Technology Connoisseurship & Criticism Karla Schweitzer

BLOGGING ON

WHAT IS WEEBLY?• Weebly is a platform that allows anyone to

create a high-quality website, blog, or online store.

•  It was founded in 2007 in San Francisco.

• Weebly shares investors with Google.

•  It includes free and premium plans.

•  It is the highest rated website building mobile app in the App Store and Google Play.

WHICH PLAN WORKS FOR YOU?

•  The free option includes a Weebly logo along the footer and less Google advertisement earnings.

•  Upgrades include video backgrounds, more security, shipping assistance, and support.

HOW TO CREATE A WEBSITE:• Create an account

•  Select a theme

• Create pages & custom headers

• Use the drag & drop editor to add features such as text and photos

• Create unique backgrounds that represent your purpose

HOW TO START A WEEBLY BLOG:1.  Add a new page to your Weebly website

2.  Choose “blog page” when prompted

3.  Click new post at the bottom of the page

4.  Type in your question/thoughts

5.  Click post!

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONSI post a question each week that coincides with our food lab or chapter objectives.

The blog could also be used to discuss literature, communicate with parents, post videos or assignments, and promote activities.

MY EVALUATION OF WEEBLY BLOGGING•  Designing the entire website was time-consuming, but it was easy to manage the blog. •  When prompted, the students were eager to grab a computer and answer the questions.

They were able to navigate the website with little to no explanation. Surprisingly, they did NOT like responding to each other’s posts.

•  I could watch the students respond and comment on each other’s posts. •  I felt that the students shared more information than they would have on paper, and I think

they took more time to compose their thoughts knowing that their classmates would read them.

•  I can post assignments on the blog when I am gone, and have the students download attached documents and print them.

•  There is a possibility of random people posting or commenting on my blog questions.

•  The students could post inappropriate thoughts or harass other students under an alias on the blog.

THEMATIC CONNECTIONS•  Gee (2003) stated, “In a sense, all learning involves playing a character” (p. 3).

•  Because you have the option to use an alias, blogging on Weebly gives our students the opportunity to play a character. Other classes could have students simulate conversations between historical figures.

•  Gee (2013) stated, “The circuit of reflective action is a type of interactive conversation with the world. We act and pay attention to how the world reacts” (p. 15). •  Similar to social media, students post their comments and wait to receive feedback.

•  Ma (2008) stated that teachers aim to collect students’ thoughts and “questions can be used to control the social behavior of students” (p. 93). •  Posting analytical questions could stimulate critical thinking and discussion amongst students who normally do not

participate.

REFERENCES•  Gee, J. P. (2003). What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. ACM

Computers in Entertainment, 1(1), 1-4.

•  Gee, J. P. (2013). The Anti-Education Era: Creating Smarter Students through Digital Learning.

New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin.

•  Ma, X. (2008). The Skills of Teacher’s Questioning in English Classes. International Education

Studies, 1(4), 92-100. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.minotstateu.edu:3041/journal/index.php/es