survey and answer options:

How comfortable are you using a computer for work related tasks? (1 to 5 scale)
How comfortable are you using and navigating on the Internet? (1 to 5 scale)
How often do you use your computer for communication such as email? (1-5
scale)
How do you feel about using the Internet to communicate with parents? (written
response)
Have you ever used wordpress.com? (Yes or No)
How interested are you in creating a website to communicate with parents? (1-5
scale)
Do you feel like a classroom website would be beneficial to you and your class?
(Yes or No)
Do you think that parents of your students would use a classroom website if you
had it? (Yes or No)
Have you ever created a website or blog using any web-based service? (Yes or
No)
Do you already have a class website? (Yes or No)
How interested would you be in learning to create a class website? (1-5 scale)
If you did have a classroom website, which of the following would you want to
include: (choose from provided options)
How long have you been teaching? (choose from provided options)
Gender? (Male or Female)

Part 2a.2. Needs assessment data report

Of the eight teachers that responded to the survey, all of them state that they have a
high level of comfort using computers for work related tasks and navigating on the
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Internet. All respondents also state that they frequently use computers for work
communication. When asked how they feel about using the Internet to communicate
with parents, nearly all respondents say they currently use email to communicate with
some parents. Many also state that due to the makeup of their classrooms internet
communication is not a viable option for some parents due to lack of knowledge or
internet access. In general, responses about feelings toward using Internet as a
communication tool were positive. When respondents were asked about their level of
interest in creating a classroom website to communicate with parents six respondents
were very interested with the two remaining being moderately interested. Along with this,
six respondents had a strong interest in learning to create a classroom website. One
person did not respond to this question and one already knows how to create a website
using wordpress.com. Background knowledge in blogging and website creation is
limited, only two respondents have ever created a blog or classroom website before
using a web-based service. Only one respondent has ever used wordpress.com before
and three respondents have never heard of the service. When asked if they believe
parents would view and make use of a classroom website, five respondents believe they
would while 3 do not. However, all respondents believe that a classroom website would
be beneficial to their classes. All respondents were asked what information they would
like a classroom website to contain, chosen from a list of common classroom website
contents. The following are the results to this question:

Based on the results of the survey, it could be said that there is an interest in learning to
develop classroom websites among the respondents. It could also be said that basic
computer and Internet navigation skills are already in place for all the targeted learners.

However, skills specific to website development using internet-based services are

minimal.

Part 2b. Description of the learning context

Instruction is being designed for adult learners. All of the anticipated learners are
classroom teachers at a 4th through 7th grade intermediate school. The 4th through 6th
grade teachers are classified as elementary teachers that have contained classrooms.
The 7th grade teachers are classified as secondary teachers that teach only a couple of
subjects and their students move from class to class. The needs of the 7th grade
teachers will differ slightly from those of their elementary counterparts. Teachers often
feel that they are very busy and have to juggle many different tasks. Learning new skills
on their own is often not an easy task and one that they do not have time for during the
workday. Many often feel that they do not receive adequate training for some of the
tasks that they are asked to perform. Some teachers can feel a certain degree of
anxiety when learning to use new computer programs. Often there can be some degree
of backlash or resistance when new computer programs or applications are adopted in
the school to replace older or outdated programs. Most schools have a very limited
amount of time available for teacher training during work hours. Learning may need to
be spread out over several sessions.

Part 2b.1. Learning context

Learning will take place in a school computer lab. The lab consists of 35 computer
stations. This is more than adequate for the 16 anticipated learners that should be taking
part in the training. There is an instructor station that gives the instructor access to the
desktop of all computers in the room and the ability to take control of any computer in
the room. Students may also send questions to the instructors computer from their
computer and the instructor may then send a response directly to learner computers.
The room is also equipped with a projector and screen. The projector is not connected
to the instructor workstation, however, which means two different computers will need to
be utilized during the course of instruction. Every computer in the room has access to
the internet and the Microsoft office suite, which is adequate for all learning tasks. The
room also has whiteboards on both sides that can be used for instructional purposes.
The instructor is a classroom teacher and colleague of the learners. The instructor is
experienced in working with wordpress.com and other blogging and website creation
services. This will be the instructors first time training other teachers in the creation of
classroom websites. The instructor knows each of the learners personally, and is
familiar with the learning environment and the tools available in it and how to operate
them. No existing curriculum is available for the instruction.

Part 2b.2. Transfer context

Skills gained in the training will be used in teacher classrooms using their classroom
teacher workstation computers. These computers have Internet connections and the
same Microsoft office suite software as the computers in the lab. Teachers could also

make use of their home computers. Internet connection speeds and software available
may vary at teachers homes, but as long as there is a stable internet connection that
allows access to wordpress.com teachers should be able create and maintain websites
from home. Any computer that has Internet access would be adequate for learners to
apply their knowledge. Learners may also use skills gained in training to create blogs or
websites for personal use or at home businesses.

Part 2c. Description of the learners

The learners for which instruction is being developed are all classroom teachers of
grades 4 through 7. The majority of them are elementary teachers that teach all
subjects in a contained classroom. Four of the learners are secondary teachers that
each specialize in a specific content area and have students that move from class to
class. There are 16 anticipated learners, 12 women and 4 men. Based on the needs
assessment survey, all of the learners have a high level of comfort working with
computers and navigating on the Internet. Only two of the learners that responded to
the survey have any previous knowledge or background in creating blogs or websites.
Only one learner has used wordpress.com before. All learners are competent in the use
of email for work related communication. Of those that responded to the needs survey
the majority expressed a high level of interest in learning or being trained how to create
classroom websites. There is a large amount of variance in the number of years that the
learners have been teaching. The following chart shows the breakdown of years of
teaching experience for those that responded to the needs survey:

It should be noted that only half of the learners responded to the needs assessment
survey. The majority of the learners hold masters degrees in education related fields
and have participated in or taken courses in an online setting.

