Assignment #4

I made a website using k12lessonplans.
Here is my website. You have to enter user name mrsangleton and password languageartsed to access it.
I used many of the features of the tool in creating my website. I customized my home page with pictures, a welcome message, and color scheme. I used the password protection feature so that only myself, parents, and students can view the site. I made a list of classes. I posted some announcements and assigned them to specific classes. I created some entries to my calender with some due dates assigned to specific classes. I used the download feature and uploaded a lesson plan to the site as well as a Smart Board presentation. I created a sample photo gallery, which also is password protected. I created an blog entry. I started a discussion assigned to a specific class, that has a pass code to access it. I also created an online quiz which also has a pass code. I also created another page which has links and descriptions to other sites including this blog, and a page which can be used to contact me. There is also a feature where people can join my mailing list.

One issue I encountered while making this website was that I cannot upload videos to the site directly. If I really wanted to have a video on the site I would just have to upload a video somewhere else on the web and have a link to it on my site. Also I could not put a contact me box on my homepage so I created a new page for it. There are a few other things that were slightly annoying like not being able to attach a link to an announcement or discussion. However, these issues weren't that important to me because I could add links to blogs, additional pages, and my homepage.

The other technology I used was notebook for the Smart Board. I created a lesson about structure of an essay. I uploaded this presentation to the website and it is under downloads. In this presentation I used the shade, timer, balloon pop, note reveals, and word match tools. I also customized my background.

Some issues I had with my Smart Board presentation were I couldn't apply a background to all slides so I had to do each one individually which took more time. I also couldn't get the presentation to save properly but it finally did.

Finding k12lessonplans and creating a website using this software was important to me because I thought creating websites was complicated. The software that we looked at in class for website creations were hard for me to understand and I couldn't use them. I was disappointed because I have always wanted to create a teacher website for my students, but then I found k12lessonplans and realized that I can create a website. This software is not for people who love creating website and messing with graphics because it is very basic and doesn't have cool features. However, this site allows people who are bad at creating websites and get frustrated easily the opportunity to have a teacher website as well. If the school I end up teaching at does not already have websites for teachers to use I will definitely use this site in the future. I will use it to communicate with students and parents. I can upload sylabi instead of printing them off. I can have students discuss literature. I can blog my own thoughts. I can post assignments and due dates, and with the click of one button I can e-mail all my students and all their parents.

It was also important to me to create a lesson on the Smart Board because I know I will probably be making lessons this way in the future. It took me a long time to create this lesson and I wanted to get faster at using the software and more proficient.

This project focuses on the Nets for teachers 1 and 2. Number 1 is "Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity." The site does this because it encourages students to learn through technology and other people's discussions and opinions. It encourages students to learn by creatively answering questions and responding to other people's opinion. Number 2 is "Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments." The site accomplishes this because I as the teacher designed it and it is a digital learning experience which can also be used for assessment because of the discussion and the quiz features of the site.

The project also focuses on the Nets for students 2 and 5. Number 2 is "communication and collaboration" which is accomplished because the students will use the site to communicate ideas with myself and one another and they will also use it to discuss topics and come up with conclusions based on the classes discussions. Number 5 is "digital citizenship" which is accomplished because the site teaches students to use the web to express ideas but to protect those ideas and themselves since it is password protected.