Editing a Google Site

It's almost impossible to teach in 2014 without having some sort of digital space to supplement your classroom. Having a place on the web where we can store and share digital resources is so incredibly valuable. So much class time can be saved when students don't have to spend it searching for items that you can easily share in a Google Site. A Site is Google's version of a wiki. 

Keep in mind that this is a very generic template. Feel free to delete pages that you don't need, change the names of pages, and add additional pages. This is your site so please change it so that it works for you! All we ask is that you don't change the theme so that all classroom sites across the district maintain a consistent color scheme which will help us develop our brand. 

Ideas for how to use a Google Site: 

• Add a classroom or school calendar to help students (and yourself!) keep on track. Parents appreciate seeing school activities in a calendar. 
• Share pictures or videos of your students as they work on activities. Think of this as a sort of digital newsletter. (Parents like to see what is happening in class!) 
• Share your lesson plans. Create them on a doc or presentation and upload them to a page on the Site. 
• Know in advance that you will be gone? Create a screencast that allows you to virtually teach your class. Upload it to YouTube and embed it on the Site. Google helps you be in two places at once! 
• Have students create a Google Site and link them back to your classroom Site you can easily access them. You could do this for student blogs as well. 
• Have a list of acceptable activities that students can complete when they finish their assignments. 
• Showing a video in class? Embed the video in a Google Form where you also include questions. Embed the Form in your Site so students who are absent have easy access to it. 

The only limit to what you can do with a Site is your own imagination. Here are TONS of ideas for how to use Sites (wikis) in your classroom.