Website Creation

What I Learned

Creating a website is not that different from creating a lesson plan or taking a set of really good notes. The advantage here is that, in a digital space, anything can be easily edited. The layers of planning that go into a good document all apply in the digital world. How will things be organized? What format will be followed? Will the sections follow a similar layout or will each one be unique? The graphic design component is really key here as the layout of a webpage cues the reader as to the type of page it is. The layout I have chosen is not unlike that of Wikipedia or a traditional text book. This indicates an informative site. Text with no headers might indicate a personal blog while organizing by month or week might indicate a schedule of events site. This aligns nicely with "the power of first impressions" (p. 19) discussed by Fisher & Frey (2008).

The comparison of a website's organizational needs might also be made to a standard PowerPoint presentation. One might argue a website must be more organized as a good website includes things like hyperlinks and embedded media which students are often unfamiliar with in a slideshow format. Students also must be aware that while forgetting to cite a source in a slide show or research paper may be a small error, forgetting to do so in an online environment is a huge issue. Content warriors are everywhere and they will call you out. This also highlights the much wider audience that a website nets (pun intended) compared to a traditional classroom artifact and brings up the question: "If you wanted to share this work with someone else you didn't know, what would you want them to know, and what wouldn't you be OK with them knowing?" (Hobbs & Moore, 2013, p. 84).

When all is said and done, creation of a website may seem like a simple task, but it really addresses a wide knowledge base. The creator must be aware of concepts of digital literacy, visual literacy, content literacy, and privacy!

Use in the Classroom

Creating a basic website isn't very difficult, but is a powerful learning tool upon reflection, as discussed above. Creating a website would be an excellent tool for authentic assessment, replacing any unit test.

At the end of a unit, students would work in small teams of no more than four students (or smaller, depending on the amount of content within the unit) to create a website which shows their mastery of the material. This process would require students to segment their learning, divvy up the workload, and work as a team to display their knowledge. After the website is created, the class might pair and share their sites, giving warm and cool feedback (Hobbes & Moore, 2013, p. 62) and looking for similarities. Finally, a whole class discussion on websites in general addresses these findings and extends student learning to their own lives.

1. Access
   • Students must first decide what tool they will use to create their website. This must be agreed upon by all group members.
   • Google Sites is a good choice for Duneland students as all students have a school Google account already
2. Analyze & Evaluate
   • What makes a good website? What makes a bad website?
   • What design components must be addressed? How will you do so?
   • How will you get your information across to the reader? Will you include multimedia in your showcase?
     • If using multimedia, how much is enough? How much is too much? Where is the balance point between showing your own knowledge and showing that of someone else?
   • What is the best way to divide the knowledge? Who will work on what portion?
   • What is the best way to present your material so that it is easy to understand?
     • Again, consider multimedia usage
3. Create
   • Use the chosen tool to create the website
   • Work as a team to address all aspects of the subject matter
   • Use the information created in step 2 to evaluate the work as it is built
4. Reflect
   • Were all principles from (2) addressed in the creation of the website?
     • If something was not addressed, why not?
   • What was necessary to know in order to create the website? Only content knowledge or something more?
   • What would you change if you were to re-do the assignment?
5. Act
   • Compare the website with those of other students. Look for commonalities and differences
   • What makes a good website? What could make the websites better?
   • How could you use a website to further your own goals?
   • How could a corporation use a website to further their goals?
     • What components would be addressed that might influence you as a reader?

References

Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2008). Teaching Visual Literacy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Hobbs, R., The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action, Washington, D.C.: The Aspen Institute, November 2010.

Hobbs, R., & Moore, D.C. (2013). Discovering Media Literacy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.