I came across this awesome photo of a classic Kindergarten bulletin board on Flickr the other day and I had to write about it.
This type of board, which exists in thousands of elementary school classrooms all over the world, really is a great example of an information portal. Key information that is relevant and important to the 'users' is readily available, easily understood, is presented in a very visually appealing manner, and is very accessible.
Frankly, it jumps right out at you as soon as you walk in the door.
Schedules, news, events, important facts, and some required learning objects all right there. And there is usually an element if 'user creation' in this content, as kids often update the board with things like the day's weather conditions or perhaps adding vocabulary words to the 'letter or the day'. They may even put their names up to volunteer for activities and events.
So let's get this straight - updated, meaningful content, presented in an attractive, user-friendly manner, with elements of user-created content?
Sounds like most kindergarten classes have a better information portal than many corporate organizations.
I guess the old line about 'All I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten' may have some truth to it after all.