Group 1 Tools - Websites Reflection

My website can be found here.

When comparing to wikis and blogs, websites seem very dull. They are static sources, unable to be interactive and unable to grow on their own. However, websites are a very helpful tool to use in the classroom. Due to their static nature, teachers can create websites packed with class materials, knowing that they will have full control over it and nothing will be altered or inappropriate for their students.

This though, can lead to issues of disengagement by students. Whilst a website may be an effective place to put a stack of lesson notes, it is simply no better than a written textbook. The internet, and indeed, websites are high technological repositories and teachers should make every effort to make websites as interactive as possible for students.

A good example of a website I use for class material is Moodle. Content is continually added and I can find all of my resources and notes there. While effective and very helpful for tertiary level students (most of the time), this would be a poor use of a website for secondary students. Websites need to interact with students and involve them in class content, not just be another place to find the content, but with a little technology added in. Again, teachers should refer to the TPACK framework before integrating technology.

Once again, scaffolding is the most essential part of preparing technologies for classrooms. Students should be able to see clearly outlined procedures for interaction and engagement with activities. Websites, I believe, should be presented in a way that captures student attention whilst being clearly and rationally organised. A page with a screen full of text will not suffice.

One issue with creating websites is a need to know how to create webpages. Websites are a bunch of coded messages translated by our browsers to show up on our screen, so once upon a time (Back in the days of HTML 3 at least) webpages had to be designed from the code up. From experience this process is so frustrating.

Today however, tools have been designed so web pages can be created just like word processing programs produce documents. These tools, such as Google Pages, and Weebly (the tool we use) make web design much easier and much more effective. Design and structure become so much easier to deal with using these tools. Of course, a little bit of code never did any harm, and I believe it is crucial to understand how the Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) works.

I think websites have effective uses in my KLA (The Arts). Interactivity and connection to other resources are the most essential aspects of website design for students, and I will constantly need to think of this credo when designing class websites. Examples of how I can use website in my teaching area include:

• Designing a page with a series of videos of music with the accompanying PDF of the sheet music beside it.
• Multiple choice quizzes with references to video, audio and visual materials
• Using a page to embed various artefacts – YouTube, Slideshows, Facebook, Instagrams, Flickr, Twitter, RSS Feeds, Podcasts, even Wiki’s and Blogs!
• Probably the most used way to incorporate a website into lessons is by using it as a virtual textbook. Care must be taken to ensure that it still is interactive and student focussed (engaging and content based.)

Using a website in the classroom has various positive and negative implications for the students’ learning outcomes. The following PMI Analysis is a helpful tool to structure my analysis.

Pluses

• Unlimited space to deposit any form of media whether it be text, graph, audio, video, application, tool or script. The possibilities are endless.
• Websites can be used as the first point of call to the vast and unlimited resource that is the internet. Links can provide quick access to some of the better resources.
• Websites are static and are controlled by one entity.
• Design of websites is strictly up to the controller of that site.

Minuses

• Potential to become dull and uninteresting – like an online textbook.
• Unless using a design tool like Weebly or web design software like Dreamweaver, knowledge of coding is needed, and this can be terribly complex.
• Websites take lots of time to create and present well.
• Content under copyright cannot exactly be copied without various infringements.

Interesting

• School systems already have websites dedicated to various subjects. The idea of websites in classes is not new.
• Websites can become online diaries for students, marking assessment dates, homework and other such important information that can’t be changed.
• Pages can become useful resources when creating assignments.