Class website

This assignment is to create a wiki or website that you can use as a portfolio for when you are applying for jobs, and also as the first class website you will have as a teacher.

*It is recommended that you use Google Sites–this is the tool I’ll demonstrate in class and in the tutorials below. However, if you want to explore another technology (like Blogger, Edublogs, Wikispaces, iWeb, Wix, Weebly, Posterous, or something else), you are welcome to, and that is recommended if you are already familiar with Google Sites so you can learn something new. If you do use something else, you can probably find tutorials on Youtube to help you.

Assignment Using Google Sites

To complete this assignment using Google Sites, create a new website by going to http://sites.google.com. Make it looks professional, clean, and ready to be used in your own teaching. Do not use the class website template that Google provides—use a blank template! Trust us, it’ll be easier this way!

You can make up the information on your website related to your future class to reflect the kind of classroom you anticipate having and the courses you anticipate teaching. At a minimum, the website must include the following:

(4 points) — An introductory page or pages that includes:

1. A paragraph describing yourself
2. A picture of you, or a picture representing you or your subject area
3. A paragraph about what you teach and your expertise in this area
4. Contact information (this can be fake if you don’t want to share your real contact information, or you can use a Google Gadget to create an email form)

(6 points) — A sample course section including several pages for a class you hope to teach. You should have a main page summarizing the class (“welcome to Spanish 101!”) and then additional subpages for each of the following:

1. Syllabus (an embedded Google Document) Make sure the document is made public! (Note that for this and the calendar, I don’t really care what is actually on the documents—only that you know how to embed them properly).
2. Embedded Google Calendar filled out for one month. Make sure the calendar is made public!
3. Class announcements (blog)
4. Anything else you would like to have

(2 points) — A portfolio section where you can add several future pages representing work you would like to showcase to a potential employer. You will add pages to this portfolio throughout our class, and you’re welcome to add things from other classes that you have done as well. At a minimum, for this first assignment, it must include:

1. A main page introducing your portfolio. You might discuss your experience and education at BYU, and begin adding in any subpages that you hope to fill out eventually with content.
2. A blank page for your future video project from this class.
3. A blank page for your future Personal Technology Project from this class.
4. Any other pages or content you want to add.

(6 points) — Customized and professional website appearance

1. Choose a theme or color scheme that isn’t too busy
2. Insert relevant Google Gadgets to personalize your website and make it useful
3. Use the “embed gadget” to embed at least one thing you found on the Internet. This could be a slideshare, a quizlet quiz, a Goodreads book list, a Glogster glog, or many other things. Click here to see a tutorial.
4. Include links to other websites and sources
5. Have no broken links or information that isn’t related to your class.

Example Websites from Past Students

The following website example includes more of the components in the rubric including the professional portfolio and the student sections.

• Miss Razz

Resources For Creating Class Websites With Google Sites

Google Tutorials
I am not exaggerating when I say that your best resource will probably be Google’s help menus. As you create a website, notice if there are links to help documents, because Google often has them for you in all sorts of places. Also, just look for the “help” link in the upper right of the screen when you are logged in.

To help you, here are a few of the key tutorials from Google that may help:

• Beginner’s Guide (notice the links on the left to creating your site, editing you site, inserting gadgets, and changing the look of your site.
• Inserting a map
• Inserting a calendar
• This tutorial explains how to make pages under another page. This is how you create the different “sections” of pages we talk about in the rubric
• An explanation of the class announcements or blog page.
• Embedding photos and slideshows
• Embedding docs, presentations, surveys, and spreadsheets
• Changing your site navigation (the links to the other pages in your site) to be along the top instead of vertical on the side. (you don’t need to do this, but many like to)
• To embed other content with “embed code” go to your Google site, edit the page, and then go to insert>more gadgets. Then click on “featured.” Insert the embed gadget into your site, and in the empty box, paste in the embed code. To see how this is done, see my tutorial below on embedding Goodreads. Click here to see a tutorial.

The following tutorials are meant just to help you get started and get the general idea of Google Sites, but use Google’s help menus for specific questions you have.

Creating a Google Site

Creating a Google Site Part 2

Embedding a Google Calendar or Document

Editing a Google Site

Editing the Sidebar of your Google Site

Picnik

FAQs

1. Can I use the class website template that Google provides?

I strongly recommend that you DON’T use the “class website template” because students have found it is actually easier to start with a blank template than with the class website template. If you use the class website template, Google will create a lot of the things for you already, but with “filler text” that you’ll have to delete later. Most likely you’ll miss some of it, and be embarrassed later to find you still have filler text on your website. So I think it is best to start with a blank website.

2. How do I embed something into my website? (i.e. using the Embed Gadget)
On the Internet, you’ll often find cool things you can create. Many times they will have a “share” button where there is “embed code” for putting it on your website. Copy all of that embed code. Then in your Google site, go to the page where you want the mindmeister map (or whatever). Go to insert > more gadgets. This pulls up a list of hundreds of gadgets you can use. Go to “featured” and the “embed gadget” is one of the first ones there. The embed gadget is an all-purpose gadget for embedding any kind of embed code. So paste in the code you have, and then click save.

3. How do I embed a Google Map?
1. In maps.google.com, search for what you are planning to do a map about. Then click on the “link” link in the upper right corner. It will give you two choices, pick the link for emailing to people (see attached picture).

2. In Google Sites, on the page that you want it, go to “insert > map” Then it gives you the choice of picking a map you have saved in “my maps.” But if you haven’t done that, then underneat the map is a space to paste in “a link to a Google Map.” Paste in that link you copied in step 1. and hit save (see attached picture, look below the big map for the space where you paste the link).

4. How do I embed a Glog?
Below the glog, click on the embed on your website link. Copy the embed code. On your website, go to insert > more gadgets. Then find under “featured” the “embed gadget”. Paste in that embed code and wa-la!

5. My map doesn’t show up, how do I fix it?

1. Go to edit the page.

2. Click on the map, and some options will be revealed to edit it. Click on the one looking like a gear. This changes the properties.

3. Where it says the name of the map, click on change.

4. type in the address or the name of the school and state you are talking about

5. Click the search button and wait until it shows up with a place marker at the school. The place marker looks like a little pushpin. Once you see that, you know Google Maps found your location.

6. Click select and then save.