1. Name of
the Tool: Weebly
3. Please
select the one, primary category for this tool: It’s both a Communication and Networking/Social
Tool.
4. Please
describe this tool in your own words in about 150-250 words.
Weebly
is a web 2.0 tool is an online
site builder that offers some advanced features,
that can be used either as a communication for teachers or networking/Social
Tool for business type advertising. Registration is fast and easy with only
three required fields; username, password and an e-mail address. Once the information
is inputted your accounts is immediately created and active. I will explore this
tool as a networking /social interaction tool. Weebly was voted as one of the
top 50 best websites in 2007 and 2009 by both Wall Street Journal and Time
Magazine. The easiest and fastest way to create a website can be accomplished
by utilizing Weebly. Here are some of the cool features of Weebly.
Free
website
· Nothing to download
· Basic building element of Weebly website is a page
· Ability to choose; page layout form existing templates
although limited since most have similar layout and designs.
· Two navigation panes; one at the top and the other at the
side.
· Website are created and updated form any computer with internet
access.
· Drop simplicity – allowing one to create their website n
only minutes
· Offers a Pro version with more features
· Create up to 2 website with the free option compared to 10
with the Pro option.
5. Try using
the Tool (you may need to sign up for a free or trial account) so that you will
learn how it works and what its capabilities are - and so that you will be able
to answer the following questions.
6.
What do you need to know before using this tool?
One would need to have basic computer keyboarding skills.
7.
What do you need to have before using this tool? One would need a computer with a workable browser and
internet access.
8. How do you
use this tool? (Write the basic steps using a numbered list)
Example
on building a website
i.
Create a free account
ii.
Login to account
iii.
Choose a title for your website,
which can be changed later if needed (e.g. Healthy Eating).
iv.
Choose a sub-domain can use the free
domain, create your own domain or using an existing domain (e.g. of a free
domain - www. Healthyeating.weebly. com)
v.
Choose template design by clicking
and dragging
vi.
Add pages- e.g. Product page, About
page, Contact page, Statistic page
vii.
When all elements added and you’re
satisfied, click Publish.
viii.
You have just created your own
website
Here
are some additional cost plans for Weebly
Weebly Pro Account:
· Free trail of Weebly’s advanced features, only pay when you
publish
- 6 months: $4.58 per month
- 1 year: $3.99 per month
- 2 years: $2.99 per month
Additionally, registering a domain
name through Weebly costs:
- Weebly Plus Plan: $7.95 per month
- Weebly Premium Plan: $14.95 per month
- Weebly Ultimate Plan: $24.95 per month
9. Locate or
create your own example of an educational resource created with this tool and
discuss what you found or created. Also, please include the URL for this
example or embed it into your blog post, if applicable.
Here
is a quick demo on Weebly for Education.
10. Include
screenshots, audio podcasts, screencasts, or other multimedia elements that
help describe the tool and how you used it. (Please indicate what program you
used for this task.)
11. Please
describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment
(150-250 words).
As
mentioned earlier this tool can be used as a communication tool and is quite
adaptable for teachers. For non-techies like me, I can use this tool to create
my own classroom website/forum. I visualize using it for assign projects.
Weebly has the option to create a teachers dashboard. Students’ accounts can be
created individually or in groups without the need for e-mail addresses (a time
saver for teachers).This tool has the ability to use a special assignment
upload element that allows intake of homework from students. I can create new
pages such as; blogs which will allow students to interact with each other and
build their own website. Pages can be password protected to ward off unwanted
visitors. Weebly makes it user friendly for students by the demonstration of
the simplicity of its interface for student logon. It’s easy to keep up with
students updates. Sites can be easily updated, deleted or disabled for editing. For
flexibility, Weebly's click-and-drag elements-Custom HTML, which allows you
copy and paste chunks of code. This is extremely helpful if you want to add an
element that the Weebly editor program does not yet offer as one of its
features.
12. What are
the advantages and disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?
Some of the advantages are:
· Free website
· Registration is quick and easy
· No email required when setting up students account
· Easy quick and drag method
· Easy to create a professional looking website
· Easy to choose a website address
· Offers interfaces in several languages but support section is
only available in English
Some of
the disadvantages (few) are:
· Some limitation in features with the free option (yet, enough
to build a professional website)
· The ability to have multiple users managing your website and
being able to manage users since most of the other site management tools have
that feature and weebly does not.
13.
Would you recommend this Web 2.0 tool to others, or suggest
that they explore a different tool?
As a novice, this tool was intuitive and useful
and would certainly recommend it to others as a tool of choice.
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