I have created my own website using www.weebly.com and a wiki using www.wikispaces.com. After setting up a page using both of these tools I have decided that a website would be more useful, in the classroom, than a wiki. This is mainly due to the fact that a wiki's content can be edited by anyone, which poses privacy challenges for working with children.
My website is http://e-learningtoolkit.weebly.com/
Designing and modifying the layout of the website was quite simple, thanks to the 'click and drag' features. I believe that learners in any year level would be able to add content to the website, although, younger students may require more scaffolding.
I would use a website to provide learners with useful online resources such as images, videos and links that relate to current projects/units. In collaboration with students, I would continue to add new resources (links, a glossary page etc.) to the website as they are discovered. Being able to set up multiple pages, within the website, gives this tool a clear navigational advantage over a blog. For example, on my website I have set up a 'home page' and an 'image gallery'. This useful feature allows the resources on the website to be easily organised and accessed through the links at the top of the page.
This tool would be used alongside a class blog to document the learning that is taking place. In addition to this, a link to the class website would also be provided on the blog.
I agree with you Kyle as after creating both a Wiki and a website myself, I too find that a website would be more beneficial in the classroom. What can be an advantage of wikis (users being able to edit content) can also be a disadvantage with some people manipulating and taking advantage of this function.
ReplyDeleteI think that a wiki is too much of a risk, especially since children's privacy could be jeopardised. A website seems to be a much safer tool because the teacher can decide on all of the website's content. I also found the website much easier to navigate.
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