Using Weebly to Create ePortfolios

Weebly is a great tool for creating a digital portfolio because of all of the features available. You can create a blog, web page, insert images, .pdf, and other document formats. There are free and paid subscription accounts. For the free account, the space available is 500 MB. For all paid subscriptions, the space is unlimited.

Video: Welcome to Weebly

Why Not Google Sites?

Google Sites is a great option for ePortfolios, but in the past, Google Sites was not available to elementary students (it is now!). Additionally, seniors may experience lost Google Sites access following graduation. With Google Sites, students use their CSDDocs accounts to build their Google Site. As a result, seniors lose access to their Google Sites accounts the summer following graduation, and site ownership cannot be transferred. With Weebly, ownership of a site can be transferred.

Your turn!

Through this module, you will be creating your own Weebly ePortfolio. You can decide if you want to create a professional or hobby-related ePortfolio, or even an example ePortfolio to show students when assigning an ePortfolio to them.

Choose the purpose of your ePortfolio before proceeding to the next page.

Use the step-by-step instructions below to get your ePortfolio website up and running, including a URL and theme.

A theme is the overall look of your website and is characterized by common layouts, color schemes, etc. that show up on every webpage throughout your website for a cohesive look. Use the step-by-step instructions below to start customizing your ePortfolio.

Video: Getting Started with Weebly
(written instructions Download written instructions
)

Your turn! Take a moment to:

Create a Weebly account
Choose a website type
Choose a website theme
Determine your website's domain
Customize your theme as allowed

It's time to start creating pages for your ePortfolio. At this point, after viewing the samples available, you probably have some idea as to what pages you want on your site and what artifacts those pages are going to hold.

Video: Adding a Page to Your Weebly Site
(written instructions: Add a page Links to an external site. & adding content Links to an external site.)

Your turn! Create a new page and take a moment to add each of the following:

A header or title
Text
An embedded document
A linked file for download
An image
A YouTube video

A blog is formatted as an online journal that organized entries, or "posts," in reverse chronological order. Having students add a blog page to their website can be a great way to have them record their thinking and learning so that they end the year with a record that shows their growth over time. It can also be a place to post artifacts where students can record a description of each artifact, a justification for including it, etc. The key here is to take advantage of the ongoing record a blog creates.

Video: Adding a Blog to Your ePortfolio
(written instructions Links to an external site. including adding categories & choosing more settings)

Your turn! Take a moment to:

Add a blog page to your site
Publish your first blog post (you can always delete it later)

When you're ready for people to see your site, you can publish it. With the right settings, no one will be able to find it until you have provided them with the URL. You can also continue to make changes and additions to your site after publishing.

Ready to Publish?

1. In the top right corner, click Publish.

2. A box will appear with your website's URL, which you can copy and share!

Note: Every time you make a change to your site, you'll need to click Publish again for those changes to be seen by site visitors.

Privacy Settings

For classroom and student sites, it is recommended that you password protect the site.

Click on the Settings tab at the top of your website editor.
Click on General.
Type in the desired password.
Click Save.

Sharing Your Site

There are many ways to get the word out that you have a website! Consider some of the following:

Creating a QR code Links to an external site. to include on class materials
Putting the URL on your syllabus
Posting a QR code on your classroom door or wall
Including a link to your site alongside your name on your school's faculty directory page
Including a link in your email signature Links to an external site.