MY REVIEW
“Computers are an extraordinary presentation device for teachers........but they are also a potent tool for learners. They offer a library of resources so vast it defies the imagination, and nearly all students love using them” (Petty 2009 p. 391)
For my website design assignment I decided to create a website based around ‘Section II: Economic Awareness’ of the Junior Cert business studies syllabus. The website was designed with a junior cert business studies class in mind that I would be potentially teaching and I designed it so that it would be easy and clear for students to navigate and interact with. I have also included resources and lesson ideas for teachers too because I think that it would be useful for not just me and my potential class but also for other teachers. These are just ideas and resources that maybe teachers had not previously thought of or heard of and there is also a contact section where teachers and students are able to suggest improvements and also share any resources which they might have. When I went on school placement the topic which I was given to teach was ‘the economic framework’ so this is partially my inspiration for the website. I also thought that it would be amazing to have a website that students could use to interact with this topic and also keep up to date economic current affairs, homework and assignments.
I believe this website would be beneficial for students and teachers alike. It would allow students to engage with material that has already been discussed in class and also ask questions which I could answer if they did not feel confident enough to ask them in class. From experience I have also discovered that many teachers like to hold onto their resources and are quite shy to share them. I think that it would be great if there was a website where teachers could access lessons and resources while also contributing their own lessons and resources which could be used as a source of inspiration and then adapted, if needs be, for their own classes. It would be great to be able to share resources and learn from one another, not to promote laziness or unoriginality, but to encourage one another and to learn from what other teachers have tried and tested and received positive classroom engagement from.
Ideally I would improve this website by having this as a subsection of a much larger website which would be designed around the complete junior cert business studies curriculum which would have easily accessible resources and ideas for teachers and students to learn from. I would also create a Twitter and Facebook page that I would be able to post any updates to the website on because I know that this would appeal to students and teachers in a time when social media is so prevalent. I would also add more content and resources, and continually try to simplify the accessibility and content so that it was extremely clear and easy to navigate for any users. I have found designing this website very beneficial and I would definitely use weebly.com again to design a website as I think that it is incredibly easy to use. I never realised that designing and creating a functioning website would be so easy and enjoyable.
Word Count: 515
Bibliography
Petty, G. (2009) Teaching Today: A Practical Guide, 4th ed.,London: Nelson Thornes
I believe this website would be beneficial for students and teachers alike. It would allow students to engage with material that has already been discussed in class and also ask questions which I could answer if they did not feel confident enough to ask them in class. From experience I have also discovered that many teachers like to hold onto their resources and are quite shy to share them. I think that it would be great if there was a website where teachers could access lessons and resources while also contributing their own lessons and resources which could be used as a source of inspiration and then adapted, if needs be, for their own classes. It would be great to be able to share resources and learn from one another, not to promote laziness or unoriginality, but to encourage one another and to learn from what other teachers have tried and tested and received positive classroom engagement from.
Ideally I would improve this website by having this as a subsection of a much larger website which would be designed around the complete junior cert business studies curriculum which would have easily accessible resources and ideas for teachers and students to learn from. I would also create a Twitter and Facebook page that I would be able to post any updates to the website on because I know that this would appeal to students and teachers in a time when social media is so prevalent. I would also add more content and resources, and continually try to simplify the accessibility and content so that it was extremely clear and easy to navigate for any users. I have found designing this website very beneficial and I would definitely use weebly.com again to design a website as I think that it is incredibly easy to use. I never realised that designing and creating a functioning website would be so easy and enjoyable.
Word Count: 515
Bibliography
Petty, G. (2009) Teaching Today: A Practical Guide, 4th ed.,London: Nelson Thornes