Typically when people think of a course site, they think of a course management system. At least that is what I think of! However, using a site like Weebly can allow educators to add many of the elements listed in the text. Although I did not include one on my site, I noticed that a blog page can be added to a regular Weebly site. There are also many different types of media that can be added to a page.
Having built a site in the past using Blackboard, I can say for someone without a lot of experience Weebly would be the best way to go. A course management system may have more features, but with that comes added complexity that some users may not be ready for or even need in their daily management tasks.
I feel like as an educator, an important part of our job is to make sure that students are prepared for the world outside of school. I like that Weebly allows users to add different types of media to share with students. I think the exposure to different types of media and haveing students use the same types of multimedia to create their own projects makes them more prepared. In my own classes, I am allowing students to choose the format they wish to present their final research projects in. They can choose to create a video, a presentation, or any other type of multimedia project that meets the requirements. Not only does this give them experience with the different programs, but it also allows them to be creative and make decisions which are also skills they will need in the workforce.
I feel that the sites my group and I made look very professional, and in my experience, they were very easy to create. I know that next semester I will be creating my eportfolio. I'm glad I can use Weebly to do that!
My Course Site