documents

To the left, you can see an embedded YouTube video. This is accomplished ever-so-simply, and teacher approval controls with YouTube videos make the process work.

The sample video is TeacherTech's introduction to the new Google Sites.

Embed Google Slides Presentations

To the right, you can see an embedded Google Slides presentation. Users can scroll through the presentation or simply press "play," all without leaving the site.

The sample presentation is from Sylvania's digital parent training sessions.

Digital Survival Guide: Full Session Presentation

Embed Google Forms

To the left, you can see an embedded Google Forms quiz. Users can complete the quiz within the embedded window, again without leaving the site.

The sample quiz is a reading comprehension quiz for the novel Out of the Dust.

Embed Google Maps

To the right, you can see an embedded Google Maps interactive map of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Users can grab the map with the mouse to move it around, zoom in and out, and click on a marker for a journal entry.

The sample map was found by visiting Google My Maps and selecting "Explore."

Class notes

create DISCUSSIONs

The only obvious weakness of the new Google Sites is the lack of comment or chat functions. Google will probably take care of that at some time. Still, there's an interesting workaround that can be accomplished with Google Docs. To the left, you can see an embedded Google Doc. Students can write into it to post questions and comments on a given topic. This lacks the automatic notification and administrator approval tools of comment sections, but if the sharing permissions only allow Sylvania Schools users in, each post is connected to a user.

Pretty, pretty.

Of course, a huge benefit of websites is their ability to visually engage the user. The new Google Sites makes image posting simple. Check out the beauty here!

Bring it to the top or kick it to the back.

You can even set the background of sections of your site as images. The header above is editable for your own images. This section of the site is editable, too. The section above with the Mona Lisa could have run an image background as well. No doubt, you saw the image background with the Out of the Dust quiz on the homepage. By the way, these images will dim or brighten for readability with a single click.

Functional Graphics

Post an image of a functional graphic, like this one of the water cycle, and then type instructions to students in this space.

Schedule

Google Sheets

You can post individual Google Sheets on your page. Just like documents, users can scroll through the sheet or open it in full.

This, of course, is Northview's Homework Matrix!

Digital Survival Guide: Full Session Presentation

Google Slides

Slides files can be embedded as you saw on the homepage, but did you know that some folks use Google Slides for document design? Here's a Slides file posted on the site for easy access. It's a copy of Sylvania Schools' On the Record.

Google Drawing

And finally, yes, Google Drawings are as easy to post as everything else!

This sample is a graphic organizer from Bethann Seifert and Jessie Minard's Senior Humanities course.

Share it all.

You can also post a Google Drive folder in its entirety on your page. If you set the permissions for your users, they will see all the files, and the listing of files will change as you add or remove files. This makes file distribution simple, but you could use it in other ways as well. If you shared a folder with students and asked them to upload projects (in Docs, Slides, PDF, video or even Sites) into that folder, you would see an instant directory of student projects for sharing!

This sample is a folder of Edcite-formatted AIR prep material from Sylvania Schools' secondary test preparation program in 2015-2016.

Image carousel

Sample images from google search.

To-do list

Embedding a Google Sheets To do list

Sample course list

Another example of a Google Sheets list

Sample course list

Shared sheet

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Google Sites

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