Make a Google Website

www.google.com

Access to the webpages, docs, igoogle, email, etc.
Be sure to write down the password information
Not successful on the first try of the security word? Just try another!
After you have signed up and logged in,
Click on Settings>Google Acct. Settings (it may be listed as My Account, depending upon how and where you logged in)
Sites is where we’ll be working.

There are 2 ways to build a site: from scratch, page by page or from a prebuilt site template (which Google refers to as a Theme).

In either case, start this way:

Name your site
Note the URL of the site, ie: http://sites.google.com/site/mywebpage/
Give a brief description of the site content
Choose a color theme (this can be changed later)
Type in the password
Click Create and you’re started!

Building a webpage from scratch

(This is the easiest way to build a site)

Notice the 3 buttons on the right: Create Page, Edit Page & More Actions

To add a page: Create Page>Name the Page>Put under Home>Create

Edit Page opens up these tabs:

Insert, Format, Table, Layout

To set the layout, Edit Page, Layout (this can be changed later as well)

To change the Theme: click on More Actions>Manage Site>Themes (under Site Appearance)

Building a webpage from a Theme template

(This is a little harder, but it’s a great choice for a detailed and interactive site.) Browse the gallery of Theme templates, view the template and then Select. Once the site is in place, simply use the Edit Page command to customize the page.

Replace text, graphics, sections, etc. with your own information. Note: templates are user-created and submitted, so some might not be easy to customize. It’s best to stick to the “popular” ones.

Adding the Cool Stuff and Managing

To insert a link: simply type the web address, if Google doesn’t automatically link, highlight and click on Insert>Link

To insert a picture: Insert>Image

Clipart and Graphics Sources:

http://www.teacherfiles.com/clip_art.htm
http://www.cln.org/themes/clip_art.html
http://www.school-clip-art.com/
www.public-domain-photos.com
www.publicdomainpictures.net

Original photos can be compressed for web use using Microsoft Office Picture Manager. Open the picture in Picture Manager, highlight the picture, click on Compress Picture and save. This reduces the file size and allows pictures to load quickly. Then to insert the picture on the web page, Insert>Pictures, navigate to the picture and upload. Google maintains a file with uploaded pictures, so that you can reuse them at any time.

To insert Google Gadgets

Navigate to Insert>More Gadgets to browse the list of cool gadgets.

Place the cursor where you want the gadget to appear. It may be necessary to resize or move it around. Insert the Gadget, Click on Properties, make changes. Align: Left, Center, Right. Wrap, refers to how the text wraps around the gadget. Remove takes the gadget off.

Site Help for Teachers: https://www.google.com/support/sites/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=153055

http://www.google.com/educators/index.html

Add a Disclaimer:

(Note: this is not a legal example) Please Note: We are not responsible for contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site or any changes or updates to such sites. This website is provided to you only as a convenience and does not imply endorsement of any site. If objectionable information is found, please email the webmaster.

Congratulations! The website structure is now complete! Add fresh content frequently, stir well and enjoy!