“Google Sites makes it easy for anyone to create and manage
simple, secure group websites.”
-Google
The
Google Apps enterprise seems to be everywhere- and rightfully so! It provides thousands of free apps and sites
that allow people to be creative, professional, or anything else they
want. Google Sites is just one of the many platforms they have created to make our lives easier and more connected.
Just take a look at how many ways Google Sites can be used in your classroom:
- Create a Learning Management System or class website
- Each page in your LMS can focus on a different aspect of your class
- Use announcement style pages to:
- Make a parent newsletter
- Log homework assignments with links
- Create a class blog
- Embed videos or other websites using iframe gadgets
- Students can even insert presentations or slideshows
- Add Twitter feeds and other gadgets for social media
- File all your digital resources in one place
- Create lists for vocabulary practice or data collection- surveys, anyone?
“But what if I don't want all my students to see my files and digital content?” Well, you can change the permissions on INDIVIDUAL pages! This allows you to share what you want, and hide what you don’t.
Google Sites is also VERY customizable, so you can create a site that shows your personality or matches with your classroom environment.
I've used Google Sites in many ways:
1.
To connect with administrators
on curriculum matters
2.
As a portal for students to play
educational games
3.
As an informational site- OHX book summary!
4.
Future ideas- maybe an LMS or online parent newsletter??
Check
out how other teachers and professionals have used Google Sites with these sample sites!
Give Google Sites a try
today! You might find exactly what
you’ve been looking for in a companion site, because it’s yours to create from
the start.
It will come as no shock to anyone that knows me (or has been in my office/the same room as me) that I am a big fan of Google Sites. I think part of this is because I've had some education in creating HTML and other websites and it is literally a night and day difference. Google Sites makes it very easy for even the most inexperienced user to create and maintain a website for the entire world to see. It truly is much easier than most people think. Many think that once you go into the realm of building web pages and web sites that you have to be an awesome coder and understand the ins and outs of HTML - not the case with Google Sites. It really is as simple as a few clicks and you're ready to go. I better stop here before I get into too much of a "Google" mode. Google Sites = AWESOME
ReplyDeleteI agree Google Sites is very user friendly. I know little to nothing about HTML but I can create a pretty great Google Site!
DeleteYou should check out wix.com! It's SO incredibly easy to use. It's customizable and you can use HTML widgets. It may not have the "sharing" features and Google integration that Google Sites has, but it does integrate with twitter, facebook, and other social media.
DeleteMy first experience with Google Sites was not a positive one but since I have grown to love Google Sites for many reasons. I think that Google Sites is an easy, effective way for teachers to share information with students and parents. I also think it is great tool for students to use. In the past couple of years, my students have created e-portfolios, which housed work samples, future goals and other aspects of their educational experiences. I look forward to continue using Google Sites to enhance my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI like how easy it is for parents to have access to a Google site, as opposed to Moodle.
DeleteI think that creating e-portfolios and having students create a professional digital footprint is very important. For our students to be able to put a link to their website and web work on a resume I think would absolutely give them the upper hand when applying for jobs, even in high school. A website gives students that chance to tell more about themselves in a controlled environment where potential employers can learn things they might not have picked up on in an interview.
DeleteChristian, I agree that an ePortfolio is significant and worthwhile, but we are just having trouble at the high school determining what is importance and showing them the relevance of that importance. We were originally selling the ePortfolio as a way for students to show growth in their skills and also a way to demonstrate their leadership experience and other awards/accomplishments to colleges, but the reality is that right now nobody is looking at these things. They look at a students resume because they can quickly see what things that a student has done, but an ePortfolio takes longer to look at and can be much more cumbersome. Once again, I think an ePortfolio has value, but I think we need to spend some time really understanding what that value is and then selling it to students, teachers, and parents.
DeleteI agree with Jay that an ePortfolio is a very important thing to have but teachers have been very hesitant to jump on board because they themselves do not understand the value that it is bringing. It also seems to change from year to year and while I know that we are changing things as we are learning, I think that there are teachers out there who are struggling with it. I also think that it needs to be simpler as Jay has mentioned because employers need to be able to look at it quickly and get the information that they need (which I am not sure includes what they did in sixth grade).
DeleteI am actually at the beginning stages of experimenting with Google sites. I have completed some integrated units with Google sites, but have not been the main contributor. Speaking with peers, Google sites seems to be an user-friendly alternative for people who are not sold on Moodle or other LMS.
ReplyDeleteAs I stated in the previous blog, I too think Google Sites is a great option. I too use Google Sites for my class website. It's a much better option, I believe, to use for parent communication versus Moodle or another LMS that makes users login to view the site. I will say there is a small learning curve to Google Sites, and there are many other "make your own website" tools out there that are a little easier to use (but maybe with not as many features).
ReplyDeleteGoogle sites is really great and flexible tool. It can be used by those who are new to building a website but can also be built out and made to do more by those who know more about websites. I think it is great tool that can really grow with you as you evolve in your understanding on how to build a website.
ReplyDeleteI think that the greatest thing about it is that Google has made it easy to build and has made it easy to integrate their apps. This is especially great for those who are already using Google Apps in their schools. They have also made it more friendly to use since it first began and as with any other Google tool they will continue to improve it over time.
As I have stated in other posts, I really like google sites and the ease of use. One of the things we use google sites for at the high school is to house our curriculum maps. However, I don't know if we are using the most efficient way possible. There are a couple different places that are maps are housed on google sites and sometimes it's hard to find what your looking for. I know it's probably user error and not a fault of google sites, but since we are talking about google sites, I thought I would throw it out there :)
ReplyDeleteJust like portfolios... still trying to get those unshared! I do like the curriculum maps- they are easy to use, and i love how accessible they are on my sites list.
DeletePositives- easy to create, fits in awesome for loading up docs, presentations graphics, inserting anything...
ReplyDeleteNegatives- hard to search for, no assessment tool
Overall- love my google site- the kids like it a lot better than MOODLE
I totally agree with Google being a great option. I have learned a lot recently and plan to enhance that learning in the future. It is user friendly and I have had the students also use it as well with ease.
ReplyDelete