Part 2d. Task analysis flow chart

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Part 3. Planning
Part 3a. Learning objectives
Given a computer with internet connection, learners will be able to:
1.0
2.0
3.0
blog
4.0

log in to wordpress.com and open a new blog

explain what the dashboard is and what it is used for in wordpress.com
explain to a classmate the difference between a page and a post on a

publish a homepage on their blog

4.1
explain what a homepage is to a classmate
5.0
demonstrate how to delete a page from a blog to a classmate
6.0
publish at least three posts and demonstrate how to assign each post to a
category
6.1
discuss and explain what categories are used for on websites
6.2
create homework and announcement categories
7.0
demonstrate to a classmate how to delete a post from a page on their
blog
8.0
their blog

identify three appropriate widgets for a class web page and apply them to
8.1

explain to a classmate what widgets are and what they are used

for on blogs
9.0
construct a navigation menu that includes the homepage, homework
category page, and announcements category page.
10.0 add a picture to the homepage and post of their blog
10.1 demonstrate how to change the caption, size, and alignment of
the picture
11.0 apply and customize a theme by changing the heading, tagline,
background, color, layout, and images.

Part 3b. Objectives and assessment matrix table

Learning
Objectives
(a)

Blooms
Taxonomy
Classification
(b)

Format of
Assessment
(c)

Description
of Test Form
(d)

Sample Items (e)

1.0

Application

Performance

Observation

Log in and open a new

blog

2. 0

Comprehension

Performance

Discussion

With a learning partner

discuss what the
dashboard is and what it is

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used for
3.0

Comprehension

Performance

Discussion

With a learning partner

discuss the difference
between a page and a post

4.0

Application

Performance

Observation
with checklist

Publish a homepage on a
blog

4.1

Comprehension

Performance

Discussion

With a classmate discuss

what a homepage is and
the type of information it
may contain

5.0

Application

Performance

Observation
with checklist

Demonstrate to a
classmate how a page is
deleted from a blog.

6.0

Application

Performance

Observation
with checklist

Publish 3 posts and assign

each post to one of the
categories on your blog.

6.1

Comprehension

Performance

Discussion

Discuss with the class

what categories are used
for on a blog.

6.2

Application

Performance

Observation
with checklist

Create homework and

announcements
categories.

7.0

Application

Performance

Observation
with checklist

Delete a post from your

blog.

8.0

Comprehension
and Application

Performance

Observation
with checklist

Select 3 appropriate
widgets and apply them to
your blogs homepage

8.1

Comprehension

Performance

Discussion

With a classmate discuss

what widgets are and how
they are used on blogs

9.0

Application

Performance

Observation
with checklist

Create a navigation menu

that includes links to the
homepage,
announcements page, and
homework page.

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10.0

Application

Performance

Observation
with checklist

Use media tool to insert a

picture onto the homepage
and one blog post.

10.1

Application

Performance

Observation
with checklist

Change the caption, size,

and alignment of a picture
when it is inserted into the
blog

11.0

Application

Performance

Observation
with checklist

Modify the theme of your

blog by changing the
heading, tagline,
background, color, layout
and images.

Part 3c. ARCS table

ATTENTION
A.1 Perceptual Arousal
In order to capture learner interest, pose the question How many of you have a Facebook
account? Many people have a Facebook account or are at least familiar with Facebook.
A2. Inquiry Arousal
Ask learners about situations that they very likely have experienced in their own classrooms,
such as students not taking letters home to parents, parents emailing about school work, kids
going on vacation or missing school and asking what they missed. These are all problems
that the instruction seeks to alleviate and that most of the learners face.
A3. Variability
To maintain attention use a laser pointer or other device to draw learner attention to important
locations on the screen. For new concepts provide analogies that relate the new concept to
an already known concept. When demonstrating how to insert pictures into a page or post
use pictures of a humorous nature.

RELEVANCE
R1. Goal orientation
Meet learners needs by demonstrating each step of the process and then allow them to

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practice on their computers. To aid in accomplishing this activity, provide each learner with a
printed version of all instructions that includes pictures and illustrations.
R2. Motive matching
During the creation of the practice classroom website and the learners own classroom
website, allow them to choose what information they include and the pictures they will use.
R3. Familiarity
As learners create each section of their website remind them of the problems in their
classroom that they have faced previously that these sections will address. For example,
when they create the homework page remind them how this will fix the problem of parents not
knowing if their students have homework or not and students asking what they have missed
when they have been absent.

CONFIDENCE
C1. Learning requirements
Goals of the instruction will be directed at fulfilling learner needs for parent communication in
their classrooms through the use of classroom websites. Their needs in this area are
determined by a survey given prior to instruction.
C2. Success opportunities
Learners will gain a knowledge of website creation that is readily applicable to their
professional responsibilities. The successful completion of each step in the procedure will
provide students with a feeling of competence.
C3. Personal control
Students will complete all of the tasks and steps in the procedure on their own computer with
only limited aid from the instructor. They will be able to self evaluate their efforts by
comparing their work with the instructor example. Students will use checklists to help monitor
their progress.

SATISFACTION
S1. Natural consequences
Learners will apply their knowledge by using the websites they create for their own classroom
after the training has concluded.

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S2. Positive consequences

When parents and students begin to use the websites that the learners have created they will
receive the reinforcement of their success.
S3. Equity
Throughout the instruction provide the learners with positive feedback on their progress. As
learners use their websites they will continue to feel good about their accomplishments.

