Embedded Files
December 6, 2016
Session Leader: Efrain Tovar, @tovarsusd
GOOGLE SITES
Efrain did a great job walking us through the features on the new Google Sites platform. I had played with it a bit, but it is so helpful to have an actual person walk you through the first steps as you are exploring a new tool.
I decided to practice using the new Google Sites by recreating my IEC Portfolio website. As you can see, there is quite a difference.
I love the more modern, sophisticated look of Google Sites compared to the classic version. Once I became accustomed to the new platform, I found the new Google sites easy to navigate. I was able to easily embed a Google map, link to a shared calendar, images and text.
The one feature I miss most from the classic version is the announcements page template. It was an easy way to create a blog feed.
For the IEC Portfolio blog expectation, my workaround is to add a separate page for each blog post and link it as a sub-page under my Reflective Blog page. On the main Reflective Blog page, I will create a link to the blog post. So, even though it is not possible to scroll through the history of blog posts on one page, a viewer can see the titles and posting dates and then click on the link to read the detailed post.
View my screencast to see how easy it was to set this up.
Dec 7, 2016 8:10 PM.webmIt is also easy to turn images into hyperlinks. On the IEC Links page, I took a screenshot of each web page I wanted a link to using the Nimbus screen shot Chrome extension, and then inserted the images on to the website page. Once they were added and arranged the way I wanted, all I had to do was click on the image, select the "link" button and then paste the URL of the site I wanted to connect to. I like the fact that the link automatically opens in a new tab. That was a feature you had to intentionally select in Classic sites, not the default.
Efrain also shared some great tips with us about translating tools available for use with Google forms: engage.tovar.us It was slightly off topic for Google Sites, but being that all of us in the cohort live in CA, teaching English Language Learners is our reality. If we are using websites to communicate with a broader audience than just our classroom, we must harness technology to help improve communication with the parents of our students, or in some cases the students themselves. The Google translate tools, while they may not be perfect, help break down the language barrier. Being that I don't have any non-English speaking parents at the moment, they won't be used in my classroom immediately, but I will be sharing them with my husband who teaches at a primarily Spanish speaking school.
Another great add-on I was introduced to was colorzilla. It is a Google Chrome extension that can help with creating color pallets, and color gradients. It is important to consider the presentation of our work for both our students and the larger community. Color can enhance our message, or be a total distraction. I like that you can save color pallets that one can use in all the other Google applications. If you come across a website or a picture that you find particularly pleasing, you can analyze it for colors and save a color pallet inspired by that item.
The mention of color, and consideration of design elements when creating websites got me thinking about colorblindness. While we need to consider aesthetics when designing a site, or any other type of document, we also need to consider accessibility. Using a saved screenshot of your web page design, you can preview it with a variety of color blindness filters at Coblis - Color Blindness Simulator. Some color combinations and gradient or contrast setting could prevent an individual with colorblindness from viewing all the content. If this was an assignment for a colorblind student, they could miss out on valuable information.
I am excited to use Google Sites more often. It will be great to transfer my class website from Classic to New Sites. The fact that the new Google Sites adapt to mobile devices is a huge benefit. Most parents accessing my class website are doing so with a mobile device. It will be a much easier to use program with which to add current content and keep updated. I see Google Sites also being useful for a big unit of study. It could be a place to post resources and content on a particular subject for students to access quickly and easily.
GOOGLE CLASSROOM
Let me start off by saying that I LOVE Google Classroom. It has totally changed the way I manage my classroom, and now, I can't imagine managing a class without it.
I use it to post assignments, ask questions, and push out links.
One tool I learned about (I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I didn't know about it already) is the Share to Classroom Chrome Extension. This extension allows you to share any URL directly to your classroom. I have always copied and pasted links into new announcements. I have this extension installed, and anticipate using it heavily.
I use Google classroom for assignments. I like that you can include multiple items in one assignment post. For my monthly reflection paragraph assignments, I include a link to a padlet where the class has brainstormed about all the things we worked on and experienced during the previous month, as well as a Doc with a paragraph writing template and assignment criteria. I also like using Google classroom to pose a question and collect student responses. This feature can be private, or set so students can see each other's responses.
One of the classroom features that many teachers overlook, but is one of my favorites, is the ABOUT tab. On the about tab, I include links to websites that we often use, i.e., school website, district website, IXL.com, iReady, Khan Academy, Code.org, Scratch, Seesaw. It is great to have these links in one place for students to access easily.
The other feature I think is worth noting is the fact that you can add multiple teachers to one classroom. My grade level partner and I co-teachers for each other's classrooms. This makes it easy to copy assignments and view work samples from the room next door. We also switch classes periodically for Science, so it is a nice way to push out links or assignments to my partner's class.
I'm going to continue sharing what I learn about Google classroom with my colleagues because I find it so easy to use and amazingly helpful when it comes to workflow management.
Someone mentioned a parent connection option for Google Classroom. I was not aware of this feature, but I plan to research it and begin using it. January will be an excellent time for my fourth-grade parents to connect to the classroom. It will be a new trimester, and students will all get a fresh start.
Google Sites
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