CEP 800 Lesson Plan Reflection

Description

Students in my class created their own template-based websites with Weebly.  They had been using my website for the entire trimester, but also looked at a few other exemplars.  We discussed usability concerns, design features, and a few bells and whistles like embedding movies and documents before they started (rather than simply giving a link to watch movies or to download documents).

Before they were allowed to complete their final website, they created a practice one where they had specific tasks to complete each day.

Narrative
I taught this lesson to my Information Science Technology students.  My students have varying technology backgrounds.  Some work as technicians at a local private school, some do not have a computer or cell phone.  I have an even mix of students from 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.  55% of my students are female, 45% are male.

As noted in my lesson plan last week, this was a multi-day lesson.  From start to finish the practice website took 2.5 - 3 days.  The final website took 2+ days.

The lesson went really well!  It was my first time teaching it, and plan to do it again next trimester with a few modifications.  After I teach them how to embed YouTube and Animoto movies, I should ask them to embed more objects.  The practice site is really just for practice.  More is better on this site.  I was so careful to make sure students were proficient in the basics, that I almost felt like a stifled a little bit of creativity.

Reflection
I set out to teach my students how to build a (template-based) website.  The Michigan Educational Technology Standards and I wanted them to demonstrate proper netiquette, as well as embed videos and images.  Based on those standards, this lesson was successful.  Every student did those things.

Every student was provided with a 4 year old computer running Windows XP, and had the option of using Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 7, or Firefox 3.  A constraint is that our Technology Department has not come to update Internet Explorer or Firefox in awhile.  Students that went against my recommendation and used one of those two browsers had trouble getting the most current flash players to download, since they do not have administrator rights (of course, Google Chrome automatically uses the most up to date Flash player).

Another constraint is that each student had to remember their own user name and password.  While this was not a problem for the vast majority of my students, 2 students could not remember theirs, and had to start over multiple times.  This is fairly typical of those 2 students though, and is not unique to Weebly.

This lesson was inherently constructivist.  There were really no elements of behaviorism present.  Students were asked to create a website.  The state standards were provided by the Michigan Educational Technology Standards (developed by the Michigan Department of Education).  The curriculum itself was left wide open.  Prior to my being hired, Information Science Technology was basically the “Library Aid” class.  My principal has given me permission to make it more of a hybrid technology and library class.

Some learners wanted minimal instruction.  They wanted to hear the requirements, then do their work alone.  Others were intimidated, and wanted more 1 on 1 and small group instruction.  For them, I logged into my account, and showed them how to do things.

Another teacher should be able to replicate this lesson.  A lot of it was done asynchronously.  Teachers should just be very familiar with how to use Weebly, and also be ready for the students that are scared to create their first (template-based) website.  Students should just show up with an open mind, and trust their teacher when s/he says it’s not that hard, have fun, and follow the few directions that are provided.

The best way to grade an assignment like this is to use a rubric.  Each website is going to look so different, so I cannot imagine doing it any other way.  The teacher should have the rubric created beforehand, and distribute it their students.  I would wait until after the practice sites have been completed.

Technology is the content and the vehicle for this lesson.  Creating a (template-based) website is a technology skill.  Using a computer to do it is the means, or the way the website gets completed.

For the most part, students were pretty comfortable using Weebly.  It was the firs time most of them had ever published anything on the Internet.  Most of the questions I received started out as “On your website, you have....how do I...?” or “Mrs. Light has...on her website.  Is it possible to....?”  Sometimes I knew the answers, and sometimes I did not.  Either way, when possible, I showed students how to find the answers, rather than just giving them the answers.

My students are used to “doing things.”  I do a lot of short constructivist assignments with them.  This is probably the longest one they did.  They did a good job of making sense of the technology in their own way.