Want a Web Site? Let Students Take Charge!

High school students learn computer skills and gain confidence while creating worthwhile web sites.

Chain of Students Keeps Class Site Going

by Jessica Byrd, Student Web Master, Cascade, Idaho

Working on the web page for the advanced biology class at Cascade High School has definitely added to my knowledge of computers. When I was asked if I wanted to work on the web page, I knew next to nothing about them. During the last semester of my sophomore year, I was taught how to design and upload web pages by Ben Plehal, a departing senior and winner of the National Technology Leadership Competition.

I learned many useful skills including how to run various computer applications, including Golive Ciber Studio, Scanwizard, and BBEdit, that I had never operated before. As my sophomore year progressed so did my confidence and computer know-how. I became more and more comfortable with the applications I was running on the computer, and by the end of my sophomore year, I was so confident in my skills that I knew I could take over the web page.

I assumed leadership of the site as a junior. During that year, I acquired a sense of accomplishment that I had never felt before. I was in charge of creating, improving, and uploading web pages. I was very proud of myself when I created my first web page. One of the best aspects of the experience was that I could see the results of my hard work immediately.

As I continued creating and uploading new pages, that first sense of accomplishment never left me. Even now, during my senior year, I still feel excited every time I upload a new page. I have also begun training a sophomore who will take over the web site when I graduate this year.

I feel as if I have really left my mark on Cascade High School as the web master of the advanced biology web page. I have learned skills that will be useful in my future. Perhaps even more important than knowing how to run applications on a computer, I also know that I can do anything I put my mind to.

Visit the Cascade High School web site at http://www.cascadehs.csd.k12.id.us/advbio/home.html

Students Enhance ENC Online

by Cara Spicer, ENC High School Student Intern

When looking for a summer job, I tried all sorts of places, from clothing retail to ice cream sales to full-time baby-sitting. I had about given up on finding the perfect place of employment, when I learned about the possibility of working as an ENC high school student intern. I would be helping to maintain a student branch of ENC Online. Before the internship began, my computer knowledge was limited to word processing and email. Working at ENC, I have had the opportunity to learn about different types of software, create web pages, and have my writing published on the Internet.

Work on the ENC student web site started in the summer of 1998. One of the high school students who created it, Jared Campbell, is still involved. Over the winter, changes were made in the programming, and student-written reviews of educational materials in the ENC collection were added to the database. At the beginning of the summer of 1999, when I began my internship, the design of the web page was basically complete. My job has been to add to the database of reviews.

Our reviews are written to help instigate a student-oriented curriculum in school systems. The abstracts ENC professionals provide for ENC's Resource Finder are based solely on facts, whereas the student web site contains students' thoughts on different educational materials. After all, we are the ones who actually use the materials in the classroom. Our work is aimed toward students, parents, teachers, and administrators interested in hearing students' input in education.

We base our opinions on our own research and by exploring the resources at ENC. We then write a critique of the material and rate the resource on a scale of one to five. We consider four different standards: ease of use, educational value, fun/interest, and appearance/design. We give the material an overall rating based on these four categories.

My summer internship at ENC has been both educational and rewarding. I now feel confident in my computer skills and will apply this knowledge to my classes at school. I have also helped people to realize that high school students do care about their education and are willing to help improve it.