She Built It, and They Came
Walter Minkel -- School Library Journal, 4/1/2000
Links to Learn: www.mikids.com
Carolyn I. Gundrum (webmistress@mikids.com), librarian at the Waukazoo Elementary School in Holland, MI, first created Web pages for the school in 1997, using 15 older computers, a free Geocities account, and a slow connection. But since surfing the Web was time-consuming and frustrating for her students, she decided to improve matters.
The Upgrade: In 1998 the school bought 30 new Pentium PCs and Net filtering software, but the filter excluded all personal pages and free sites. Undeterred, Gundrum decided to start from scratch. Using her own funds, she purchased her own domain name (mikids.com, for "Michigan Kids"), rented server space, and created her own site, "Links to Learn." She coded the site in HTML, but now uses FrontPage 2000.
A Great Resource:
While "Links to Learn" lacks organization in terms of its layout, it more than makes up for it in content. The site offers innovative services for both Waukazoo and educators around the country. The K--5 "assignments" page, which links to topical assignments for each grade (mikids.com/assignments_K-5_list.htm), was the result of a questionnaire that Gundrum sent out to all of Waukazoo's teachers. The site also provides links to other teacher resources, such as "buzzword of the day" and "children's magazines." Gundrum is especially proud of the annual holiday menu she animated, as well as the various Harry Potter tools and games offered on the site.Keeping it Fresh:
When the J. K. Rowling books were first challenged in schools around the country, Gudrum created a page in their defense, claiming that reading, overcoming illiteracy, and switching off the television were far more important issues. Gundrum spends about 20 hours each week, at work and home, updating her site, and in return receives lots of supportive e-mail from visitors. "I share many of them with my family, and when they hear how it positively impacts others, they understand why I am committed to developing this Web site," she explains. No wonder she's known at Waukazoo as the "resourceress."
