There are three levels of permissions within Google Sites: Owner, Editor and Viewer. If you create a site, you'll be the owner, which means you have full permissions to modify design and content.
You can share the site with editors, for example your students. They can only be allowed to edit existing pages; they cannot change the design of the site. You can also share the site with viewers, for example parents. They can only view the site and are not permitted to make any changes.
In school you can use Google Sites in many different ways...
You can use it as a web page. At my school each class has its own site, where the children explain what we're doing in school. The children use the site as a class blog and they can update the blog and contribute with their thoughts. The parents are viewers, which mean they can read all the important information. We use this page instead of "veckobrev".
Each child also has their own personal site. It is used by students as a digital portfolio featuring their best work. They upload PDFs, Word files or other documents that they are proud of.
You can also use Google Sites as a wiki. First you need to share your site with the students, and invite them to be owners or editors. Then they can edit the page you gave them access to. They can communicate with each other and comment on each other's texts.
When we work with different themed, for example Östersjöväldet or with a book project, we make a site which holds all the information about the work. The students then publish their work om the site and they can easily comment on each other's work.Yours Hanna Svedberg
This sounds like a nice way to work! I like how it is possible to let the students edit some parts of the site and also let them have their own personal site. It is a great way to give the students responsibility! :) I remember that we had something like this when I want to school and I loved it. What do your students think of the site? Do they use it frequently and enjoy it?
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of making it public to the parents and use it instead of "veckobrev". It must be exciting for them to be able to see what you are working with on the Internet.
//Malin
It seems to me that this is a good way to reach both pupils and parents with different informations. In the lower grades most schools sent out week letters to the parents. Instead of using papers or email you can use this site. One problem is that not all pupil have a computer at home. There are a few not many on my school. And if they suppose to use it in some form of school work it is important to work with it in school and not let it be a homework project.
ReplyDeleteI also think it´s great that you can use it as a class blog. That gives me as a teacher to younger pupils a possibility to create week letters together with the pupil. Then they could share their thoughts about the weeks activities. And it`s also become a way of teaching IT technology in school if you does it as an activities together with the pupils.
Google Sites sounds really interesting. I like that it seems to be something in between a website, a blog and a wiki. If it´s as good as you describe it I´ll definitely try this out with my next group of students!
ReplyDeleteI´m only lacking one thing with your post Hanna, what happened to the English teaching perspective? After all we are taking a course about how to teach English, even though we are focusing on teaching using ICT. I would love to hear about weather you used this in English classes before. Do you for example have the site in English or does it also come in Swedish?
Kind regards,
Vera Peterson