Embedded Files
Whether you want to build a class website, a student portfolio, or just give your students a new way to present their work, Google Sites is an easy way to create beautiful and functional websites. Once you know how to build a Site you will find plenty of uses for them around your school. Even if you know nothing at all about web design, you'll leave this session with lots of ideas about building a website! Please come along with some ideas about what you might like to create and let’s start building it!
This session will get you hands-on and building a website with the newest version of Google Sites.
Introduction to Sites
Introduction to Sites
- Make pages
- Change the header, look and theme
- Add content by embedding...
- Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, Charts
- A whole Google Drive Folder
- YouTube videos
- Calendars
- Maps and MyMaps
Things to consider when designing a Site
Things to consider when designing a Site
Design and plan a Site for a specific purpose
Design and plan a Site for a specific purpose
Different kinds of Sites will have different collections of information on them. Each Site will have different structures and content, depending on its purpose. The nice thing about Google Sites is that it can integrate ots of different types of assets, including lots of integrations with Google Drive files, Google Maps, YouTube, etc.
Some possible suggestions might include..
- Student portfolio - Docs, Sheets, Slides, Videos, Photos, links
- Class website - News, Information, maps, videos, links
- Science project site - aim, description, photos, results, linked data, charts, Sheets
- Parent information site - new and information, calendar, documents, maps, videos
- Year team portal - calendar, information, maps, videos, links, docs, sheets, slides
- Collaborative student project - docs, links, videos, maps, information,
- Web-based newsletter - stories, photos, videos, links
- Resource sharing site - docs, sheets, slides, drawings, photos, links
What other ideas for a Site do you have?
Identify your audience
Identify your audience
Who is your Site for?
- Students
- Other teachers
- Parents
- The wider community
- The whole world
Think about who the audience is and consider what they will be looking for on the Site
Plan your Site’s Information Architecture
Plan your Site’s Information Architecture
- What are the logical sections for your site?
- How many pages should you have?
- How will you group them together?
- What names will you use for the different sections of your Site?
- Think in terms of your audience!
- What assets will you need (photos, maps, videos, files, links, etc)
- Keep it simple to start with!
As you develop a plan for your Site, map it out! Use paper, post-it notes, or some other means to plan the architecture of your site.
Start building your Site
Start building your Site
Use the plan you’ve come up with to start building your site. Start by creating the collection of pages, structure them according to your plan, then add content to each page. Be willing to change and redesign your structure if you need to!
For example, some examples of typical pages you might find on a school website include...
- Home - Welcome page, with a couple of paragraphs of introductory text and supporting photos
- About Us - Description of the school and some of its important features, including photos
- Where are we? - Embedded map of the school's location
- Calendar of events - Embedded calendar of key events for the school
- Resources - Description of the various resources available on this part of the site
- Videos - Page with several embedded videos
- Photo Gallery - Page with several embedded images
- Useful Links - Page of useful links to external websites
- Documents - description of documents available in the section of the website
- Policies - embedded Google Drive folder containing documents
- Presentations - embedded Google Slide presentations
- Feedback - embedded Google Form asking for name, email address and comment
Create a Site
Create a Site
OK, it's time to build something! Come up with an idea for a site, consider your audience, plan your site structure, and start building!
Your checklist
Your checklist
- Choose the header image on each page
- Add appropriate content to each of these pages
- Arrange the pages however you wish, but think about good design! What works best for your audience?
- Design the page layout using the grid - drag components into position, but respect the grid.
- Choose a theme for your site. Try them all.
- Add a logo for your site.
- Decide of your navigation style. Top or Side?
- View your site for web, for tablet, and for mobile! Check often!
- Ask others for feedback on your Site and be willing to make changes if necessary.
- Publish your site so that anyone can see it, but don't make it visible to search engines unless you want to.
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