How good school websites can promote student-to-student communication
School websites are often recommended for students and parents as a way to contact teachers via different contact portals, which makes communicating with them much easier. Students, unfortunately, do not have the same resources to easily access the contact information of our peers. This makes communicating with other students more difficult, especially when it comes to collaborating on school projects and assignments. By offering students more communication avenues, school websites can improve the academic environment both on and off campus. Here are some ways in which school websites can foster student-to-student communication.
Student directories on good school websites
Many high schools provide each of their students with a school email address. These email addresses are usually used to contact teachers and to sign up for school-related programs. These email addresses should also be used as a way for students to communicate with their peers. Good school websites should create a student directory that divides the student body according to grade and includes the school issued email addresses for each student. Access to this information would make student-to-student communication much easier because there would be one place where all contact information is located. A student directory would be especially beneficial when working on group projects because we would be able to find all the contact information of our fellow group members in one location.
Student chat rooms
Another resource that would benefit students including myself, would be access to chat rooms where students could communicate with each other without having to draft an entire email. These chat rooms would be useful for sending quick messages regarding homework assignments, especially if someone was absent from school the previous day. This would allow students to stay on track with their coursework, even if they are unable to physically attend school. In order to make these chat rooms accessible for students, good school websites could include links to chat rooms where students would be able to form messages to send to their fellow classmates. Student chat rooms can help improve student-to-student communication because they would offer students spaces where they can easily contact their peers, especially in regards to daily homework assignments.
Student activity scheduling
School websites usually include calendars that have the upcoming school events, but in addition to this, good school websites should also include a feature that allows students to schedule meetings with each other. This would be especially useful for school clubs and organizations because, in my personal experience, it is usually very difficult to find a time and place where everyone can meet up. It would be helpful for school websites to include a feature where clubs can send out reminders regarding the meeting, that way students will always be notified and updated on events concerning the club or organization. Student activity scheduling would help school websites promote communication among students because it ensures that students have various spaces where they can interact with one another on campus.
Monitoring student communication
With an increase of resources for students to communicate with one another will come an increased need for schools to monitor such communication. In regards to the student chat rooms, these spaces should be regularly monitored to ensure that they are being used for school-related purposes. However, the regulation of these spaces should not stifle the communication between students, but rather secure the safety of both the students and the website. Good school websites should be able to promote student-to-student communication as well as create safe spaces for students to discuss and collaborate on school-related activities, both inside and outside the classroom.
Importance of student-to-student communication for good school websites
It is important for schools to promote communication among their students because as students we need platforms outside of the classroom where we can communicate and build community with one another. When there is a lack of communication options we are less likely to contact one another which decreases the overall amount of communication on school campuses. Student contact resources such as the ones above offer methods for students to continue their education outside of school through peer to peer assistance.
About Raven
My name is Raven Lawson, and I am a seventeen-year-old high school senior at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES). I am a writer and designer for my school’s Yearbook and I am one of the Presidents of our Black Student Union. Through my school’s college counselor I learned about a summer internship opportunity. I applied in early February and had the fortune of being selected as one of eighty-seven interns. I then joined the team here at Edlio as a marketing intern. After high school, I plan to pursue a career in journalism or communications, and I am looking forward to utilizing the skills I learn at Edlio in the future.