Google Sites Minds-on-Media Session, ECOO Conference, November 2011

Your Facilitator

Name: Peter Beens

Email: pbeens@gmail.com

Twitter: @pbeens

Blog: http://blog.beens.org/

Google+: http://profiles.google.com/pbeens

flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pbeens/

Join Our Playground!

If you want to play in our Google Sites Playground, click on the image below or the QR code to the right (or take a picture of it using your Google app!), then fill in the form so I can give you editing rights to the site.

After you've filled in the form, visit https://sites.google.com/site/ecoo11sitesplayground/read-me-first to get started!

Exemplars, From Teachers Here at #ECOO11

Introduction

With Google Sites, you can easily create and update your own site. Google Sites allows you display a variety of information in one place—including videos, slideshows, calendars, presentations, attachments, and text—and share it for viewing or editing with a small group, an entire organization, or the world. You always control who has access to your site.

Here's what you can do with Google Sites:

    • Customize your site.

    • Create sub-pages to keep your content organized.

    • Choose page types: webpage, announcements, file cabinet.

    • Have a central location for your web content and offline files.

    • Keep your site as private or public as you'd like.

    • Search across your Google Sites content with Google search technology.

(from https://www.google.com/support/sites/........)

Google Apps Education Training

(from http://edutraining.googleapps.com/Training-Home/module-5-sites/)

Some Tips, from my own experience

    • Always open links to other websites in a new window.

    • Do not attach files to the Google Site unless absolutely necessary. The quota is quite small for Google Sites (100 MB) and you may run out of space quickly if you do.

      • Post your videos on YouTube and insert from there.

      • Post your pictures on PicasaWeb and insert from there.

      • Post anything else in Google Docs and insert or link from there.

    • Keep it simple -- it's about the content, not the flash!

    • Keep the site organized through the use of folders and automated Tables of Contents.

    • Encourage others to use the Comments section at the bottom of each page to provide feedback, point out mistakes, etc.

    • Encourage your students to use Google Sites for their ePortfolio. Remind them to set the site permissions accordingly (not public, unless they're sure they want to).