Analysis
I see this project as a fluid, organic piece of work. As such, the ADDIE process will be flowing together as one river rather than as separate branches. This is not always the best practice, but it is often how things work in a real classroom.
The users that this project is designed for are the ninth grade students of my geography classes at Sweetwater High in National City. All five are regular levels classes (as opposed to the two honors classes we offer). Their skill set in English and computers tend to be low, so the project is keep simple for that reason. I would like the users of the site to be able to access information about the class in a flexible way and to participate in class in ways I was not previously able to accomplish. Ideally, they will use the site not only to check on the work we are doing in class, but also to interact with my blog and to add information to our class wiki. This is all still in its formative stages, so I am uncertain exactly what they will get out of it, but at the very least, it will be an easily accessible place for both students and parents to find out more about the class.
Having a web page for class is already a well-traveled path, so there are many examples to draw from. I have created class pages before using a variety of methods, from Pagemill, to School Notes, to Dreamweaver. Some have been more successful than others, but all have served some purpose. I think Google Pages will be better than some of the earlier iterations, due to its simplicity, flexibility, and the ability to edit pages from any computer.
The main difficulties I foresee in this web site not being successful as a learning tool are three-fold:
- First, many of my student do not have computers with access to the Internet at home. While they can still access the site from my classroom and from around the school, to take full advantage of the site, the students (and their parents) need to be able to access it from away from the school site.
- Secondly, as mentioned earlier, there are many of my students that are English Language Learners. This makes if difficult for some of them to read directions without help. On the other hand, having the information available online also allows them to go over again at their own speed and on their own time, rather than just relying on what happened in class. Overall, I think the site will be a help to the ELL students.
- Thirdly, the motivation of the students themselves will be a limiting factor. Each student must answer some form of the question, “Do I care about/am interested in/hope to pass my geography class. Hopefully, the answer is yes. If not, it does not matter how good the web site is. The website itself will help motivate some students, but many are going to need much more. Technology alone will not provide it.
