Blog It
For example, when I created the Music Appreciation page, there were no lyric videos on the page. As I added the videos in my blog, I created links for the videos on the Music Appreciation page. Now we have almost 50 videos at our disposal, all organized so we can find them. This also kept me from having to create separate pages for each video, thus reducing the number of pages I have to wade through when making improvements. That's important, and it's something I will discuss more in the next post in this series.
Now, by thinking ahead in this manner, and setting up pages to be clearinghouses for blog posts, my blog posts don't just disappear into the abyss of blog archives. It allows students and teachers to find "sets" of materials or informational articles that go together. In short, it makes my website useful. And it is so much easier than creating and linking a bunch of pages.
Change It Up
We tell our students that, when they write, they must change their sentences. Choose strong verbs and descriptive adverbs and adjectives. Write with voice and sentence fluency. Certainly, the same must apply to your website. Make it sound like you. Take your readers along for the conversation. Change the topic.
In my website/blog, I try to never put the same type of post on the page twice in a row. For example, this series of posts you are reading does not appear on the blog on succeeding days. Instead, they are being posted with a couple of other types of posts in between. Hopefully, variety means the homepage looks better aesthetically. It may also make readers anticipate upcoming posts more.
It's Perpetual
That said, a website can be relevant and utilitarian and classy all at the same time. Updating allows your personality to radiate. It allows people to stay, well, up to date. It allows collaboration with a larger cohort, outside of just your school or grade level. A website allows you to escape the four walls of your classroom...so why stay inside the box? A website animates your notes home. It allows you to link secondary information to your information. It feeds your need to be creative. It keeps you on your toes. A website extends your reach in the community. It's something worth having, but only if you keep it moving. Who knows where you can take it.