Weebly - www.weebly.com
As my quest log is coming to an end, it seems fitting to explore the webpage builder that I will use to publish my material. I discovered weebly through other students, so this connects both with our fourth and fifth course objective. Weebly’s website is one that allows a novice to build a website like a (semi)professional, and its interface is easy to use and requires only a few minutes of tinkering to understand the basic layout.
The website requires users to create an account and use their email address; this might be an issue for students. However, the basic format is free to use. The website makes its money by offering more advanced options inside the website by subscription only (e.g. HD video) and by attempting to sell users domain names to publish their websites. This can get confusing since it asks you each time you update your website, so at first you might not realize you do not need to purchase a domain name to actually publish your website. This is an issue students would have to be warned about via a handout or other method.
Weebly itself would not be an assignment, but it could be an option for a student or group to present a presentation or show their work. It would also be a way for the students to reach a potentially larger audience by publishing their work. This too comes with risks, and the students would have to be advised not to put any personal information or contact information on the website, or the students would have to make sure the website was not shared with a larger audience. If a student did use Weebly, he/she might end up losing substance in favor of design. However, it is important that students know how to present their ideas in an organized and pleasing fashion. If students were given time to work on Weebly in class, I would have to monitor them constantly in order to make sure they were actually focusing on their work and not doing something else. The potential for distraction is high with this product, but the outcome can be pleasing and polished.
As my quest log is coming to an end, it seems fitting to explore the webpage builder that I will use to publish my material. I discovered weebly through other students, so this connects both with our fourth and fifth course objective. Weebly’s website is one that allows a novice to build a website like a (semi)professional, and its interface is easy to use and requires only a few minutes of tinkering to understand the basic layout.
The website requires users to create an account and use their email address; this might be an issue for students. However, the basic format is free to use. The website makes its money by offering more advanced options inside the website by subscription only (e.g. HD video) and by attempting to sell users domain names to publish their websites. This can get confusing since it asks you each time you update your website, so at first you might not realize you do not need to purchase a domain name to actually publish your website. This is an issue students would have to be warned about via a handout or other method.
Weebly itself would not be an assignment, but it could be an option for a student or group to present a presentation or show their work. It would also be a way for the students to reach a potentially larger audience by publishing their work. This too comes with risks, and the students would have to be advised not to put any personal information or contact information on the website, or the students would have to make sure the website was not shared with a larger audience. If a student did use Weebly, he/she might end up losing substance in favor of design. However, it is important that students know how to present their ideas in an organized and pleasing fashion. If students were given time to work on Weebly in class, I would have to monitor them constantly in order to make sure they were actually focusing on their work and not doing something else. The potential for distraction is high with this product, but the outcome can be pleasing and polished.