Part 4. Instructor Guide

Introduction
Gain Attention
Pose the following questions to the learners:
How many of you have a Facebook account? (Have learners respond to this
question by raising their hands)
What do you use it for? (call on individual learners to share their answers)
Do you benefit from it in any way? If so, how? (call on individual learners)
Most learners will most likely respond that they do have a Facebook account and that
they use it to communicate with friends and family. They may also mention that they
benefit from it by being able to keep informed on the lives of friends and family.
Next relay to them that communication and the ability to stay informed is one of the great
things that technology has to offer, not just in our personal lives, but in our professional
lives as well.
Establish Purpose
Share with the learners that they will be learning to create classroom websites using
wordpress.com that have a homepage, homework page, and announcements page.
Arouse Interest and Motivation
Ask learners to raise their hands if they have experienced any of the following situations:
Have you ever sent home a letter with announcements, but the letter never made
it home?
Have you ever had a parent email and ask you a question about something that
is going on in class?
Have you ever had kids go on vacation and never ask what they were going to
miss?
Have you ever had parents email and ask if there kids have any homework
because they never bring anything home?

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Explain that these situations could be fixed by creating and maintaining a classroom
website that parents can access whenever they want.
Preview Learning Activity
Show students the fully constructed training blog that they will be creating during
instruction. Their first blog will look nearly identical to the training blog. Here is the link:
http://trainedbyroundy.wordpress.com/
Explain to learners that they will accomplish the following tasks:
Sign up for a wordpress.com account
Create a new blog
Select a theme
Create pages and posts
Add pictures to the blog
Make a navigation menu

Body
Recall Relevant Prior Knowledge
This piece has partly been done during the gain attention section. To continue to
activate knowledge, ask learners the following question: What are some of the different
ways that we use the Internet to communicate? This should hopefully bring up
responses that refer to some of the different web services used for communication such
as Facebook or Twitter. If it doesnt then, pose the following question, What are some
of the Internet services you are familiar with that allow for communication with individuals
or groups? This should elicit the desired response. This will get students thinking
about how the Internet and services on it are used for communication purposes.
Process Information and Examples
Note: Before beginning instruction, turn on projector system to assure that it is
functioning properly.
Hand out the student instructional guides to each student, so they may reference them
during instruction. You may even want to refer to pages in the guide as you deliver each
step of the instruction, so students can become familiar with the guide. (Guide is located
in Appendix A of this document.)
1. Using the computer connected to the projector, begin by demonstrating to
learners how to navigate to wordpress.com and sign up for a free account.
(Remember that after each demonstration you should pause and allow
learners time to complete the step on their computers. Take into
consideration that on this step learners will need to access their email to
activate their new accounts.)
2. Demonstrate to learners how to create a new blog.
3. Demonstrate how to select and modify a theme.
4. Show students where the dashboard is located and explain that it is the
main hub for the blog. It is the menu area where all functions of the blog

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are controlled. It may help to relate it to the term control panel which
many learners may be familiar with.
5. Discuss with learners the difference between a page and a post. An
example that might prove useful would be to relate a page to a letter
written to a friend and a post to a single entry in a journal or diary. The
letter is an unchanging communication, but journal entries change each
time you write in the journal.
6. Demonstrate how to add a homepage to the blog that includes a picture.
7. Demonstrate how to add a post that includes a picture to the website and
how to create homework and announcement categories and assign it to a
post. (Make sure you stress the importance of creating the homework and
announcement categories and assigning one to each post. If they dont
the post will not be visible to parents that visit the blog)
8. Discuss what categories are used for when working with posts.
Categories are used to separate posts based on their content and can
also be used to create pages for posts that have been assigned to a
specific category.
9. Demonstrate how to delete both a page and a post.
10. Demonstrate where to locate widgets and how to add and remove them
from blog pages.
11. Demonstrate how to construct a navigation menu with home page,
homework, and announcements links.
12. Demonstrate how to set a static homepage for the website.
13. Demonstrate how to change website appearance using the dashboard.
Practice
After each step in the Process Information and Examples section, students will practice
the step individually at each of their own computers. During this practice, learners will
construct the practice classroom website that was displayed during the introduction.
Focus Attention
To help focus learner attention on specific buttons or areas of the website, use a laser
pointer or other similar device to direct attention to the necessary button or icon.
Employ Learning Strategies
Show learners how they can access helps within wordpress.com that will help
them to answer any questions that they may have.
Provide learners with student instructional guide with visuals and written
instructions for each step. (Provided in Appendix A of this document.)
Evaluate Feedback
Learners will obtain feedback in the following ways during practice:
Through observation of their work and comparing it with the example provided by
the instructor.

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Instructor will view work using software on instructor workstation that allows
student desktops to be viewed at any time and will provide relevant feedback to
individual learners.

Conclusion
Assessment
Upon completion of demonstrating and practicing all steps for creating a website,
learners will create their own classroom website.
Evaluate Feedback and Seek Remediation
Learners will conduct a self-evaluation based on a checklist of criteria that should be
addressed in the classroom website. (Student checklist is provided in Part 5a. of this
document). The instructor will also evaluate each learners website using an instructor
checklist to check for completion of learning objectives. (Instructor checklist is provided
in Part 5b. of this document.)
Summarize and Review
State to the learners, Today you all had the chance to create your own classroom
websites with a homepage, homework page, and announcements page that you will be
able to use to communicate with your students parents. Excellent work everyone.
Depending on the learners, you may want to review concepts like the difference between
pages and posts or what categories are used for on blogs.
Transfer Learning
Pose the following question to the learners:
What are some other things that blogs could be used for both in the classroom and
outside the classroom?
Remotivate and Close
Compliment the learners on all their hard work during the training and remind them of
the following benefits that a classroom website provides:
Ability to communicate with all parents using one single forum
Time saved communicating with parents
No more lost notes that dont make it home
All parents can easily know what homework has been assigned
Finally, thank everyone for coming.

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Part 5. Learner Content

Part 5a. Learning materials
Two learning materials have been created for this instructional design. The first is a
student instructional guide that is provided in Appendix A due to its length. Learners will
use this guide during the Process Information and Examples section of instruction and
possibly during the Assessment section. Hopefully, learners will continue to reference
this guide even after they have completed the course.
The second material is a website creation student checklist provided below. This
material is intended to be used by learners during the Assessment section of
instruction as a tool to evaluate their progress and provide themselves feedback on
completion of learning objectives.

