• Use of technology for learning throughout Covid-19 was the beginning of an imporant shift in learning. Examination and review of this time period hold important lessons for future implementation practices of technology use and integration. Provision of hybrid-learning methods for students can create further opportunities for them to engage on a global scale and connect with those around them. 

• Google Sites acts as a hub for interactive components, which are proven to increase desire to learn. (Wulandari et al., 2023). It can support interactive images, infographics, graphs, forms, chat rooms, animations, quizzes, polls and questionnaires, social media, and additional extensions. 

• Google is continually improving their suite of digital tools, maintaining relevancy and up to date best practice standards. Many additional extensions are suitable for integration into Google Sites, such as Google Reviews, Social Feed, WhatsApp Chat, Google Maps, Audio Player, PayPal Button, Weather and more. 

• Interactivity of websites promotes desire to learn, therefore Google Sites' ability to host components which engage users will create rich learning opportunities. Creators can personalize websites to suit their needs and desires. 

• Use of Google Sites requires Google accounts, therefore primary-aged children may need assistance with use of this platform. 

• Google Sites utilizes responsive web design which automatically adapts the pages information and elements to various sizes of screens to provide a user-friendly experience. Google Sites can be accessed on mobile devices, unfortunately it is only able to be edited on a computer at this time. 

• During development stages, creators can toggle between previews of mobile and computer-based versions of their website to ensure suitable transfer of information. 

• Google Sites hosts the option for creators to embed custom HTML code to develop the site personalized to their needs. Open-sourced code is available online and can be simply embedded to provide interactive components on their website. 

• Google Sites can host images and audio for visually impaired or hard of hearing. Google has recommended various screen readers to pair with operating systems and web browsers on their Google Workspace user guide to accessibility, such as  VoiceOver for macOS on a Chrome browser. The user guide can additionally support users with any assistive technology they may be looking to utilize. 

• Alternative text can be added for all images on the Google Site as a description for screen reader users. 

• Google Sites has various themes, which can be customized to be comply to Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) 2.0 colour palettes.

Google Sites allowed for powerful collaboration to take place for this group project, on the development of an AI Chatbot intended for education purposes. We were able to develop a professional quality website and embed the wireframe that was created by our group to showcase EduBot. Our website housed a community hub for educators and students, support pages for operation, and privacy information. I really enjoy the customizable options available for themes, content templates, and components which I can insert into Google Sites. It may have been possible to work in collaboration with one another on a different platform, but Google Sites has been by far the most seamless for every group project. 

I have utilized Google Sites with a Grade 5 class in conjunction with Google Classroom. It is a powerful tool that can host all components required for class needs. I enjoy the ability to post regular updates for students and activities which can spur engagement. Students have the ability to independently upload their work and showcase their learning, promoting encouragement of digital citizenship and quality of work. Additionally, students who experience social anxiety or cannot be present in traditional school settings were able to be included through the class website. We utilized multiple assistive technologies to communicate and demonstrate learning with students, parents, and staff. 

The creation of this website was based on personal experiences of group members. As primary educators, we noticed there were many tools which supported the development for children of social emotional learning. However, we wondered why there were not many resources that had been specifically curated with educators in mind. We set out to create a website full of curated resources specifically with educators in mind. The option for us to work asynchronously or synchronously was a fantastic way to encourage collaboration amongst peers and suited our varied schedules well. We felt the nature of the resources provided were ideal for educators as the website can be accessed from anywhere, on computers, tablets, or mobile devices, and hosted multiple research-based tools for social emotional learning.