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Having a school website is one of the strategies that businesses are adopting in the era of the digital economy to take their business to the next level. School owners and educationists should see the significance of a school website in the light of harnessing the potential in the digital space. The reality of the COVID-19 pandemic has also shown that any school that wants to remain relevant and keep growing needs to move into the digital space by creating its digital ecosystem.
Small and medium schools should consider a website an integral part of their investment. Similarly, established schools should also be aware of the paradigm shift digital evolution has brought to nature and form school websites.
Forms of School Websites
The earlier conception of a school website has changed, and the new reality in the digital environment has compelled websites for schools to change in form. Mal Lee has identified two types of school websites as either traditional or working websites. We posit that the reality of the new digital environment entails that these two types of websites are combined into multi-facet websites.
- Traditional School Website: The idea of a school website has not been new to established schools. Mal Lee has explained that traditional school website has been primarily a “static source of information, a marketing tool.” It implies that such a website is just for disseminating information to the online community. In this case, the website is remote from the physical school and functions as a stand-alone.
- Working School Website: The working website moves beyond the surface and incorporates school administration, digital teaching, learning, and other productivities. According to Mal Lee, school websites have become “365/24/7 worksites” for the entire school., because the working website allows every school activity, including the administrative, people, community and learning to be moved online.
- Multi-facet School Website: Apart from fulfilling the features of a traditional website, the website helps the school bring its entire ecosystem into the digital space. Therefore, a multi-facet website serves as the school information post, marketing channel, and online platform for school administrative and academic works. It implies that the website can take care of the school work system. The school can host learning activities and showcase its potential for marketing purposes. Besides, parents and prospects can also obtain up-to-date information
Why School Website is Significant
In the light of a multi-facet nature, the website replicates the school on the web. The website will serve the purposes of information dissemination, marketing tool and school management system. A website, therefore, helps the school to achieve the following.
- Website will put the school in a public webspace. In this manner, people can access information about the school, the staff, the school history, and what the school represents. Any parent doing online research on the schools in the neighbourhood will gain access to the school information through its website.
- A school website will help the school acquire a reputation online and offline. Parents and visitors will see a school with a website as having an additional pedigree and thus ascribe standards to such a school.
- When the school moves its core to the website, it can promote interaction within the school ecosystem. For example, the parents can log in to the website, monitor their children’s progress, and provide feedback.
- A website is also significant in reaching a wider audience. Because a website is not subject to time, space and location, a school website can project a school beyond its boundaries or locality.
- A school website will create awareness and increase school enrollment. Because of 24/7 availability and awareness, people can get information without going physically to the school. Consequently, this will have a positive impact on admission to seeking parents.
- A functional school website is significant for the school management system. The website can take care of the whole activities of the school, for example, the administration, personnel, and learning process.
- Significance of a website also includes using it for the learning management system (LMS). For example, online courses can be conducted through the website, whether live classes or scheduled classes.
- The website is where the school can quickly update its community with new information.
Conclusion
We have explained the significance of a website to a school. The school owner or educationist will need to consider the points above regarding how these can positively impact the school.
There are implications for the school as a business. We talked about an increase in school enrolment that is key for business expansion. Implications for learning should also make a school owner immediately consider having a school website. Teaching and learning online will be made easy with one.
School owners must also see websites as part of business investment. Just like the school buildings and the classrooms that are condition precedents, so is the school website. School owners can also visit our contact to leave a comment for us or request our
