Step 1: Choose a Template

Creating Your Wix Page

Site Title

This might be the most important step. Students in the past have had great success with the Portfolio, CV/Resume, and Personal page templates. Others--typically those who enjoy having more creative control over their projects--may opt to start with a blank template. That's okay, too. I don't recommend selecting a photography-based template, as that will leave more work for you to do to get the page alligned with our own course goals.

Here are a few sample home pages from last semester's students:

Step 2: Customize Your Tabs

Everyone’s website should include:

An ‘About Me’ or 'Home' page, where you introduce yourself and the website. (It will be helpful to include this at the beginning, so we get to know you. However, you’ll probably need to revisit this page at the end of the semester, to make sure your entire website is unified.)
A ‘Class Writing’ page (which you might also entitle 'Writing Prompts' or something to that effect), where you compile and present the in-class writing assignments and reading responses. If you would like, you may have subpages that divide this section down, so you have different pages dedicated to in-class writing and home responses.
Three project tabs. For each project, you should include drafts and your reflections/artist statements. Previous students have found it helpful to have subpages for each project. With the research paper, for example, some students chose to have one tab that housed the proposal, annotated bibliography, and first two drafts, while another page housed the final draft (which should always be presented in full, taking advantage of the website as a genre.)
A tab for your final reflection, where you connect all of the pages and discuss what you’ve accomplished in the course—how you’ve grown throughout the semester, as a writer and otherwise. If you wish, you may include this as a subpage to your 'About Me' tab.

Step 3: Start Adding Content

The first pages you'll add to are the About Me and Class Writing tabs.

About Me: Typically, the home page of each Wix template is readily customizable. You may want to adjust the color scheme, make any background photos more specific/relevant to you, etc. (See the above examples.) On this page, there should be a recognizable photograph of you, along with the self-introduction you write on the first day of class.

Class Writing: Some students have successfully used a Blog page template for their in-class writing and homework. However, that design can be tricky to edit and manage. For this tab, I recommend starting off with a blank page and building as the semester continues. (You can use my Writing Prompts tab as a formatting sample.) From a blank page, the easiest steps to take might be these:

1. Click 'Add' and then 'Box.' Choose a simple option. (You can customize the color, transparency, etc. after adding it.)

2. Drag the box so that it's a fairly large rectangle.

3. Click 'Add,' 'Text,' and then the 'I am a paragraph...' sentence. Drag it from the list over to your page.

4. Copy and Paste your own writing into that paragraph.

4. Move and resize the text box so that it is framed by the box you created.

5. Ensure that the text can be read against the background color you've chosen.

6. Add a title and the date you completed the assignment. Optional: Add an accompanying image.

It is not a set requirement that you follow all of these steps. If you choose a different method (including the Blog option), the most important thing is that you remain organized and consistent. Getting into this rhythm may be a bit frustrating at first, but stick with it! You'll have a very impressive collection of work at the end of the semester.

Step 4: The Multimedia Project Tabs

We'll unpack this section more once we have at least one completed major project. For now, know that the goal of each project tab on Wix is to present the ideas you've written about to a digital audience. For each project, you're going to do your best to take advantage of the website as a genre for communicating to real people. (Instead of handing someone a printed copy of your paper, you now have access to photos, links to videos, social media, etc.) This task culminates in the final project: The Composition in Three Genres.

Below is a sample research paper that has been presented on Wix:

Subtitles give digital

readers a break from the

big blocks of text