In response to recent education market development and technology advancement, the school education system has been gradually transformed from a semi-closed to an open-market operation. Constructing a school web platform that provides interactive mechanism with feedback system to the public audiences has become an important trend in school operation and management. Currently most elementary school sites are still in one-way dissemination of information mode, and adoption of Web2.0-styled interactive features of need to be emphasized.
Based on literature review and discussion, the research objectives of this study aims to build a Web2.0-styled primary school website that will:
1. Provide school staff members with channel for communication and feedback.
2. Integrate a reading community within school website to promote school characteristics by providing forums for teachers and students.
3. Utilize social networking service to promote school characteristics.
4. Enhance school website with 3rd-party applications to provide additional services.
In this study, a web2.0-styled interactive web platform was constructed using open-source Joomla!- Content management system. Social networking functions such as Facebook and Twitter as well as Google mash-up services and some 3rd-party applications were also integrated to enhance interactivities of such platform. Hopefully this web platform can market the idea and characteristic of school more effectively to students, parents and the community audiences in general.
