| Rating |   4.00 / 5 |
|---|---|
| Price | Free |
| Link | Google Sites |
Google Sites
Description
Google Sites is the easiest way to make information accessible to people who need quick, up-to-date access. People can work together on a Site to add file attachments, information from other Google applications (like Google Docs, Google Calendar, YouTube and Picasa), and new free-form content. Creating a site together is as easy as editing a document, and you always control who has access, whether it’s just yourself, your team, or your whole organization.
Friendly to Use:
- Intuitive interfaces
- Customizable page templates
- You don’t have to be a web designer
- Advance features for tech savvy users
Collaborate with Others:
- Work with others to build a site
- Can add viewers, collaborators, owners
Integrate Content and Add:
- Google Documents, Presentations, Spreadsheets and Forms
- Images
- Videos
- Maps
- And…much more!
Control:
- Keep your site private
- Share and publish to the world
I have been using Google Sites since its inception! Back then I was working in Student Life and teaching classes on leadership. As part of this class students were required to create an ePortfolio where they reflected on their leadership experiences. Within the portfolio they had to include examples (artifacts) of their leadership work/experiences and provide brief summaries of what they learned about themselves and leadership from these activities.
Over the years we used lots of different eportfolio tools. Most of them were clunky and hard for students to navigate. Additionally we really wanted to give students something that they could take and build on throughout their academic career and then transition to their professional lives. Learning management system portfolios just didn’t make this very possible unless you were tech savvy. Then came Google Sites. An easy and intuitive interface for building personal web sites and the added bonus? Every student already had a Gmail account with access to the Google Apps options including Sites!
The students were very responsive to Google Sites. The tools made it simple to integrate media, images and allowed for a robust personalization that the students enjoyed. Many of them continued to use it well beyond their academic careers and also developed their own sites for clubs, organizations and groups. Most importantly it helped students really reflect on their leadership journey and gave them the ability to see and discuss their progress. At the end of each semester we had an ePortfolio Showcase event where they walked us through that journey. It was a truly rewarding an memorable night. Even they were surprised at how much they learned when they took the time to really reflect on it! This gave them the confidence to talk with employers and others about the leaders they became while in our program and their continued journey as leaders for the community.
Here is my Google Site ePortfolio so you can see the fun and learning that can happen with this excellent resource:
https://sites.google.com/a/mesacc.edu/heliceagria/
Downsides:
My only issues with Google Sites is that it is not as easy as some of the drag/drop web site builders that are now widely available. Also Google Sites is more friendly with Google Apps and tools and sometimes does not have options for outside objects that are as intuitive. For the most part you can work around these issues with good instructions which Google provides in abundance. Learn more about Google Apps in education: https://www.google.com/edu/.