5 Students creating websites

There are several different types of Web 2.0 tools including Twitter, blogs, Wiki, and YouTube.  I find Twitter to be useful in the classroom because students and teachers can follow various accounts that relate to what they are learning in class.  They may even be able to interact with famous public figures online.  I also think blogging is a good tool to use because it serves as a publishing platform for students’ work.  Blogs allow for students to receive feedback on their ideas and writing while teachers are able to monitor their activity to protect their safety.  Although YouTube is helpful in sharing relative videos in class, it does not engage students in Web 2.0 tools as much as other tools do.  Therefore, I do not think of YouTube as a useful Web 2.0 tool in the classroom.  I will need computer monitors in my classroom in order for students to work on their websites during class.  I think it would be better for the students to work on actual computer monitors rather than laptops for this assignment because they will have more control while using a mouse (pg. 94-95).

One example of a Web 2.0 tool that can be used in the classroom is Weebly.  This is a free site that allows a teacher or students to make a website or blog.  It is very quick and simple to make an account, you just provide your name, username, and password.  The site then brings you to a page where you can chose whether you want to make a site or a blog.  Afterwards, you are able to choose a theme for your site, and it provides a layout for you to easily create your site.  Once you chose your theme/layout, a box pops up and requires you to choose a domain or subdomain name. <http://www.weebly.com/weebly/onboarding.php>

Now comes the fun part.  Weebly offers so many different options on how to make your site.  Although the theme you chose already has a certain layout, you are easily able to move things around and reorganize them.  Weebly is a great option for teachers to make a class website.  I also believe that students would like to utilize this site.  The design of Weebly is very well done; therefore, students will most likely be able to easily navigate it and form their own sites. 

During the concept mapping assignment, I learned how to utilize websiration.  I have never used this site in the past.  Furthermore, I have never made a concept map online before.  I really enjoyed this assignment because I think concept maps can serve as an effective study guide for tests in class.  They help you comprehend the main points of a subject.  I think concept maps will be a useful tool in my future classroom, especially with elementary students because they are very simple.  In the future, I could maybe add some pictures to help give students a visual to help them remember the concepts.  I attached a screenshot of my concept map below.