Involving Students in Creating Websites

Creating a website can sound very boring when you're reading about it or if it is being explained to you.  There are some things that are better hands on then hearing about it.  I feel creating a website hands on is such a great experience and it encourages students to do readings about it on their own.  I'm a very hands on person and I get bored easily when I'm being told how to do something.  If someone wants me interested in that topic I need to experience it for myself.

Involving students in creating websites are a great idea.  This can be a great project for groups of students to do.  The book states the process of creating a website very clear.  It explains that before you can create it you have to come up with a plan first.  First one must know what audience they want to cater to, then what kind of information they want to provide and last how they want the information arranged on the website.  This is not even all the steps.  This is only the beginning stage.  What comes next is deciding how you want the website to look.  This is another process that has multiple steps in it.

The website they create should be something educational but it should be their idea of how they want to do it.  The teacher should not get involved in the planning unless their giving the students constructional feedback.  Having the students do it by themselves gives them a sense of ownership and pride.  They are not being told what to do and how to do it, but instead just being guided in the direction they are trying to head to by their teacher.

I believe students who are creating educational websites will do a better job than adults.  Students know what they find interesting when it comes to learning something.  By them creating these websites they are, in a way, telling creators of these educational games what they find interesting.  Sometimes peers learn better from other peers than the teacher and this is okay.  This is a great strategy in the classroom.  Having peers help peers is less stressful on the students who do not understand because it's less pressure on them if a fellow student is helping them.