Set Your Sights on Google Sites

Arguably, one of the most useful tools in the GSuite for Education package is Google Sites. Yet, as I am writing this, only a handful of our teachers are actively using it. That tells me that maybe the value of Google Sites has not been adequately addressed, and I apologize for that! For those of you who have not been introduced to it, Google Sites is a free website creation tool hosted by Google. You can create unlimited sites/pages, and each of your students can create unlimited sites/pages.

Now, I will be the first to admit that the early version of Sites (used until this school year) was a complicated monster that wasn't friendly for the everyday user. However, an upgrade to Google Sites occurred this year that makes creating and updating a snazzy site quicker and easier than ever before. 

Many of you are probably groaning already, saying something along the lines of, "Why does this crazy woman think I have the time to build a website? Doesn't she know I am a teacher and have enough on my plate?" The answer to that is two-fold: 1. Yes, I know you have a lot on your plate, and 2, effective use of Sites can actually save time and headaches! Let's look at some more "why" questions you may have:

Why Should I Have a Teacher Website?

There are many reasons to create a teacher website, the number one being communication. You would be surprised to learn how many "hits" our district web page gets in a week (a hit is someone surfing to our main page). From Monday of last week until this morning, our district page had 18,997 unique page views. Let that number really sink in for a moment. Think about the impact that could have on communication if our teachers were using Sites on a regular basis!

Another reason why you should have a teacher website is the quantity of information you can put on a site. These are some ideas for what could be included on a teacher website (Stoudt, 2015):

• Contact information (little to no update)
• Class announcements (update when necessary)
• Shoutouts (update when necessary)
• Study guides (update when necessary - could be yearly if planned well)
• Extra credit/accelerated projects (update when necessary, if at all)
• Helpful links (little to no updates)
• Classroom calendar (update when necessary - from your PHONE)
• Credentials (little to no update)

Notice many of these wouldn't have to be updated often--set up a site at the beginning of the year and only update it when something changes. 

Why Should I Use Google Sites for Instruction?

Creating a teacher website is great, but unlocking the power of Google Sites for your students is critical. Crockett (2012) identified 6 essential skills our students must master to be competitive in the 21st Century workplace:

• Problem Solving

• 

  We've got to cover what???

  Creativity
• Analytic Thinking
• Collaboration
• Communication

• Ethics, action, and accountability

These skills can each be addressed through ONE project using Google Sites. "How?" you might ask. If you are asking that question, then I am ready to work with you to make it happen.

Almost Thou Persuadest. . .

I am not naive enough to think that this blog will transform every teacher in our district into a webmaster. However, I do know that some of you are always looking for ways to innovate your methods and classroom experiences--Google Sites is for you!

If you would like to investigate Sites just to see if it would benefit you, call me at extension 1035, email me at tpoolson@prc.k12.ms.us, or set up an appointment for me to walk through the content with you in a department meeting. I will be glad to sit down with you, answer any questions you may have, even create with you! 

Stoudt, Evan. "How to Expertly Organize Your Classroom With Google Sites (EdSurge News)." EdSurge. EdSurge, 10 July 2016. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

21st Century - Crockett, Lee, Ian Jukes, and Andrew Churches. Literacy is not enough: 21st-century fluencies for the digital age. Moorabbin, Vic.: Hawker Brownlow Education, 2012. Print.