Reflection 1: Websites
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a web space called Wix and absolutely fell in love. This site allows you to design and customise your own webpage for free, but it doesn't have a one size fits all approach; you can choose from many different templates and styles. For instance, they actually have a specific template for the classroom you can select called a 'teacher site'. The template is fully customisable and has been laid out specifically for teachers with tiles to upload content (including written content, videos, and pictures), assessment details, the class schedule, and more.
Another great feature is the option to add a forum to your website. Students sign up to become a 'member', and then they are able to contribute forum posts and comment on other students' posts. There is also a 'groups' feature, where your students/members can create groups for projects. This allows them to have ownership of their very own group page, upload media, collaborate, and work together on a project. The fact that the forum and the group tabs are only accessible when students log in means that there is an added safety measure to protect them.
Below is a screenshot of my newly created site, Miss Marshall's Classroom, that I have been playing around with. I have begun customising the website for a fictional Year 10 English novel study unit on Little Women leading to a final creative writing assessment in order to explore the features and possibilities.
Although this was my first time ever attempting to create any type of website, I found it surprisingly simple. Wix made everything very easy to navigate and figure out on my own, despite being new to this kind of platform. When I began, I did a YouTube search to see how other teachers have used Wix in their classrooms and stumbled across this helpful video from Lauren Oliviero. This was handy when setting up my own classroom website as she really steps you through the process and the features of the 'teacher site' option.
Websites and online digital tools can be used by teachers to enhance their pedagogy, but often times they aren't used to their full potential.
Bloom's Cognitive Taxonomy reasons that there are different levels of thinking processes and that they can be listed in a hierarchy ranging from low level thinking to higher order thinking. Examples of low level thinking include remembering and understanding, whereas higher order thinking examples include analysing, evaluating, and creating. Quite often, (and I include myself here), teachers just use digital tools as a means to present information and videos. If we look at Bloom's Taxonomy, we can see that this is not utilising digital technology to its full potential. We aren't using it to engage students in higher order thinking processes, but rather, just to provide them with information to remember.
The SAMR Model is a way of assessing how well digital technology is being utilised in the classroom, and also how successfully we are getting students to use higher order thinking skills. Each level is a necessary step in the classroom and serves its own purpose, however, it is important to aim for the highest levels 'modification' and 'redefinition' wherever possible. Using my new website design, I have brainstormed how I believe it could be used to reach each level of the SAMR Model:
- Substitution: The Wix website can be used to access information about the novel Little Women, on creative writing, on gaps and silences, etc. This would be a direct substitution for paper handouts or for the teacher writing the information on the whiteboard.
- Augmentation: The website also offers functional improvements such as the option for students to interact with their peers in a collaborative online forum - they are able to post, ask questions or comment on their peer's posts, and communicate with each other at any time. They are not constricted to only work together during the 70-minute lesson.
- Modification: Wix could also be used by the students themselves to create their own digital portfolio leading up to their final creative writing assessment piece. They could curate their own space where they show their creative process, write down their own thoughts, post their responses to class activities, and discuss the themes they want to explore in their final assessed short story.
- Redefinition: Finally, the redefinition level can be reached through embedding real-world connections into the unit. By publishing their short story drafts online, students could have their work read and critiqued by published authors. Technology has opened up the possibility of inviting real life experts to read and provide feedback on students' work, which would have been inconceivable not very long ago.
References
Collins, R. (2014). Skills for the 21st Century: Teaching higher-order thinking. Curriculum & Leadership Journal. http://www.curriculum.edu.au/leader/teaching_higher_order_thinking,37431.html?issuelD=12910
Oliviero, L. (2020, November 19). How to make a free WIX website for teachers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKqkybUJFFU
Terada, Y. (2020). A powerful model for understanding good tech integration. Edutopia. http://www.edutopia.org/article/powerful-model-understanding-good-tech-integration
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Hi Juliet,
ReplyDeleteI loved the work that you did with the Wix website. I went on a tour through it, and in doing so your homepage was excellently set up, with the only thing I could think of being a link to the syllabus in the tabs alongside the others you made. Your explanation in this post is also perfectly understandable as to how you can customise the website in the form of the teacher template, the possibility to add a forum as well is an enticing possibility for future teachers. The only real thing I can think of regarding criticism would be your redefinition task, as I do think it could still be incredibly difficult to get feedback from published authors as an example, however your explanation of what the SAMR model can be used for was well thought out.
Looking forward to your next one,
Jayden
Hi Juliet,
ReplyDeleteI have heard of WIX and its great design capabilities, yet I wasn’t aware of teacher-friendly templates. I am glad you have shared this. I like that your website is simple and easy to navigate. I particularly like the schedule tab you have included so both yourself and students have that visual to refer to throughout the term and can maintain plan management. You have probably experienced how disruptive school can get! Something to possibly consider is the practice of moderation with the student forums and group tabs (safety). Perhaps this could be done through intermittent verbal instructions or weekly/bi-weekly checks.
Thanks for the read,
Ange