Make an Internet Start Page for your class using Protopage

Wondering what an Internet Start Page is? A Start Page is for your classroom Internet use. When students log on to the Internet this page will come up and on it will be links to everything you might want them to use - targetted links, a clock, possibly even a dictionary, notes etc. Let me start off by showing you a sample from the site we will use. This is how it looks before you have  modified the page to your liking.

I don't know if you are like I have been when it comes to technology integration? I have all my websites saved in my Diigo bookmarks, and otherwise on files saved on my computer. It was often a mission to pass this on to my students. Recently I read a post by the ever-inspiring Jacqui Murray suggesting an Internet Start Page in passing on her post. This idea really 'jumped out' of the page and I started to explore.


The first thing to do is to open Protopage (http;//www.protopage.com) to reister and name your page. You then give your page a title, and you start deleting all the 'widgets' that are there as placeholders. You'll end up like this.

You can change the background but I haven't explored that aspect yet. From then on you start adding your own widgets by clicking on 'Add widget'.  There are a huge amount to choose from, but I found myself choosing mainly 'bookmarks' and one or two others.

You can add as many widgets as you like and make them the size you want as well. You can place them wherever you like on the page. You name them and start adding bookmarks etc. It is such fun! I started to make one to collect Reading and Writing sites for Grade 1 - 6.

Jacqui Murray gives the link to her K-8 page, and it is a source of inspiration to me. Take a look at hers yourself:  http://www.protopage.com/smaatech#Untitled/First_grade.  If you decide to create an Internet Start Page please share your link with me!