My relfection about the Russell Street School

There are many schools who use their websites as a showpiece.  The sites are constructed to present the schools as places where "wonderful things" are occurring in education and the community.  And, while the site effective shares information and content, something is missing.  They fall flat because it is more about the presentation of "tidbits of information" and less about the "moments in education" which so desperately need to be shared.

The Russell Street School (RUS) website/blog is really quite impressive and extraordinary.  The site shares what the students and faculty are experiencing and this in turn creates a wonderful, exploratory learning environment.  The RUS blog posts depict learning as it occurs "in the moment" and the photo montages (and stills alike) are shared in a blog format (as if chronicled by a a reporter).  They are not staged for "perfect moments" caught on film. It's a living, breathing journal of elementary education and we are fortunate enough to see this occurring with this children throughout the blog.  Moreover, the staff has sincerely taken the time to efficiently and creatively use media to graphically showcase their students learning various things which is obviously enriching their education.  From the materials presented, the students were really enjoying themselves. 

You can also see that the RUS community is one that is student-centered.  This blog is an extension of this already established community.  While the blog has a homemade quality indicative of a first-go at building a blog, the pages beneath are what makes this site so special: the focus is on the raw content, not solely on the beauty of the site.  I believe that the students are really the headlines in this simplistic deign as opposed to a pretentious facade with nothing supporting the beautiful fonts and carefully coordinated colors. The newsletter and calendar are also available for students, parents and the community where everyone can participate and relive the amazing programs and events at RUS.  Moreover, with each class making their own contributions to the site, this further personalizes the experience as each individual teacher sees their students growing socially and academically throughout the year.

Within the ehe environment at RUS, teachers have ample time to create these entries which reflect the day-to-day interactions. They are not going though the motions of using technology to create an online community, they are actually creating this community within the school and then bringing this community to their school blog.   This blog is inspiring and is the formula every school website/blog can use to foster an online school community that reflect the one that already exists...digitally.