Classroom Website Creation Student Checklist

Check off each activity as you complete it during the creation of your own classroom
website.
_______Created a wordpress.com user account
_______Verified new user account through email
_______Written down URL for newly created blog
_______Chosen a theme for your blog
_______Customized the themes color, heading, background, and possibly added an
image
_______Created a homepage page for your blog
_______Added a picture to your homepage
_______Created a homework post
_______Created a homework category and assigned it to your homework post
_______Created an announcement post
_______Created an announcement category and assigned it to your announcement post
_______Added a picture to one of your posts

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_______Applied at least three useful widgets to your blog

_______Created a navigation menu
_______Navigation menu has links to homepage, homework posts, and announcement
posts
_______Set a static homepage for your blog
_______Previewed all work done to your blog and checked for errors and problems

Part 5b. Assessment materials

The only assessment material for this instructional design is a Final Assessment
Performance Checklist, used by the instructor to assess completion of performance
tasks based on learning objectives.

Final Assessment Performance Checklist

To assess learner achievement on learning objectives use the following checklist.
Select yes or no based on whether or not learners have demonstrated or performed the
following tasks related to course objectives. All of these tasks should be completed
without prompts from peers or the instructor.
Learner has:
Yes

No

Task
Created a user account for wordpress.com and started a new blog.

Selected a theme for their blog.

Customized that theme by altering the header, tagline, background,

and color.

Explained to a peer or the instructor what the dashboard is and what

is used for in wordpress.com.

Published a homepage page using menus in the dashboard.

Demonstrated how to delete a page from the blog, using dashboard

menus, to the instructor or a peer.

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Published a minimum of three posts on their blog.

Explain the use of categories on a blog to a peer or the instructor.

Created a homework and announcements category.

Assigned categories to each of the posts that were created.

Demonstrated how to delete a post from the blog using the dashboard
menu to a peer or the instructor.

Applied three widgets appropriate for the intended purpose of the

blog.

Created a navigation menu that includes a link for the homepage,

homework posts, and announcement posts.
Demonstrated how to apply a picture to a page or post to a peer or the
instructor.

Applied a picture to a least one page and one post.

Set a caption, selected a size, and set the alignment for the pictures.

Set a static homepage for the blog using menus in the dashboard.

Part 5c. Technology tool justification

This instructional design makes use of the following technology tools:
computers
computer-connected projector
Student desktop control software
Computers are necessary to the instructional design because the learning goal of the
design is to teach learners how to use the online technology tool wordpress.com. This is
not possible without the use of a device that can connect to the Internet. Computers are
the most readily accessible and user-friendly devices for this activity.

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A computer-connected projector is necessary for the delivery of instruction. The

instructor will use the projector to demonstrate procedures related to learning objective.
Learners will be able to easily view each step as it is performed and then practice that
step on their own computer. Learners need this visual reinforcement to help understand
the procedures necessary to complete each learning objective. It is not feasible to have
the instructor go about the room showing every step to each individual learner.
Student desktop control software will allow the instructor to easily view student progress.
He can quickly observe progress and use this information to help control the pacing of
instruction. It will also allow students to pose questions without interrupting the entire
class and the instructor can respond when it is convenient. This software also can allow
the instructor to take over student computer during instruction to demonstrated tasks or
correct student mistakes. The tool may also be used to keep students from becoming
distracted, by allowing the instructor to lock computers at times when classroom
discussion is needed.

Part 6. Formative Evaluation Plan

Part 6a. Expert review plan
The SME for this instructional design is Stan Sweet. A teacher in the designers school
and the building website specialist. Materials are expected to be submitted to him on
May 6th and feedback should be received by May 9th at the latest.

Part 6b. One-to-One evaluation plan

To perform a one-to-one evaluation on my instructional design, I would select two
teachers that are part of my target audience. I would look to select teachers from
different grade levels and of different abilities levels relating to the use of technology. I
may also consider selecting teachers of different genders to see if any gender related
problems arise in the design. Since the instruction is supposed to be instructor-led, I
would provide them with all the learner materials that have been developed. I would
also show them the examples that have been developed for the instruction. I would
have them read the learner materials out loud to help gauge understanding and the
appropriateness of vocabulary being used. All this would be done with the designer
present. Along with having them read the materials, I would prompt the learners to
respond to specific questions while they review the materials. The questions I would like
to answer as a result of this particular evaluation are:
Do you understand all instructions provided in the student materials?
Do you understand the tasks being described in the checklists?
Are there any graphics in the student aids that are hard to read or interpret?
What questions, if any do you have after reviewing the materials?
Is any part of the instruction unclear?
Do any of the materials appear to contain any errors?

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What is your overall impression of the tasks and materials?

Do you find that instructions are in a logical sequence?
What did you like about the things you reviewed?
What did you dislike or think could be improved?
Do you have any suggestions for improvement?

Part 6c. Small Group evaluation plan

For this part of the evaluation process, I would evaluate eight learners that represent the
variety of learners from the target audience working with the instructional materials.
These learners would be both male and female and would represent teachers from a
multiple of grade levels. My design does not include a pretest or entry-level test.
Learners would immediately begin working with all of the instructional materials
designed for the learners. Instructor materials would not be shared. The small group
would be done in two sessions with four learners in each session. The reason for this
being that the instruction at times calls for sharing ideas by the group and for some
limited discussion about concepts. These tasks can be evaluated by having a group of
four learners. Learners would review instructional materials and use them to create a
working classroom website which is the main assessment for this instructional design.
The designer would be present for all of these activities to make observations and ask
questions to solicit information from the group. The questions that this evaluation would
seek to answer are:
Did you find any problems or errors in the instructional materials?
Is there anything that you dont understand or that is unclear in the materials?
Do you have any suggestions for improvement?
Was there anything you didnt like about the instruction?
Are learning materials adequate in helping learners reach instructional
objectives?
Were the learners lacking any skills that are prerequisite for the learning tasks?
How do the learners respond to the instruction?
What are learner attitudes toward the instruction?
How do learners feel about the appropriateness of the instruction?
How long does it take for learners to complete to work through the course of
instruction?
Do learners feel the instruction is relevant to them and their jobs?
Did corrections and modification after one-to-one evaluation alleviate previous
problems?

