Week 3 - Assessment Relfection 2 (Weebly Websites)

A website, when created and utilised correctly, can become an important, engaging and strategic tool and pedagogy to assist with scaffolding and teaching of lessons. My focus areas are English and History and even though I have only briefly begun to explore its full potential, I believe that websites such as those developed on Weebly would be of great advantage to my future students during all lessons.

Weebly websites are very well created and open a multitude of opportunities to integrate digital pedagogies into the modern classroom – without too much of a worry about students not participating or possible ‘re-edits’ not suitable for the classroom. Weebly websites have one author and one author alone, the person who created the page and has a log in. This ensures that there is security for the website as no-one else is able to access it and it all cuts off any edits that students may wish to make for their own enjoyment. There is an option however for a forum to be placed on the website, this would allow for students to comment on questions or discussions but not open the door to cause mischief. Whilst I was exploring the site, I was extremely pleased to find the site easy to use for creating a website of your choice. The interface is extremely user friendly and with a few pointers, I was able to create new pages, embed videos and photos and create text boxes and polls – which shows that there is little to no experience necessary, all you need is basic computing skills.

These websites would be able to cater to a multitude of learning outcomes as the possibilities for its use are endless. Students would be able to consistently engage with online activities and texts which would allow learning outcomes to be reached frequently as it would take away the ‘boring book and worksheet’ element and allow students to complete activities with their own technological flair. However saying this, if a student/s wished to complete the activity or readings on paper – I would have no quarrel because sometimes a paper copy is better than an electronic one.

Technology, more specifically this website would be incredibly useful in integrating the SAMR model into the classroom and allowing it to prosper as a more permanent tool. Substitution would occur through the use of the website to make notes and comments, in an active forum, about the current text/s being studied in the classroom – perhaps even just placing in their ideas from that day’s lesson. Augmentation would occur in the way of embedding either a video clip or a downloadable file of the text/s being studied – allowing for easier access and use. Modification would occur in the way of the use of polls or questionnaires, these allow for a class debate or quiz to occur at any moment in time, it would also allow the responses to anonymous, making it easier for some students. And finally redefinition, the full use of the site to its entire capacity. This site would allow students to connect with the lesson at all points of the day and with tools mentioned before (polls, forums, embedded videos, etcetera) which allows for a more modern approach to my particular subject areas – even in particular Shakespeare.

This link here, will take you to my practice website for this exercise, which focuses upon Shakespeare and demonstrates some of the basic tools that are and can be installed onto a website page to enhance student’s learning and to further integrate digital pedagogies in the classroom.