sites

Bringing It All Together

Wouldn't it be nice if the different tools you've seen today could be brought together for having students show the breadth of their learning?  You can, with Google's wiki, called Sites.


GWE Sites



Leaping In

Start by logging into your Google account, and then go to: http://sites.google.com


Activity

If you were going to promote your college, department, or school, what kind of information would you want to make available?  Would you have a calendar telling about upcoming events?  Would you include pictures of your campus?  What one thing, more than anything else, would you want a visitor to have in mind after visiting the site?  Let's try creating a Site that could do address these questions.

Creating the Page

  1. Click "Create new site".
  2. Notice that there are a variety of templates, but go with the default one ("blank template") for now.
  3. Type in a name (this is what will appear as the page heading).
  4. Look at the possibilities under Theme and More Options, choosing one if the spirit moves you.
  5. Type in the annoyingly hard-to-read code and then click on Create Site and think good thoughts.
Adding Content
  1. Click the "Edit page" button.
  2. Change the page title (it starts as "Home") if you wish.
  3. Add a paragraph of text, and play with the text formatting controls to see what they do.
  4. Beneath your paragraph, try adding a picture that you upload or via a link (start with "Insert" in the upper left).
  5. Use the Insert tool to add a Google Doc, Form, Map, and/or Calendar.
  6. Save your changes, and then click the "Create page" button.
  7. Leave it as a top-tier page or as a sub-page to Home, as you wish.
  8. Add something profound to this page.
  9. Add an unusual gadget (from "Insert"). You'll probably need to save to see how they work.
  10. If motivated to do so, try sharing the site (under "more actions").
  11. If your creation is not worthy of continued existence, delete it ("more actions", then "Manage site", then "general", then scroll down to the bottom).

Discussion: Were you able to add the things that would help someone better understand where you teach?  If it were a prospective student, would he or she want to join you?  Consider what it would be like to create a Site for an individual class.  What kind of work do your students do that could benefit from using a Site

Google Sites Cribsheet


Google Help:

Google Sites Tour

   Tips and Tricks

   Exemplary Administration Google Sites
Google Produced ResourcesGCT Produced Resources
Exemplar Classroom Teacher SitesExemplar Professional Development Sites

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