Part 6d. Field Trial evaluation plan

A field trial would be performed with 15 learners and the instructor. (I know it should be
more like 30, but the number of staff members available for a field trial is limited and 15
is the most that can be managed.) The field trial would take place in the computer lab of
the school that the design had in mind when developed. The instructor would present all

32

instruction as designed in the instructor guide. In this case, the instructor would be the
designer as well. Students would work through all learning objectives, practice
processes and complete a working classroom website. Learner would also complete an
exit survey, sharing thoughts, ideas, and attitudes about the instruction and its
presentation. Assessment of practice activities and main website completion would be
evaluated according to the instructional assessment checklist. Accuracy on all
objectives would be looked at and have data compiled. The key questions this stage of
evaluation would wish to answer are:
Were there any unforeseen technical difficulties or learning environment issues?
Were there any issues with the way the instruction is delivered?
Is the instructor delivering instruction as it is designed?
What are learners reactions to the instruction?
Do learners feel successful at accomplishing learning objectives?
Were there any objectives learners did not meet? If so, is the problem related to
instruction or the assessment itself?
Is there anything in the instruction that learners do not like or would change?
Are there any missing skills among the learners that need to be addressed in the
instruction?
Is the instructor comfortable with instructor materials and the delivery of the
instruction?
What worked well in the instruction?
What areas could be further improved?
Is there anything that the learners would change about the instruction?
What did the learners like about the instruction?

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Part 7. Formative Evaluation Report

Part 7a. Evaluation survey or rubric
For this instruction design project an evaluation survey was created to be filled out by
the subject matter expert. Below are the questions included in that survey:
Are there any prerequisite skills that I have neglected to address?
Is the process presented in a logical order that makes sense for instruction?
Could the task be accomplished in an easier or simpler manner?
Are there any steps that have been overlooked in the design?
Have any concepts been poorly explained or presented?
Do you have any recommendations for improvement or change?
What parts were well executed?
Is all information presented clearly and accurately?
The actual survey can be accessed by the following link: http://bit.ly/13lh71l

Part 7b. Results of the expert review

The SME evaluation survey provided various suggestions for improvement. Because
the SME was both a teacher and a website specialist, he made the comment that
currently the instruction is better designed for an elementary level teacher than it is for a
secondary teacher. He mentioned how the instruction does not address the needs of
teachers that teach multiple classes and subjects. It only explains having a homework
and announcements page. It doesnt provide any instruction on how to format a site for
multiple classes or subjects. He suggested that more categories could be added for
each subject and that the navigation menu could then be modified. The SME also
brought up the fact that the instruction does not cover how to customize the websites
appearance using the dashboard. He suggested including a section in the student
instructional guide to cover this topic. Next, mention was made of the fact that there was
no discussion on how to create pages and then assign them to a parent page, which
could be useful, but is not imperative when looking at the instructional goal. Along with
this, he also stated that review of how to create sub menus or drop-down menus may be
useful during the section on creating navigation menus. The SME felt that the overall
instruction was presented in a logical order and that information was also clear and
accurate. The student instructional guide was pointed out as being well executed
because of the screenshots that were included in it.

Part 7c. Comments on change

No changes have yet been made in the instructional design. However, based on the
SME feedback some changes will be made. In order to make the instruction appropriate
to a wider audience, some sections will be modified to accommodate secondary
teachers that teach more than one subject or class. This will require minor changes to
information about category creation and the creation of the navigation menu. These
changes should not be extensive and will not affect the current objectives of the

34

instructional design. Instead of being taught to create homework and announcements

categories, secondary teachers will be taught to create categories for each subject that
they teach that will function the same as the homework and announcement page would.
Another of the suggestions that will be addressed is the need for instruction on how to
customize a theme from the dashboard menu. This change should only require a small
additional section in the student instructional guide. A section will be created that gives
detailed instructions with screenshots, showing learners how to access the menus for
theme customization from the dashboard. Other suggestions made by the SME were
considered, but ultimately were deemed unnecessary when looking at the goal of the
design. The goal of the instruction only seeks to have three basic sections on the
website. The SME had suggested covering assigning parent pages, but this is a task
that is superfluous the aims of the design. The suggestion for sub menus in the
navigation menu was very interesting, but was also seen as extra content that did not
contribute in a meaningful way to design. With only three sections being created, dropdown menus are not needed.

Part 8. AECT Standards Grid

Professional Standards Addressed (AECT)
The following standards, developed by the Association for Educational Communications and
Technology (AECT), and used in the accreditation process established by the National Council
for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), are addressed to some degree in this course.
The numbers of the standards correspond to the numbers next to the course tasks show on the
list of assignments. Not all standards are addressed explicitly through student work.
Assignments meeting standard in whole or
part
Standard 1: DESIGN
1.1 Instructional Systems Design (ISD)

ID Project

1.1.1 Analyzing

ID Project; ID Case Analysis

1.1.2 Designing

ID Project

1.1.3 Developing

ID Project

1.1.4 Implementing

ID Project

1.1.5 Evaluating

Selected Discussion Forums; ID Project

1.3 Instructional Strategies

ID Project

1.4 Learner Characteristics

ID Project

1.2 Message Design

35

Standard 2: DEVELOPMENT
2.0 (includes 2.0.1 to 2.0.8)

ID Project

2.1 Print Technologies

Reading Quiz; ID Project

(all assignments)

(all assignments)

ID Project

2.2 Audiovisual Technologies

2.3 Computer-Based Technologies
2.4 Integrated Technologies

Standard 3: UTILIZATION
3.0 (includes 3.0.1 & 3.0.2)
3.1 Media Utilization
3.2 Diffusion of Innovations
3.3 Implementation and
Institutionalization
3.4 Policies and Regulations

