Wix

Wix, found here at http://www.wix.com/, provides an awesome GUI (Graphic User Interface) for creating and editing your own Flash-based websites completely free of charge.

Flash is yet another Adobe product that has become quite popular in web development as of late, mostly due to the platform's ability to enable users to add animation and useful interactivity. Usually, any colorful, artistic websites with animation (moving graphics) that launches a "loading bar" (or similar graphics to signify a waiting time) when you open them in your browser are Flash-based. Here are couple examples of some beautiful Flash-based websites: http://www.feartox.com/ and http://www.proyectiva.com/. In addition, most pop-up advertisements are actually Flash animations.

With Wix, users can create their own Flash websites by choosing from a very wide variety of templates with categories like "eCommerce", "Consulting", "Music", and "Real Estate"
(although there is not a specific category for "Education", it does not matter. There are still so many appropriate templates for schools and teachers). In fact, Wix also provides users with the ability to create a "product" other than a website, like "Portfolios", "Widgets" and "Headers". The templates are all great and leave little to be desired in terms of design and "look". The template you choose provides you with the frame and structure of your website, as well as the general personality of your site. However, after you choose a template you are not stuck with all of the elements on that particular page. Wix provides users with a very rich, detailed WYSIWYG editor ("What You See Is What You Get") that gives users the ability to modify "Page Parts" (i.e. "Background", "Areas", "Page Frame"), add "Widgets" (i.e. "RSS Feeds", "PayPal" solutions), and embed Multimedia files (i.e. 'Pics", "Videos", "Music"). The interface is intuitive, colorful and reminds me of an educational video game. For a screen-shot of the interface provided when editing a template, please click on the image below:


The editing interface is a little clearer when you start from scratch (when you open the editor without pre-selecting a template). Here is another screen-shot:


Wix is professional enough so that schools can utilize this free software to create their official school website - as a website that professionally showcases and represents the school on the Internet. However, Wix is also a useful tool for creating and maintaining stellar Teacher Pages (Why would you use a simple blogging application to appeal to your students when you have this type of resource at your disposal?). In addition, schools can use Wix to create the best newsletters ever, like one Chicago Public School did here: http://www.wix.com/rufushitch/rufus-hitch-elementary-school. Regardless, I believe every school with tech-savvy teachers and administrators could easily find great utility in Wix.

Advantages: Flash development is a very labor intensive process that require years of web design experience and a $800.00 Abode software product. However, Wix takes all of the hard work out of this process. Now, beautiful, interactive websites can be easily created by teachers with no web design skills at all.

In addition, with the ability to create multiple products, Wix remarkably will allow you to create a beautiful Flash-based header that you could include on your website, blog, or social networking site (Getting a professional Flash developer is design just a header for your website could easily cost hundreds of dollars). This is a very cool "perk" of Wix that teachers who are appreciative of web design will certainly enjoy.

Disadvantages: If you want to use your own domain name or remove the Wix ads from your Wix- created site, you'll have to sign up for a "Premium" account and pay a $5 to $20 service fee. This could certainly be worth it if administrators are going to be using a Wix site as your school's primary website.