Fostering the Student-Centered Classroom Online

Three years ago I taught an elective class on creating Web sites, but at that time I had yet to create my own classroom site. I did that while teaching in a new school district at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Ind., the following semester. In 2000, I updated the site to include more information about the class and an interactive area. By the end of the year, the site registered just over 1,500 hits. In 2001, the site held a great deal more opportunity and requirements for students. By the end of May 2001, the odometer had turned more than 5,000 hits. Figure 1 (Page 18), shows the classroom Web site traffic. Needless to say, I am thrilled that my classroom site is so much busier now. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Are more people visiting the site? Maybe, but that is not the primary reason it is getting so many visits. My students are using it far more than parents, teachers or students of the past. Many of my students use the Internet every day for entertainment, so it is only logical to them that their educators meet them in the same place. After all, the Internet is one of the most convenient and efficient centers for educational activity. There are many ways to maximize use of the Internet to benefit student instruction. On my classroom Web site I publish tutorials to assist with classroom instruction, and students use the site as a launchpad to research information. Both the students and I participate and publish in online discussions with distant classes about the literature we read to communicate and interact with a global audience. In addition, students publish their writing in electronic, showcase portfolios. I firmly believe that all of these activities challenge student learners and help the teacher create and maintain the student-centered classroom. Digitizing the Classroom Arguably, the electronic classroom promotes a student-centered learning model as much as any pedagogical practice. If the teacher is reliable about publishing a course description, a syllabus or calendar, assessment tools and student grades online, then the student has the opportunity to take individual ownership of their learning in a setting where communication is clear and expectations are understood. By maintaining such documents and resources online -- always ready for student or parent perusal -- the teacher is fostering clearer communication of expectations and responsibilities. If it is agreed upon in the beginning that the Web site has all the vital information about the class, then the student should be able to access the classroom site from anywhere to get important information about the class. Second, the classroom Web site asserts the educational voice in an electronic world, where education can often be the last thing on the minds of the students who are using their computers to access the Internet. In conversations with students, I have discovered their online usage typically occurs after school and/or after dinner; and they primarily use it to chat with a particular online community. Such a community is typically made up of friends from school, but it also allows for a relatively safe way to meet new people. But when used as a common meeting place for learners, students who visit the classroom Web site do not do so just to chat. Often, they access it to peruse a current assignment, check its rubric, complete the assignment, turn it in via e-mail, post comments on the latest classroom topic of discussion, check their current grade or send a message to a classmate. Whatever the reason, students are now using the Internet for much more than instant messaging. I publish classroom assignments on the Internet for selfish reasons as well. As any teacher will tell you, it can be a hassle when a student who is woefully behind asks for the assignment. The perfect dodge is to direct them online. Personally, I find that conversations such as these epitomize the student-centered classroom wonderfully. …