Students creating websites to transform their learning

Today, in the EDC3100 lecture we were briefly introduced to the website below.

http://www.wix.com/website/templates

After investigating the website (which is a free website that students can make websites on ... yeh confusing) I thought I would have a go at applying the TEST framework to help me deduce how I would use this website in my teaching, how it could benefit learning and what I would need to think about when using this learning tool in my classroom. Potts (2011) research of creating online material through websites and other mediums found that "creating and sharing material was a positive and enjoyable experience" (p. 610).

Task:
The task associated with this website, would be for students to create a website. Students may create websites for any number of reasons. I was thinking of using it as a tool for students to analyse a ritual using various frameworks and think about how they could present this information in a Study of Religion class. I also thought about using it as an assessment instrument to test students abilities to create an informative website regarding renewable energy, or some other concept in science. Ultimately, the options are endless.

Environment:
What environment do we need to be in for this to work? - I think this is the easiest question to answer.. a classroom, or the students study area at home. Students can access this information and work on the task anywhere that they can gain access to wifi.

Skills:
Some of the skills students may need include being able to navigate a website, be able to communicate in an appropriate manner on the internet, being able to design how the layout will look, be able to synthesise and also categorise information in a way that is easily communicated and flows. students also need to be able to use content on the internet appropriately in terms of copyright (Potts, 2011, p. 608).

Tools:
Tools that could help me teach students how to use this technology may include videos that describe how to navigate the website that creates websites. The internet can be helpful to troubleshoot for students who are stuck and also myself. The other students in the class who have made websites before can also work with the other students to help them create their websites. The teacher will also need resources to help discuss copyright laws.

Reference

Potts, H. W. W. (2011). Student experiences of creating and sharing material in online learning. Medical Teacher, 33(11), e607-e614. doi:10.3109/0142159X.2011.610839