Student Websites

Context:

Students have set up individual websites where they create a learning portfolio, showcase their work pieces and use as a submission tool for formative and summative assessment tasks. This allows all students to work at their own pace and caters for individual needs. Students that need support or are needing to be challenged, can access their learning at any time to have more time to pursue their personal best at their own level of learning. As parents have access to their child’s website, it provides them information on how they are progressing through individual subjects. Students further include reviews and weekly goals to set each week. Parents and teachers can access this at any time to observe and assess student’s progressions and cater for their learning to help exceed their goal.

Annotation/Action:

The purpose of having students create their own student website is to showcase their own work and have a student portfolio. Not only are they developing ICT skills, they are also uploading specific pieces of work onto their websites, for example; their weekly goals that they set each week, or a piece of genre writing. Students are able to access their websites at any time and upload work they have completed that they are proud of, and want to display onto their portfolio. Students created their student websites through Google Drive - Google Sites. Students created their website from scratch, and have built on it throughout the year. Students were able to design it based on how they wanted to, whether that was through their favourite colour, favourite sport, or designing it based on subjects. They added individual tabs that included subjects or weekly reviews and goals they are setting. Students were taught the importance of ICT privacy, and placing their website on a 'link provided only' setting where only those who have the link, have access to it. Students showcase how they learn as well as what content has been taught in the work samples that they publish. Students have shared their website with parents, and have used communication through their websites. This has been a good idea for students participate in classroom activities with a sense of belonging and ownership with how they present it.

Results:

Students have been using this specifically for English writing and Genius Hour. I have acknowledged that some students are using it more than others, and are taking an advantage of creating a learning portfolio. When we have had lessons that are particularly focusing on their student websites, students are engaged and excited through designing and publishing pieces of work. In these lessons I have enjoyed recognising those students who are proud of the work that they have produced. Students who often use their student websites, have developed an effective learning website that conveys the work they have completed this year.

Evaluation:

I believe that this has been an effective strategy, however needs to be incorporated into activities and my teaching more consistently to gather the best results for it. However, as a first year trial for myself, I believe that students have done well and can hopefully build on their portfolio in the future. It has been relieving to see students participate in creating their own website and developing an understanding on safe use of ICT. Students have provided great feedback around it as they believe it is a great way to acknowledge the progress they have made throughout the year.

Standards:

1.2 Understand how students learn

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

3.1 Establishing challenging learning goals

3.3 Use teaching strategies

3.4 Select and use resources

3.5 Use effective classroom communication

3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process

4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically