Classroom websites are a great tool for communicating between home and school, demonstrating student learning and much more. I just wanted to quickly share which tool I use and why.
There are many many tools to create a classroom website. You must think about your own comfort with web design and management in choosing a tool. I know another deciding factor is definitely cost. Who doesn't like free?? Seriously, why pay when you can build a beautiful classroom website for free. That leads me to my tool of choice.
Weebly. I used weebly because the website builder is easy to use whether you are familiar with code or not. There are also many ways to customize your website including design and add on tools such as polls, audio, video and embedded documents. Here is a little glimpse at the interface.
I actually began making a website on webs.com which is also free but discovered that the free version only allows for 5 pages. If that's all you need then webs.com is also a good tool. I like weebly because you can grow and add your website as needed.
Now to discuss how I use it....well to be honest I haven't used it as much as I would like but plan to change that this year. Working with a low income population makes it difficult for some students and families to access the internet at home so one wonders...who will really use it? I plan to integrate the class website somehow...maybe involve a project or sign up or something. Need to get more traffic from parents. Ideas anyone?
If you'd like to view my in progress classroom website check it out here. Hope you enjoyed the tip!
