Weebly is a free widget (control) based web site creator. It has a drag and drop interface that allows users to create different page elements (images, text, or interactive content, etc.) onto a page. Weebly Basic is free or you can upgrade to Pro for $40/year, what Pro offers for teachers that the basic cannot is the ability to manage all the accounts of your students and a larger file size storage. Weebly is “web creation made easy,” teachers can create personal classroom websites with information on assignments, contact information and a class calendar. It allows students to create personal sites where they can publish and display their work.
Benefits:
- Efficiency
- Helps gain teaching time
- No computer lab or the lengthy ordeal of trying to get all students on the same web site
- Resources
- Hyperlink to high-quality resources
- Saves paper
- Increases students access to high-quality curriculum; whether the students take advantage or not you are still putting in the effort to support all the learners in your classroom
- Relevance
- In their personal lives the internet is a part of their life and making it an extension of school only furthers their growth
- Connection
- Students see their teachers as “with the times”
- Access
- Students/parents gain extended access to their teachers
- The teacher is the most valuable resource in a classroom so allowing more access only makes sense
- Experience
- Students will learn a 21st century skill
- Organization
- Post everything from announcements to class photos to supply lists
- Eliminate the file cabinet and create a “safe place” for all your teaching paperwork
Scenario:
As we begin working on oceans in the first-grade classroom, creating a website is a useful and interactive tool. On our aquarium field trip students will use digital cameras to take photos of animals on a scavenger hunt. Upon returning to the classroom teachers can upload these photos to the class’s ocean website which will also have pages with links and videos regarding our subject matter. Teachers can update the class calendar from here and post children’s work so not only they can view it but their parents and friends as well. Lessons and handouts can be provided online and interactive online games and tools can be listed for homework or just for fun. Creating a website to assist your lesson plan adds value and opens learning opportunities for the students online.
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