Standard 4: MANAGEMENT
4.0 (includes 4.0.1 & 4.0.3)
4.1 Project Management
4.2 Resource Management
4.3 Delivery System Management
4.4 Information Management

Standard 5: EVALUATION
5.1 Problem Analysis

5.2 Criterion-Referenced Measurement

ID Project

36

5.3 Formative and Summative

Evaluation

ID Project
X

5.4 Long-Range Planning

COURSE GOALS & OBJECTIVES

The overall goal for the course is for each student to consider and use the
systematic process of instructional design to create an instructional product.
To achieve this goal, students will engage in activities that promote reflective
practice, emphasize realistic contexts, and employ a number of
communications technologies. Following the course, students will be able to:
1. Discuss the historical development of the practice of instructional
design with regard to factors that led to its development and the
rationale for its use
2. Describe at least two reasons why instructional design models are
useful
3. Identify at least six instructional design models and classify them
according to their use
4. Compare and contrast the major elements of three theories of learning
as they relate to instructional design
5. Define instructional design.
6. Define the word systematic as it relates to instructional design
7. Define learning and synthesize its definition with the practice of
instructional design
8. Relate the design of instruction to the term educational (or
instructional) technology
9. Describe the major components of the instructional design process and
the functions of models in the design process
10. Provide a succinct summary of various learning contexts (declarative
knowledge, conceptual, declarative, principle, problem-solving,
cognitive, attitudinal, and psychomotor)
11. Build an instructional design product that integrates major aspects of
the systematic process and make this available on the web.
37

a. Describe the rationale for and processes associated with needs,

learner, context, goal, and task analyses
i.

Create and conduct various aspects of a front-end

analysis

ii.

Identify methods and materials for communicating

subject matter that are contextually relevant

b. Describe the rationale for and processes associated with

creating design documents (objectives, motivation, etc.)
i.

Construct clear instructional goals and objectives

ii.

Develop a motivational design for a specific instructional

task

iii.

Develop assessments that accurately measure

performance objectives

c. Select and implement instructional strategies for selected

learning tasks
i.

Select appropriate media tools that support instructional

design decisions

d. Describe the rationale and processes associated with the

formative evaluation of instructional products
i.

Create a plan for formative evaluation

12. Identify and use technology resources to enable and empower

learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.
13. Apply state and national content standards to the development of
instructional products
14. Meet selected professional standards developed by the Association for
Educational Communications and Technology
15. Use various technological tools for instructional and professional
communication

AECT STANDARDS (Applicable to EDTECH 503)

1.0 Design
38

1.1 Instructional Systems Design

1.1.a Utilize and implement design principles which specify optimal conditions for
learning.
1.1.b Identify a variety of instructional systems design models and apply at least one
model.
1.1.1 Analyzing
1.1.1.a Write appropriate objectives for specific content and outcome levels.
1.1.1.b Analyze instructional tasks, content, and context.
1.1.2 Designing
1.1.2.a Create a plan for a topic of a content area (e.g., a thematic unit, a text chapter,
an interdisciplinary unit) to demonstrate application of the principles of macro-level
design.
1.1.2.b Create instructional plans (micro-level design) that address the needs of all
learners, including appropriate accommodations for learners with special needs.
1.1.2.d Incorporate contemporary instructional technology processes in the
development of interactive lessons that promote student learning.
1.1.3 Developing
1.1.3.a Produce instructional materials which require the use of multiple media (e.g.,
computers, video, projection).
1.1.3.b Demonstrate personal skill development with at least one: computer authoring
application, video tool, or electronic communication application.
1.1.4 Implementing
1.1.4.a Use instructional plans and materials which they have produced in
contextualized instructional settings (e.g., practica, field experiences, training) that
address the needs of all learners, including appropriate accommodations for learners
with special needs.
1.1.5 Evaluating
1.1.5.a Utilize a variety of assessment measures to determine the adequacy of learning
and instruction.
1.1.5.b Demonstrate the use of formative and summative evaluation within practice and
contextualized field experiences.
1.1.5.c Demonstrate congruency among goals/objectives, instructional strategies, and
assessment measures.
1.3 Instructional Strategies
1.3.a Select instructional strategies appropriate for a variety of learner characteristics
and learning situations.
1.3.b Identify at least one instructional model and demonstrate appropriate
contextualized application within practice and field experiences.

39

1.3.c Analyze their selection of instructional strategies and/or models as influenced by

the learning situation, nature of the specific content, and type of learner objective.
1.3.d Select motivational strategies appropriate for the target learners, task, and
learning situation.
1.4 Learner Characteristics
1.4.a Identify a broad range of observed and hypothetical learner characteristics for
their particular area(s) of preparation.
1.4.b Describe and/or document specific learner characteristics which influence the
selection of instructional strategies.
1.4.c Describe and/or document specific learner characteristics which influence the
implementation of instructional strategies.

2.0 Development
2.0.1 Select appropriate media to produce effective learning environments using
technology resources.
2.0.2 Use appropriate analog and digital productivity tools to develop instructional and
professional products.
2.0.3 Apply instructional design principles to select appropriate technological tools for
the development of instructional and professional products.
2.0.4 Apply appropriate learning and psychological theories to the selection of
appropriate technological tools and to the development of instructional and
professional products.
2.0.5 Apply appropriate evaluation strategies and techniques for assessing effectiveness
of instructional and professional products.
2.0.6 Use the results of evaluation methods and techniques to revise and update
instructional and professional products.
2.0.7 Contribute to a professional portfolio by developing and selecting a variety of
productions for inclusion in the portfolio.
2.1 Print Technologies
2.1.3 Use presentation application software to produce presentations and
supplementary materials for instructional and professional purposes.
2.1.4 Produce instructional and professional products using various aspects of
integrated application programs.
2.3 Computer-Based Technologies
2.3.2 Design, produce, and use digital information with computer-based technologies.

