There are very simple ways to create a website, one of which is setting up one through google. But how can we make use of such a tool in teaching? Here are some ideas:
- Modelling. The teacher creates a website with sample tasks, rubrics and general guidelines. This way the students will know precisely what the expectations are and what makes quality work.
- Portfolio. Students can showcase their work with a website. This can happen in several ways. Each student can have their own website or the class can collaborate on one. Each subject can have a separate page, or terms can have one. The students upload their work and share it with their teacher only or with classmates and parents as well.
- Collaborating across subjects. Again students can work on their own website, or the whole class can work on one website. Teachers teaching the same class can set various tasks the students have to solve and present on the website. This can be interdisciplinary, for example, change. The students have to show what change means in physics or chemistry, how change is depicted in a novel or short story, or how they can show effects of change in IT (on a website, in a video…), etc.
- Reflective journal. The website can be used as a reflective journal showcasing progress and the learning journey as a whole. It doesn’t have to contain very personal remarks but it can show how the students are making progress. If the website is kept over years, the progress is even more visible.
- Real-life applications. Students can devise their own means to show how they apply the knowledge and skills learnt at school – outside of school. For example, you teach writing? The students show how they use their writing skill in their own life by posting an essay. You teach science? The students showcase how concepts they learnt about in school apply in their life by, for example, creating a short video of the chemical elements that they can find at home (NaCl – salt, etc.). You teach maths or economics? The students can create a video tutorial to teach their peers how to save up their pocket money.
- Differentiation. Extra talented and/or enthusiastic students can be given the task to set up a website and showcase their knowledge (see points 5 and 7 for ideas what to do).
- Passion project. The students can create a website dedicated to their hobby or passion. They can show the world what they can do and what they love doing.
And a bonus idea: if you embed a padlet wall or a similar tool, the students and the teacher can leave comments on the page easily.
What other uses of a website can you think of? Share with us in the comments section. If you’ve been working with student- or teacher-created websites in your teaching, we’d love to hear about that too.
