Websites, Wiki, and more

   Should teachers have their own websites or should the school just require the teachers have a hyperlink to the teacher's school email? To me as a parent and future educator, I think having a teacher website is more appealing. It creates a more personal connection. With teacher websites, you have the opportunity to express yourself in a professional, yet the creative way that can allow students/parents to better understand you. These teacher websites also open up a new pathway for open communication, which is an important skill a teacher should have. 

Most of the teacher websites I observed showcased:

• The teachers' photograph (typically a school photo when attached to the schools' main website)

• A school email and phone number contact

• Degree and credentials of the teacher

• Introduction of the teacher

• Links to class assignments, calendars, and office hours.

    Below are two teacher websites I found and you can see the difference between one that is more personal, and the one that is fairly basic.

Example One

Example Two

    After seeing both examples, and several others from across state schools, I do plan on using technology similar to that of example one. I think with the evolving nature of technology teachers evolve with it or risk losing connections with our students. With that said, I plan to use a few different productivity tools in my classroom. The first is my own website, which will have links to our classroom calendar, my school email and contact number, classroom assignments (including Canvas links if the school uses them), and links to additional classroom resources such as this blog and my teacher's Twitter account. Having these aspects and resources easily accessible from one central location (a website) also helps bridge the digital divide within my classroom, especially if I can create a site that is mobile-friendly.

Reflection Corner

    Last week we worked in groups to create a wiki page via PBWorks.com. At first, this site confused me and I found its interface similar to Diigo (read that review here). I think what made the wiki assignment more difficult was the homepage and then creating links to each person. However, after creating the wiki page, I could see the benefits of using this site for a group assignment, such as characters in a book. If I were to use this website in class, however, I would make sure each student had full access to the assignment and would have a few examples ready in order to help guild students in the most efficient way possible. I would likely give them the option of using PBworks or Google Docs as well so that students can have a variety of tools readily available. 

Also...I've written a letter to my future teacher self. 

Until next time!

À bientôt!

-Renee Brady