Google Sites

This was the most difficult item for me to learn on Google so far. I could get used to Spreadsheets, Presentations, and some other features because they are similar to something I have used often in the past. But I have not spent much time using tools to make websites or wikis. The only experience I have creating websites is from one of my computer classes in high school, but that was during my freshman or sophomore year, making it at least seven years ago. Technology and the Internet have come a long way since then. It also took some time to make up a class for the wiki. But, when it comes down to it, Google Sites is a great resource. It might take some time, but it's a great tool. I came across a website for a fourth grade class, and I thought it was neat because the teacher had so many resources on her site. It also looked great and seemed to have a great layout.

I did have to watch some Atomic Learning videos to learn how to do things in Google Sites. I also looked at the examples given to see what types of items other teachers included on their sites. It definitely took me some getting used to, and I still have plenty to learn. I like that even though you choose a theme, you can still change the background color of that theme. It is nice to know that if you like a certain theme, but not necessarily the color combination, you can change the color. I love the revisions history feature. I added in a couple items I decided I didn't like, but I didn't know how to delete them. By using the revisions history, I could revert the wiki back to an earlier stage. It's nice to know that if you do something you don't like, there is an easy way to change it. The most recent versions are pretty much saved. I thought it was pretty easy to add links and pictures, which is great. I also like that each page within a wiki can have its own layout. They will have the same theme, but the layout I used on one page could be different than the layout I used on another page. On one page I only wanted one column, but on another I wanted to have three.

I think Google Sites is a wonderful option for teachers, and also just in general. It took me a while to create my wiki, and it doesn't even have very much information on it. If I were to create one for a real classroom, I think it would take quite a while. But after using it often, I think it would become easier and take less time. I enjoyed learning about Google Sites and will have to keep it in mind for the future. Here is the link to my wiki.