BP8_Weebly

Weebly start page

       If you have ever wanted your own website, but don’t know the code, (HTML or CSS), have no fear, Weebly is here!  Weebly is a Web 2.0 tool that you can use to make a website for free. Yes, I said FREE. The company was founded in San Francisco, California in 2006, and since then they have been helping people put their information on the web with their easy-to-use interface. There are now over 3 million people who have created websites for any occasion, and that number is rising. (Weebly, Inc., 2010).
    Now that teachers are looking for ways to communicate more effectively with parents, class websites are on the rise. While Weebly is not the only tool available, it is, in my opinion, the best. Starting with beautiful templates to choose from for your website, you will be able to add documents, pictures, links, and interactive tools including surveys and photo galleries.

Some of the themed templates in Weebly

One of my Weebly website pages with Teacher Resources

    In partnership with Google, Weebly features a Google Maps gadget and You Tube viewer that can be added to your pages. If you have a song in your heart, you can upload an audio file to be used with their free audio player. And why not share your photo collection from Flickr by adding the slideshow gadget? All of these wonderful tools are free to the user. And signing up is easy: just sign in with your gmail account for instant access.
    If you are interested in creating a website for your business with a unique url, Weebly has a pro account. You can request your own domain name without their extension for a reasonable fee. With the pro account, you can also upload your own videos to your site.
    I thought I would try this out, and created a website for my department at my school. It contains technology information, lesson plans, links to popular resources, and recent articles. I also used the survey tool to create a work order page for teachers who need me to assist them with a repair or a project in their classroom. The survey is linked to my school email so I will get the message in my office. The teachers who have seen it feel that it will be useful. I may even have a few of them create their own class website that I can link to our school website. Why not try it for yourself and send me your screen shot? Here is the Weebly site I created for my department at my school. I'd love you to check it out and post a comment on what you think!

Teacher's work Order Requests go to my School Email