Thursday, June 21, 2012

Students Strike Gold with Bowling Alley Webpage


This article, written by Tasha Candela, was a great representation of the incorporation and implementation of the NETS standards and their application in the classroom.  Her thoughts were that in today’s world, having a web presence and standing out is a way to separate you from the rest of the world.  She is a teacher of an advanced web design class and asked students to create a website for the local bowling alley.  She had them apply the knowledge they had learned so far, such as HTML, CSS and Photoshop and present a finished website to the owner by the end of semester.  She allocated 35 hours or 13 class periods to complete their project.  In preparing for this project she used the NETS standards as her guide.

As a future educator I can see how applying these standards while preparing for projects can ensure that students get the full experience and walk away with a well-rounded education and experience.  Building a website, first allows kids to be creative and innovative using digital tools and resources.  Working in pairs she was able to form a collaborative effort between students building on their personal excitement and creativity.  Further more, she used a business that was close to school that the kids new about and could relate to, making gathering resources more accessible and easier to access.  In the process of taking a project of this magnitude, students inevitably wood face many challenges.  These hurdles made students use problem solving techniques as well as decision-making skills needed to successfully finish their project. Finally, throughout the process she taught the students about copyright laws, plagiarism and Internet safety and felt it was “imperative to model understanding of social, ethical and legal issues and responsibilities related to digital culture”.

As per this article, the project Candela put forth for her student really met all the NETS-T standards.  It is quite interesting to see how a project at the higher grade levels and one with such magnitude and scope can truly encompass education in this digital age.

Candela, Tasha (February 2012). Copyright: Students Strike Gold with Bowling Alley Webpage. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(5 40-41.

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1 comment:

  1. Hi Tony,

    Teaching students to create a website really is such a great assignment for so many reasons, including that it incorporates all the NETSS standards. Like you said it also teaches students a plethora of useful technology skills, tools and functions all in one assignment... I can even remember making my first website, back in eighth grade. Although many of the tools are much more advanced now, I still felt such a great feeling of pride and accomplishment in the website I made for my favorite little Sushi restaurant!

    Depending on the grade level of my students, I will certainly incorporate a website project into my curriculum. I think another great option (and most likely less time consuming) is for students to create their own blogs. Blogs seem a bit easier to create and manage - maybe this could be an introduction assignment to website building or just something for the younger crowd. Either way, I think it’s a great way to teach technology and look forward to seeing what my students come up with.

    - Daphne

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