3.0 Utilization
3.1 Media Utilization

40

3.1.1 Identify key factors in selecting and using technologies appropriate for learning
situations specified in the instructional design process.
3.1.2 Use educational communications and instructional technology (SMETS) resources
in a variety of learning contexts.
3.3 Implementation and Institutionalization
3.3.1 Use appropriate instructional materials and strategies in various learning contexts.
3.3.2 Identify and apply techniques for integrating SMETS innovations in various learning
contexts.
3.3.3 Identify strategies to maintain use after initial adoption.

4.0 Management
(none specifically addressed in 503)

5.0 Evaluation
5.1 Problem Analysis
5.1.1 Identify and apply problem analysis skills in appropriate school media and
educational technology (SMET) contexts (e.g., conduct needs assessments, identify and
define problems, identify constraints, identify resources, define learner characteristics,
define goals and objectives in instructional systems design, media development and
utilization, program management, and evaluation).
5.2 Criterion-referenced Measurement
5.2.1 Develop and apply criterion-referenced measures in a variety of SMET contexts.
5.3 Formative and Summative Evaluation
5.3.1 Develop and apply formative and summative evaluation strategies in a variety of
SMET contexts.

SMET = School Media & Educational Technologies

41

Appendix A. Student Instructional Guide

Student Instructional Guide

Getting Started
To get started on creating your own classroom website you will need to create a
user account for wordpress.com. If you already have one then you can skip down to
step 7.
1. Open your Internet browser and navigate to wordpress.com.
2. Click on the get started button.

42

3. Enter the desired information on the next screen.

4. Click on create blog at the bottom of the screen.

5. Check your email and activate your account when you receive you email from
wordpress.com.
6. Click on the activate link in the email to activate your account.

43

7. Click on my blogs at the top of the screen and then click on change
appearance option under the blog you created.

8. Choose a theme for you blog and click activate. (Note: premium themes
must be paid for.)
9. Click Customize.

Customizing Your Blogs Appearance

1. After clicking on customize, a new screen will appear on the right-hand side
click on color.
2. Choose your text header color and background color from the dropdown
menus that appear.

44

3. Click on site title and modify the blog title and tagline.
4. Click on save at the bottom of the screen.
5. Once you have saved, click your browsers back button.

Navigating to the Dashboard and Previewing Your Blog

1. After hitting the back button in your browser, you will be brought back to the
initial screen that lets you select which blog you want to work on. From this
initial screen, click on the blog that you want to work on. (Note: your blog
will have the name that you gave it when you created your wordpress

45

account.)

2. Clicking on your blog will take you to your actual blog. To make changes to
your blog you will need to navigate to the dashboard. This is done by
hovering your cursor over the name of your blog located in the top left-hand
corner of your blog. When you do this, a drop-down menu will appear. The
first option to choose is Dashboard. Click on it.

3. The dashboard contains all the menus for editing your blog and is used
frequently for adding and organizing your blog contents. In order to return
to your blog and view changes that you have made, click on the name of your
blog in the top left-hand corner of the page. (Note: this is the same thing you
do to get to the dashboard, except you are clicking instead of hovering.)

46

Creating, Editing, and Deleting Blog Pages

Pages are used to display static information on a blog. Static information is
information that doesnt change. Pages are different than posts and you would not
use pages for information that changes frequently.
Creating and Editing Pages
1. Navigate to the dashboard.
2. Navigate to the pages menu on the left-hand side of the screen and click.

47

3. To add a new page, there are two options. You can click on add new at the
top of the page or in side menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

4. This will take you to an editing screen. Enter a page title and then type in the
page content into the main content area.

Enter you page text

in this area.

48

5. At the bottom of the page there are options for liking your blog page on
Facebook and sharing your page using various web services. If you dont
want to do these things, uncheck the option boxes at the bottom of the
screen.

6. Finally, publish the new page to your blog by clicking on the publish button
on the right-hand side of the screen. If dont want to publish yet then you can

49

click on save draft and then go back and publish later.

7. To edit an existing page navigate to the page menu in the dashboard and
8. Locate the page you want to edit, hover your cursor over it and a menu will
appear with an edit option. Click edit and it will take you to the editing
screen.
Deleting Pages
9. To delete a page from your blog, click on the pages menu in the dashboard.
This will take you to a list of all the pages in your blog.
10. Locate the page you want to delete and click on the box next to the title of the
page. Then click on trash button that appears below the page title.

50

11. To delete more than one page at a time click on the box next to the page titles
and then go down to the bulk actions and select move to trash.

Creating, Editing, and Deleting Posts

Posts are quick stand-alone pieces of information that are added frequently to blogs
to share new information. Posts can be sorted and categorized by their content.
Unlike pages, posts are not static and are frequently added, changed, and removed
from blogs.
Creating Posts
1. Navigate to the dashboard.

51

2. Navigate to the posts menu on the left-hand side of the screen and click.

3. To create a new post, you can click on add new at the top of the screen or
on the left-hand side in the posts menu.

52

4. This will take you to a new screen. Add a title in the title bar and then add
whatever text you wish for the post in the main content box.

Add Title Here

Add text of the post in this

box.

5. Posts give you an option of liking posts on Facebook and sharing posts
using other social media sites. If you wish to disable these features, you need
to uncheck the boxes next to Show likes and Show sharing buttons at the
bottom of the screen.

6. Posts also allow you to categorize them by their content. To create or assign
a category to a post, you use a menu on the right-hand side of the screen

53

called categories. If you already have categories created, they will show up
in this menu, but if you dont, you will need to create them. Click on Add
New Category to create a category. (Note: it is VERY important to assign a
category of homework or announcement to posts or they will not appear on
the correct page of your site or they wont appear on your site at all.)

7. Type in the name of the category you wish to create in the box that appears.
Then click Add New Category button to add another if you wish.

8. To select a category for a post click in the box next to the category you want
to assign to that post and a check mark will appear.

