Weebly is a tool that allows people to make their own websites in a simple and unproblematic way. I found the 'drag and drop' format of adding text relatively easy to use. After exploring and evaluating this tool, I believe that it is another effective avenue that can be taken to incorporate ICTs into the classroom. The strenghts and opportunities of this tool are that homework and extra supplimentary work can be uploaded onto the site for use by students outside of school hours. Along with this, documentation such as newsletters and permission notes could also be included on the site for parents to access. This could potentially eliminate the risk of important notes being lost by students while at school. The site could also serve as a journal/diary to inform parents of the daily happenings, with the classroom schedule being mentioned along with pictures of student work. Extra features of the website could consist of ways to email/contact the teacher and a calendar displaying the upcoming events within the classroom.
Along with these benefits, Eagleton (1999) noted that a classroom website may incorporate a variety of different modes such as written text, visual stimulus, videos and auditory resources. In response to this, it seems that a website has potential to be a very multifaceted learning tool which can cater for students' different learning styles.
The weaknesses of a classroom website are that there is virtually no teaching involved. Even though this is apparent, a website could serve as a means of displaying low-stakes information where students can follow up and practice their work rather than learn new concepts. A threat of a classroom website is that it is a public document which can be accessed by anyone (assuming that a password has not been set for the site). However, with due care and selectively incorporated materials (preferably not student photos for ethical reasons), a website can provide a means to enhance and suppliment student learning.
To visit my Weebly website, please click here.
Along with these benefits, Eagleton (1999) noted that a classroom website may incorporate a variety of different modes such as written text, visual stimulus, videos and auditory resources. In response to this, it seems that a website has potential to be a very multifaceted learning tool which can cater for students' different learning styles.
The weaknesses of a classroom website are that there is virtually no teaching involved. Even though this is apparent, a website could serve as a means of displaying low-stakes information where students can follow up and practice their work rather than learn new concepts. A threat of a classroom website is that it is a public document which can be accessed by anyone (assuming that a password has not been set for the site). However, with due care and selectively incorporated materials (preferably not student photos for ethical reasons), a website can provide a means to enhance and suppliment student learning.
To visit my Weebly website, please click here.
Image courtesy of Weebly.com
References
Eagleton, M.B. (1999). The benefits and challenges of a student-designed school website. Retrieved from http://www.readingonline.org/articles/eagleton/text.html
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