Getting started with Google Sites

Presenter: Amy McCauley

Organisation: Hobsonville Point Primary School

Twitter: @AmyMMcCauley

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+AmyMcCauley

Website: amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz

Google Doc:
Resources

Google Sites are a collaborative wiki.
First think about:

Could have a team teaching planning/learning site:

http://bit.ly/hppslc2plan

• gives parents and kids access
• create initial template with blank boxes to add planning to
• planning adds links to all online resources so kids can access
• blog embedded
• detailed planning is there but only admin can access it
• Google Drawings area automatically updated
• team meeting minutes are added or updated from Google Docs 
• can open the Google Docs from the site

Student online spaces:

• Digital citizenship agreement
• Templates

Staff resource site:

• Create resource place for staff to access rather than leave lost in drive
• Add staff proceedures - creative commons, new students, digital footprint of all classes
• Techie sessions with links
• Teacher Tech toolbox
• Teaching portfolio - RTC evidence, leaders can subscribe to changes

Getting started:

Beginner's guide to getting started.

Get the kids to ceate the header image and have 'Artwork done by ......' pop up.  A great way to focus on acknowledging the artist. 

Google Sites work really well with all of the Google Tools but there can be a few problems with non-Google products.  

Ideas:

Photo of class - click on their face and go directly to their blog.  Draw around the face and insert link but remove line and fill.

Sharing and permissions:  Manage site - can have part of it private like your detailed planning but allow people to access other things.

Subscribe to changes: Send student changes to a folder rather than fill up in-box, you can check them later.

So what?

Unpack why - could this improve learning and student access?  

This is the way students access and plan their day at HPPS rather than making lots of paper copies and enables access to the class programme from home. 

Follow-up activities are included in the workshop and the programme can be easily adapted as they change. This will support independence in learning and give parents information about learning.

All the learning resources can be collated and accessed from home e.g. maths resources in stages with images and a summary. Flipped classroom resources can be accessed from here or links to iTunes-U. They can be made on another site an linked as an option.

Sudent sites - access to their site but limit access to their assessments / conferences to staff and parents.