Google Sites

Google Sites

I created a Google Site about The Outsiders. Each quarter, my students complete a book project. This quarter, one of the options is for them to make a website about their book. I knew that they would have access to Google Sites, so I wanted to learn more about it so I would be able to help them. All of our students have read The Outsiders, so I figured that would be a good book to use. I created not only a good example for the kids, but also a site that has some good information to introduce the book to students. I also was able to upload one of the pre-reading activities that I use before we start The Outsiders.

Google Sites is very user friendly. It was pretty easy to get started and add new pages, insert images, videos, links, and upload documents.

It was a little challenging to get the background set up, colors, and upload images for the heading. I watched a really handy video from the Google help menu and after some trial and error, was able to figure it out. I had started with a blank page and wanted to add some color and design. I also had a tough time reorganizing the pages I had created. I am sure that there must be an easier way to do this then how I was doing it. I am going to have to look into this some more. I am sure my students will have this same question.

I really liked how easy it was to get started and do the basic creating of the site. It makes the prospect of creating a website seem much less daunting. It also looks much more professional than I would think that I would be able to create.

I really like the idea of kids being able to create their own websites to share information. It seems like not only a great life skill to have, but a good way to share information about something. I was also reading the articles about creating webquests. I have used webquests before in class and they have been very successful. I had never thought about creating one of my own. However, Google Sites would be a great starting point for being able to create a webquest for topics that are covered in class but don't have as many resources available.

Link to site: https://sites.google.com/a/edmonds.wednet.edu/the-outsiders/home