Let’s get down to business. The first step of integrating technology into the theatre classroom is creating a class website. I’m not referring to a publicity site with the purpose of advertising your productions (though that is a good idea), but rather an instructional site that serves as a home base for your classroom instruction. Read this article from Edutopia for an explanation of the necessity of creating a site and some basic elements that you should include:
The Classroom Web Page: A Must-Have in 2008 | Edutopia
As this was written in 2008, clearly I am a little behind the times. But, in my limited opinion, the article is still relevant. Note: Google Pages and Homepage Startup no longer exist.
Personally, I created my website using Google Sites. I did this for two reasons: 1) my campus technology specialist recommended it, and 2) my district is going Google next year with a host of educational resources, and I figured I’d get in early. Google Sites is sort of a mashup between a basic free website (such as Angelfire of yore) and a wiki. Both my co-teacher and I have access to moderate the site. Another added perk is that Google has their hand in everything which makes it easy to add a lot of content with very little effort. For example, I use Google Calendars to share upcoming lessons, deadlines, and events; Blogger to post links and other relevant info that applies to the units we are studying; and Google Docs to give students access to handouts and other forms from home and to eliminate the need for paper with online forms. I am still tweaking the site and haven’t fully explored all of my options yet, but there are certainly many to choose from. I also use this site for my extracurricular productions, posting rehearsal notes, field trip forms, and (after closing) show photos.
Besides the convenience of having an info hub, I think the most important reason for having a class website is to teach students about how to use the internet for something other than Facebook, YouTube, and Wikipedia. They are learning to collaborate and interact with a medium that will continue to drive many aspects of life for quite some time. Plus, doing so keeps my administrators and technology specialists happy, which makes me look good.
I’m sure that there are other great site creators out there, but I have yet to be enlightened about what they are! Please comment about what you use (or don’t use) and I will create a list here for the benefit of anyone considering embarking on this endeavor.
