So it looks like they did a major revamp in Web Lab (Unit 2 of CS Discoveries). The instructions are now visible on the far left of the page (along with tabs for the AI tutor, a backpacks (?) and so forth. It feels very… busy. I get what most of the buttons and such are for (other than backpack) but it feels very… cluttered. For example, why are there file names of images scrolling across the top of the work area AND in the File list simultaneously?
Additionally, the AI tutor seems to be able to do all the work for the student. For example, I went straight to the assessment level for lesson 6 and simply TOLD IT to link the CSS and then change the header to red and the paragraph to blue… and it just… did it.
I started Web Lab as my second unit today, as I have the past several years. I agree the new version was very cluttered. Also, the way it inserts the ending tag when you type the beginning is annoying. You have to cut & paste.
I think it’s fair to use the old version until you find a good case use for the new one. For me, I think it will be helpful after they learn the basics to be able to let them use the AI assisted code space to make a website. This is what they do in industry now … AI assisted coding, but I do think they need to know the basics first.
Just to elaborate a little… I have been teaching using the old web lab so the students learn the basics, but I already have kids ask me why we are hand coding… Everyone uses AI to make websites now. And they aren’t wrong. But even with the AI that exists in the world today and all the amazing websites it can create, a human being is still needed to form the vision for what the site needs to look like and do. They need to be able to guide the AI to achieve the final result.
I plan on moving the students to the new Web Lab after they have a basic understanding of the fundamental building blocks and they have a vocabulary for the different components of a website. If they can use the corect language with the AI helper, the resulting site will be better and more closely mirror their vision.
As teachers, I think it’s very easy to dismiss the tool and say it does all the work for them, but in reality (and I’m still figuring it out), I think we need to see it as a new tool and figure out how to incorporate it into the flow of teaching so students learn how to use it and get better and more results than they could do on their own … but that they also learn in the process.
AI is pervasvie and our students don’t seem to have to think for themselves when using it. I saw this new WebLab and immediately went back to last year’s version.
For me, it’s not about “what the industry does” (which is use AI and wizards to make websites). This is about following new logic and seeing how changing one thing changes the whole website. It’s about learning some of the basics and if they decide to go into the field they’ll be able to explain why the HTML/CSS is doing what it’s doing and use AI to advance things or rearrange. Using AI with their current skills is where humans should be, not replacing.
I have heard others say they like the new version as an easier entry point for integrated CS into other classes. The learning curve is lighter with the addition of the AI making it a little easier to integrate the web design lessons into a content area class without losing focus of the content area goals. I like the new and the old… it just depends on the goals of the class as to which is the better choice for each teacher.
In the new version, I’m really missing the place to give students feedback in each step and have them try again, First, it’s part of the problem-solving process and second, it helps them learn!
