School Website as a Media: Practice and Potential of the School Website Content

• Published in: The Future of Innovation and Technology in Education pp. 139 - 153
• Main Author: Arina, Baiba
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Emerald Publishing Limited 30.11.2018
• Subjects: Education; Technology & learning; School website; practice; digital media; potential; school image; content
• ISBN: 1787565564; 9781787565562
• DOI: 10.1108/978-1-78756-555-520181011

Abstract The website is a digital media, a platform that represents the school through its visual and textual elements. This way, it is becoming an important channel of communication and source of information. This chapter primarily looks at the school image as one of the aspects that the school needs to take into account in the context of the website, thinking not only about the good image, but, in particular, about the goals and values as a whole. Secondly, previous studies on the content and function of websites are analysed. In order to better explore the current practice of content creation and discover its weaknesses and potential, semi-structured in-depth interviews with Latvian school representatives, namely website content managers, were carried out. The school website still has a lot of unrealised potential. Nonetheless, the website as a technological tool can improve both the learning process and the school image, as well as serve as an information channel in the local community. Schools, for the most part, do not control their self-image, as well as the choice of content on the website is often not strategic enough. Overall, schools focus on regularly informing the audience, but much less on the marketing and learning solutions on the website. The represented image of the schools include both the characteristics of the local community and the formal institution. Identifying audience and its desires, as well as redistributing resources, are one of the necessities for realising the website’s potential.