What is Google Sites?
Google Sites allows users to easily create free, custom, fully functional websites.
Google Sites began as JotSpot. Google purchased JotSpot in 2006, and Google Sites, using the JotSpot technology, was launched in 2008.
Features
Google Sites lets students work together to create webpages and edit content; this feature is especially attractive to educators in the 21st century classroom.
Information can be organized and stored in a central place (on the web) so that viewers and editors can access the site from any device and anywhere there’s an internet connection.
Access to view the website or pages can be restricted, and only collaborators who have been invited can make edits. Edits are recorded; this means editors can be identified and edits can be rolled back.
Google Sites works really well with the other Google Apps, and teachers and students can easily add documents, images, presentations, spreadsheets, calendars, forms, embedded media, and videos to the webpages they create.
25 GB of storage for Google Apps users (100 MB of storage for free account)
WYSIWYG editing; there are many templates to choose from.
How Google Sites can be used in the Language Arts classroom
Classroom webpage (communication, announcements, assignments, calendar, student work, links, etc.)
Project based learning
Platform for student products (see student created sites link below)
Classroom discussion and sharing of ideas
Responses to literature
Online newspaper, digital literary “magazine”
Collaborative writing projects and presentations
Group projects
Student portfolios
A platform for international collaboration
Provides a larger audience for students
Incorporate technology and give students anytime access to the classroom
Give students experience working in a collaborative, online environment
Battle of the Books team, clubs
Examples
More Google Sites for education
More information
I have had a brief introduction to Google sites, but it wasn't in-depth enough for me to feel comfortable. I've been using Weebly Education for the websites I have built. Are you in a position to recommend one over the other? Your posting is very helpful, but I know I'll never master it until I use it. Your advice and opinion would be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteKaren, several teachers at my school use Weebly for their classroom sites, and they like it. Google Sites, in my opinion, has value because of the collaboration that is possible. You can have as many students as you like all working to create a web site. I'm working on a project like this now; I'll let you know what I find.
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