CHAPTER 13 Preparing Online Communications

Did TV kill newspapers? Some predicted this. Did TV kill movies and the movie industry? Many predicted this! How will the internet effect current mass communication? What is the future of the internet? How can schools use the internet as communications device? Could the internet replace schools as we know them today? Louisiana has a virtual high school!

The Strengths Of “THE NET” As A Research Tool In The Library Is Easy To See (Not Always Easy To Control) And Can Make A Small Or Isolated Library As Powerful As The Largest And Most Conveniently Located Library. However, What Is Its Role As A Tool In School Communications And School Community Relations.

WHICH OF THESE STATEMENTS DESCRIBES THE INTERNET? DO YOU HAVE A BETTER ONE?  The Internet Is A Passing Fancy And Will Wither On The Vine.  The Internet Is Just Another Tool That People Have To Learn To Deal With.  The Internet Is The Single Most Important Development Of The Last Decade Of The 20th Century.  Internet Usage Will Soon Begin To Decline. It Has Probably Peeked.  There Is No Bound As To What The Internet Can Do And How It Will Further Effect Our Society.

THE NEW MEDIA The Internet And Its Related Areas Is One Which We In Education Have Only Haltingly Attempted To Come To Grips With. There Is A Nation Wide Effort To Get Every School And Every Classroom “Wired”, And When We Finish The Next Logical Question Is “WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS NOW THAT WE HAVE IT?”

School Communications People And Communications People In All Walks Of Life Will Have To Deal With “The Web” For The Foreseeable Future And We In Schools Are Probably Behind Other Communicators In Use Of This Media. An Important Aspect Of This Is That We In Schools Must Keep Our Focus On The Relevancy Of Any New Technology As It Relates To Our Fundamental Educational Tasks. We Have Our Mission And Our Message, And Any New Media Is Simply Another Way To Communicate Regarding These.

An Important Aspect Of The Internet, As Mentioned Above, Is That The User Is In Complete Control Of The Sites Visited, And Chooses Which Part Of The Site Is To Be Viewed. Also, In Many Cases What It Is To Look Like When He Visits The Site. A Site Must Get The User’s Attention And Keep That Attention Or He Will Soon Be At Another Site.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS THAT ONE MUST KEEP IN MIND WHEN DEALING WITH THE NEW MEDIA. This Is A User Controlled Media And You Must First Attract And Then Keep The User. The Content And Design Must Be Developed With This In Mind Navigation Is Central To The Media And The Site Must Provide A Quick Grasp Of The Nature Of The Site And What Information Is Available. Thus The Site Must Be Complete Without Being To Cumbersome To Use – People Are Looking For Information And Don’t Want To Wait A Long Time To Get It The Basics Of Good Print And Video Design Apply To The Internet. Limit The Number Of Type Faces, Don’t Over Use Color, And Take Full Advantage Of The Ability To Hyperlink To Other Sites Or Parts Of A Site – These Users “Like To Click” To Get What They Want

Communication Rules Such As A Limit Of Jargon Are Still In Effect – Use Feedback Options To Facilitate Two Way Communication – Testing Of A School Or School System Site Should Be Done By Students And Parents Before The Site Goes On Line Keep A Site Simple Enough For Those With Slower Hardware And Software To Use The Site Collect And Critique Other Sites As You Browse, And Keep Notes On What They Do, Both Well Done And Poorly Done, So You Can Use Or Avoid These In You Site

Most schools today have the capability to use videos in their communications. Well done video productions can be a great way to advance community perception of the school!!!!!