Today I experimented creating my own website using www.weebly.com. I found that a website is quite different to a blog or a wiki. The website was much easier to create than a wiki, however there were some similarities between the setup of the website and the blog.
The website can only receive new information and be edited by the creator, although this does not mean that all websites have credited information.
Websites are widely used and known throughout school and the classrooms, but are they used to conduct the learning? I had only seen 'websites' as a tool within a computer studies class, however I have heard during the lectures of this course that some teachers create websites as a 'virtual classroom' where students and parents can have access to certain information (homework questions/answers, newsletters, photos etc).
I have created a P.M.I (positive, minus and interesting) to gather the information I have collected.
PLUS
- Attractive layouts, colours etc
- Quite easy to create
- Can be used within the classroom
- Can only be changed by one person - the creator
MINUS
- Can only be changed by one person - the creator (this could be a minus if it's a group task and/or there are more than one main creator)
- Comments can not be made by viewers
- Not all information is credential
INTERESTING
- Can be used as a 'virtual classroom' for parents and students
- Can be an effective individual task
I am quite interested in how efficient a website would be as a 'virtual classroom'. I would love to put it to the test in my own class one day.
Hi there Emily!
ReplyDeleteI was very interested reading you blog about making a website through Weebly. I really enjoyed making this website and I agree with a lot of points you have put forward in your blog entry. I like that you organised your thoughts about a Weebly using a PMI, I too used a similar method using a SWOT analysis and looking at yours I feel the same way about Weebly’s.
I think a Weebly would be of great use in the classroom and it would be a helpful tool in engaging students and enhancing their learning!
Just to offer some insight into your question, “Websites are widely used and known throughout schools and the classrooms, but are they used to conduct the learning?” My Mentor Teacher at practicum school this year uses a Virtual Classroom with her classroom. The students’ homework is uploaded on the Virtual Classroom and they must print their homework out, complete it, put it in their folder and bring it to school each Friday. My class I have is a grade three class, which is in our area of early childhood. I think a Weebly could be a really great tool for us to use in the classroom to conduct a similar homework strategy and to display certain inform for the students’. It has proved to work and it also gives the students’ some responsibility which would benefit them in many ways. Not to mention, the students enjoy the responsibility and love being able to navigate the Virtual Classroom!
Just some insight into having a website for your class to access when you in the, future, have your own class! I hope that this insight has been beneficial for you. :)
Anna.
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteYes thankyou for your insight!
It is much appreciated!
Emily.