PDF's into Google Sites

Over the last couple of weeks I have had more than a handful of teachers ask how they can insert PDF's into their classroom websites. To be perfectly honest I do not have much experience working with PDF's so I did some research and I want to share what I have found. If you have a file that you would like to upload into your classroom site without losing the formatting then converting it to a PDF might be a good option. Some teachers have found that when they try to convert some of their Word documents to Google Docs that some weird formatting things happen. When she saved the file as a PDF she was able to upload it into Drive without losing the formatting. You can convert different file types to PDF's including slides. To get the PDF into your class Google Site takes one extra step, but it is pretty simple. After you create the PDF you will need to upload it into Google Drive. Change the settings on the PDF so that anyone with the link can view it. Copy the link to the PDF then open your Site and go to the page where you want to embed your PDF. You can create a new page if you wish. Go into edit mode then select Insert -----> More gadgets ------> Include Gadgets (iframe). Once you select the iframe gadget a box will appear. Paste the link to the PDF that you should have copied into the box. I recommend setting the width at 100 percent. Adjust the other settings if you like then save. Your PDF should appear on your page.

This would be an easy way for students to share different projects with you as well. If they were to create a trifold brochure using LucidPress or a diagram using LucidChart they could either share it with you through Drive or hyperlink it on a document that is editable by students that is shared on your Site. This might sound complicated but it is actually quite simple to set up and it is MUCH easier than sorting through 150 emails! 

Horizontal Navigation on Google Site

When I set up the template for Gering I opted for the sidebar navigation. Over the last couple of weeks quite a few teachers have asked me to set up horizontal navigation instead. I have created a short video that will walk you through how to do this. When you switch to horizontal navigation you will need to change some of the colors. To access the place where you will make these changes click on the Open More Actions menu (gear on the upper right) or click g then m which is the shortcut to open this menu. Select Themes, Colors, and Fonts in the left column then select Horizontal navigation. (See image below.) Make the following changes:

• Background -  Color- 4f7bbe   Hover color- 4f7bbe 
• Text- Color- white  Hover color- white
• Selected text- Text color- white  Background color-  4f7bbe 
• Dropdown- Text-  4f7bbe  Background color- white Hover color-  4f7bbe  Hover background color- yellow

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. 

Let's Go for a Drive

I worked with a few teachers yesterday and I mentioned the new Google Drive. They wanted to know more about it so I created this short overview of the new Drive. I hope this helps you find your way around. Sometimes when something works well I get aggravated when big changes are made. The old Drive worked just fine, but the new Drive is AWESOME! If you weren't terribly familiar with the old Drive then the new changes aren't going to mean much. However, if you are an experience user then you are certainly going to appreciate the new and improved features.