54

9. Finally, click on the publish button to finish your post and put it on your
blog. If you wish to save it without publishing so you can work on it later,
you can click on save draft. Publishing will show you a preview of the post
on your blog. Click on the name of your site in the top left-hand corner of the
screen to go to your actual blog.

Editing Posts
1. To edit a post, navigate to the dashboard and select the posts menu.
2. This will give you a list of all the posts on your blog site. Locate the post you
wish to edit and hover your mouse over its title.
3. A menu will appear when the mouse hovers. Click on edit. This will take
you back to the same screen you had when you created the post and you can

55

edit whatever you need to edit.

Deleting Pages
1. Navigate to the dashboard and click on the posts menu.
2. A list of all the posts on the blog will appear. Let your mouse hover over the
title of the post that you wish to delete.

56

3. A menu will appear. Click on trash to delete the post.

4. To delete more than one post at a time, click on the check box next to the title
of each post that you wish to delete. Then click on the Bulk Actions drop-

57

down menu. Click on Move to trash.

Adding Pictures to Pages or Posts

1. Navigate to the dashboard and then choose the posts or pages menu. It
depends on where you want to add a picture.
2. In the list of pages or posts, locate the title of the page or post to which you
wish to add the picture. Let your mouse hover over it and a menu will

58

appear. Click on edit.

3. This will take you to the editing page for posts or pages. Add a picture is the
same for both pages and posts so these steps can be used for both. Click on
the Add Media button.

59

4. This will take you to a insert media page that shows all pictures and media
that you have placed on your blog. Click on upload files to add pictures
from your computer to your blog.

5. Then click on select files to browse files on your computer.

6. Locate the photo you wish to upload on your computer. (Note: there is a 1GB
file size maximum.)

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7. Once the photo is uploaded it will appear in the insert media page. Click on
it and a menu will appear on the right-hand side of the screen.
8. You can give the photo a title, caption, and description. You can also choose
the alignment and size of the photo in the page or post.

61

9. Finally click insert into page at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

10. The photo will now appear in your page/post editing page. Click on update
to re-publish the page/post with the new photo.

Adding and Removing Widgets

Widgets are pre-made tools or features that you can add to your blog. Think of them
as accessories, they can be used to enhance the functionality and aesthetics of your
blog. Wordpress.com provides a number of widgets. Some you may find useful,
other not as much. Be selective and dont use to many or it may clutter your blog.

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1. Navigate to the dashboard and click on the appearance menu. Once clicked
a number of sub menus will appear below appearance. Click on widgets.

2. Clicking on widgets menu will take you to a page with a large list of
widgets. A short description is given for each widget. On the right-hand side
of the screen is the sidebar. Locate widgets you want to include in your
blog and click and drag them into the sidebar. (Note: the sidebar will have a
few widgets that have been selected by default depending on the theme you
have chosen for your website.)

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3. If you wish to remove a widget from your sidebar, click on the widget
4. Next, click on the delete button that appears.
5. Some widgets may require you to enter some information. Click on the
widget in the sidebar and enter any information that is needed. Click save.

6. Return to your blog to view what these widgets look like in your blog.

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Constructing a Navigation Menu

A navigation menu allows you to move from page to page in your blog. If a
navigation menu is not created correctly, you will not be able to access posts or
pages. A navigation menu also gives your blog a custom and personal feel. For our
purposes we are going to be creating a navigation menu that includes a homepage,
homework page, and an announcements page.
1. Navigate to the dashboard and click on the appearance menu. Then click
on the menus sub menu.

2. Clicking on menus will take you to the edit menus screen. Click on create
a new menu at the top of the page.

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3. Give your new menu a name and click create menu.

4. Next, click on the checkbox next to the pages that you want to include in your
navigation menu and click add to menu. (Note: pages not included in the
navigation may not be accessible on your blog, unless other options that we
wont cover are changed.)

5. After adding pages to your menu, you will need to add categories to your
menu. This will let you view all posts assigned to that category on one page
in your blog. It will also create a navigation link to that category. Click on
categories in the edit menus page. (Note: it is important that you include
both the homework and announcement categories in your navigation menu
or you will not be able to see posts assigned to that category.)

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6. Click the checkboxes next to the categories you want to include in your
navigation menu and click add to menu button.

7. After you have added your pages and categories to your menu, click and drag
them into the order you want.

8. You need to set this new menu as the primary menu for your blog or it will
not appear on your actual blog. To do this click on the check box next to

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primary menu.

9. Next, click on save menu in the bottom right-hand corner.

10. Return to your blog to check and see if your navigation menu appears the
way it should.

Setting Your Homepage

Just because you create a page in your blog and name it homepage, does not
necessarily mean that it is your homepage. A homepage must be designated in one
of the dashboard menus. By default, wordpress.com creates a posts page that acts
as a homepage. All posts put on the blog appear on this page, they arent separated
by category or anything. If you wish to have a static homepage that visitors are
directed to when they visitor your blog, then you must alter some settings on your

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blog. For the purposes of a classroom website, it is recommended that you set a
static homepage for your blog.
1. Navigate to the dashboard and click on the settings menu. Then click on
the reading sub menu.

2. Near the top of the reading settings page you will be given options for
Front page displays. Click the small circle next to A static page.

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3. Next, you need to choose the page of your blog that will be the Front page
or homepage from the drop-down menu.

4. It also offers an option to choose a page for all posts to be displayed on. You
may leave this option unselected. You have already created category pages
in your navigation menu that will take you to all the posts that you create. If
you like you may set the post page as the same as your front page. All posts
will then display on the front page.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click save changes.

More Advanced Tutorials and Helps

If you ever get stuck, wordpress.com provides great helps and tutorials for working
in wordpress.com. There is a link to these tutorials and walkthroughs located at the
very bottom of every page in the dashboard. Just click on the link and you can get
help with many different issues that you may encounter.

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Works Cited
Smith, P. L., & Ragan, T. J. (2005). Instructional Design (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.

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