Today’s tech snack can be found at the following url: http://education.weebly.com.
What is it and what are the benefits of using it?
Weebly is an online web site creation tool. Unlike other website creation tools, weebly has a specific section for educators which allows teachers to add students to their accounts. What this means is that when you create an educator account with weebly, you can add up to 40 students to one account! (So, 40 students can create their own websites without them having to create their own individual accounts. Due to this feature, the teacher can review content, delete sites, and create/delete student accounts.) This also means that teachers create the username and passwords for their students, they can decide if the student webpages are private or public and they can also edit content as well.
Okay, so you are probably wondering why would this be a good tool to use with students? By allowing students to create their own websites, you enable them to demonstrate their learning and understanding in a creative way. It also provides teachers with a way to have students create authentic curriculum or project based assessments.
So how does it work?
To begin creating websites on weebly, you must first create a free account. Then you will be able to start creating your website using a simple click and drag interface. (You click and drag elements to the page.) You can select what type of website template you would like to use and then you can customize it to fit your needs.
As you saw from the video, weebly is an extremely useful and easy tool to use. I use it with my Fifth graders as part of their end of year project. I bet you are wondering what the catch is, huh? Is it really free? The answer to that question is yes. Weebly is free to use, through there is a pro version that exists as well. With the pro version, you get a bit more features, but regardless or which version you use, if you make an educator account you still get 40 sub students accounts. (You can add more if you need to). It really is a matter of preference as to which kind of account you want to have. The account you have really depends on how you want/planning to use the site. For educational purposes, often the free account is sufficient. Check out the chart below to see the specifics of what is available with each version:
Classroom implications:
Even though Weebly is very easy to use, it is important that our students realize that the content they are putting online has quality to it. Therefore, prior to having students create their own sites, you need to set the standards and expectations beforehand. Having a rubric is a valuable way to help students with this. Also, have students type their content first in word so that they can go through the editing process prior to cutting and pasting their content unto their weebly site. Students can type their content directly into their sites, but this makes the editing process more difficult for the teacher. If they type their information in word, they can print out their work and make as many revisions as they need to. This would assure that what they are putting online has been checked and reviewed.
You can use weebly to start a classroom website/blog. Students can use weebly to create portfolios of their work as well as presenting learned content. What to see some examples? Of course you do! The links below are all websites made by my Fifth graders. Click on them and check them out! You will be impressed!
http://cyberbullyinghelpforkids.weebly.com/
http://civilrightsandgreatmigration.weebly.com/
Ah, this is a loaded Tech Snack! I think I will be full for days! Until our next snack break...