The popular website creation and hosting service Weebly announced some significant changes today. Beginning today Weebly users will have a new site creator and editor interface (new users will see it right away, existing users may not see it for a few more days). The new interface puts the editing tools on the side of the page. More importantly the new editor will show you more elements and options on the screen compared to the old editor. This means that you won’t have to dig around or guess where a particular element is. The new editor will also display a preview of the mobile version of your site so that you can see how it looks without having to go to your mobile device.

The Weebly editor now includes a site planner tool. The site planner allows you to see how elements of your website will fit together. Think of it as a visual tool for creating a a site map.

Applications for Education
The good news that comes along with all of the updates to Weebly is that it is still free for teachers and students. Weebly has long been one of my favorite tools for teachers and students to use to create websites. Weebly can be used to create digital portfolios and blogs in one place.

Unlike some other free website and blog platforms, Weebly doesn’t insert advertising into your site. Weebly’s customer support even for non-paying users is outstanding too.